Telltale Games is a developer that prides itself in returning to the roots of adventure games from the past such as Monkey Island or The Dig, while using a modern representation of them. When the studio announced that it would do an episodic Back to the Future game the entire industry cried out in excitement. The best point and click adventure developer was making a game based on one of the most beloved IPs of all time. The big question is, did they pull it off or are they out of time?
Right from the get-go, Back to the Future makes a great first impression. The stylized art-style representation of Doc Brown and Marty McFly is absolutely charming and spot on – so is the voice acting. While Christopher Lloyd lends his likeness and voice talent to the game, Michael J. Fox did not, only providing the appearance. This turns out not to be a problem at all since voice talent A.J. LoCascio does an incredible job impersonating Fox’s Marty McFly voice.
Telltale has absolutely captured the Back to the Future vibe with this game and I had goose bumps on more than one occasion while playing the first episode of this five part series, which continues in February next year. Co-writer of the Back to the Future films, Bob Gale, helped write the script for the game and it shows through and through. ‘It’s about time’ takes place in the 1930’s era in a prohibition themed Hill Valley. Doc Brown’s assets are being sold off back in 1986 since he got into some trouble in the 30s. Marty travels back in time to rescue the Doc before his death.
There is an unbelievable amount of detail and cross referencing going on in Back to the Future ‘The Game’. Without going into heavy plot spoilers, Marty will encounter characters like principle Strickland’s sister, a young Emmett Brown and of course, a Tannen! It is hard for me not to spill the beans on this game since it will deprive you from enjoying the story line. Telltale walked a great line with this first episode, the writing is very much Back to the Future-esque without ever being too cheesy or reaching for laughs. Fans will feel right at home. The gameplay consists of walking around, having conversations and solving rather simple but enjoyable puzzles. It seems that Telltale intended this game to be more accessible to larger audiences. While you will probably not need the build in hint system, it is there if you want it.
Back to the Future Episode 1: ‘It’s about time’ is an absolute hit. The game does a fantastic job of providing a great mix of storytelling and gameplay. The detailed and rich universe of the IP has been translated really well into a video game. There were so many funny moments in this first episode that I cannot wait for more. Telltale could not have done a much better with this first episode; the one thing I would have liked though is a slightly larger environment to explore and maybe some tougher puzzles. For the most part though, this game is exactly what I wanted it to be, a charming and well designed point and click adventure game which serves as a fourth entry into the movie franchise.
Score: 9 / 10
Back to the Future: It’s About Time was developed and published by Telltale Games for the PC and MAC on December 22nd. A copy of the PC version was provided to us by Telltale Games for reviewing purposes.
