Flashback Runner

Welcome Mr. Reader, welcome back!

Today we go straight to 1992, where we will see one of the triumphs of the French gaming industry, namely - Flashback: The Quest of Identity.

A little about creation and creators.

The game was developed by the French studio Delphine Software International (DSI) under the direction of game designer Paul Crusset, and was first released in 1992, shining on the screens of Amiga computers.

Later, within a couple of years, Flashback reached all platforms that were relevant at that time.

The development history is somewhat anecdotal. DSI had a distribution partner - the British company US Gold. And this partner really wanted a game based on... the film “The Godfather”. Unexpected, right? Country villa, lead shower, salami with fried peppers accompanied by the cheerful strumming of a mandolin... Haven’t you seen anything like this while passing through? You want to regain your memory, but you ask for it without due respect, you don’t even call me Godfather.

For Cusset, the story of the criminal exploits of Italians in the United States was infinitely far from his own interests, and he received permission to freely interpret Puzo’s work. The studio's previous project, Another World, set in a sci-fi setting, achieved considerable success, and Paul wanted to move further in the same direction. The story was rewritten over and over again, new approvals were made, until the last traces of the Corleone family were erased, and Agent Hart appeared before us in his canonical form. How do you like that, Senor Andolini? US Gold were even pleased with the result and gave the green light.

And what can I say here other than the canonical one: “Look, how they massacred my boy.”

Well, now let's get to the main course!

❯ Introduction

I'll start with the backstory, which many who have completed the game probably missed. And they missed it due to the lack of a comic book authored by Marvel accompanying the American official cartridges.

The year is 2142, humanity has long mastered the solar system and controls interplanetary space as confidently as it once did with the old Earth. We find ourselves in the guise of an agent of the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, Conrad B. Hart, who has the call sign “Flash” for his almost perfect instincts and reactions. However, outside of extreme conditions, his phenomenal abilities cease to operate, the carriage turns into a pumpkin, and our Conrad is unable to show up for the meeting on time. Remember, novice agents, if you spend a little less time discussing your successes with your colleagues, then you will have more time for other things. Self-admiration is a vice.

Before meeting with his friend Sonya, Conrad runs in to pick up a special device with which he wants to conduct field tests. This device is a visor through which you can see the density of objects in the field of view and more, which will play a key role in the unfolding plot. Along the way, Mr. Hart sheds a tear of nostalgia for his friend Ian, now residing on Titan, a moon of Saturn, for unclear purposes.

When meeting with a friend, our hero learns that some kind of unrest is being prepared at a rally organized by a local politician, where the two of them go. To simplify their work in the crowd, a new device is used. By chance, first Sonya and then Conrad look at the speaker through this device, and then...

Almost.

The bodyguards of the unknown creature are not asleep, notice the confusion of Sonya and Conrad, and report their suspicions to the right place.

After these events, Sonya disappears, and a couple of days later Conrad realizes that the shadow of an inexplicable threat hangs over him. Trying to preserve at least some evidence for a future investigation, he recorded a video message on the holocube and he was right. Almost immediately after the end of the recording, he is kidnapped and his memory is erased. What, however, humane kidnappers! And how exactly they played into Conrad’s hands.

From this moment events begin in the game itself. Finding himself in his own atmosphere of danger, even having lost his memory, our special agent, brilliantly using his skills and reaction, escapes from the kidnappers. But during the pursuit, his flying bike is shot down over the jungle. Enemies think the operative died in the crash. No matter how it is!

So, Conrad wakes up... on Titan, as it turns out. Nowadays, this planet is an icy desert with lakes of liquid methane. In the game world, the surface of this satellite was covered with impenetrable jungle. The apple trees on Mars have long since blossomed, no less!

Also, somewhere around here is the missing Ian.

Well, you and I are finally picking up the joystick. And I think it’s worth saying a few words about the gameplay features.

❯ Gameplay

It's hard to say now, 32 years after its release, whether it immediately felt just as bad or just... a little awkward for the era. Remembering the famous fatalities in MK 3 or the level with snakes in Battletoads, we can say with confidence that Delphine Software took pity on our psyche. But, nevertheless, it is worth recognizing that there is a certain height of the entry threshold.

On the pages of the comic and in the introductory video, we are shown that the main character is a top-class agent, an unrivaled shooter, and a combat situation is his element. Well, at first we have a lot to tarnish Conrad’s reputation. Before you shoot, you must have time to grab the weapon, and there may be several opponents, they can operate at different heights and move at different speeds.

We have energy armor with 4 charges, which always works, and later an energy shield with an infinite charge will appear, but it must be turned on manually, simultaneously with the enemy’s shot.

And if now you think that doesn’t sound so difficult... Here’s dessert for you - management. In normal mode, Conrad will simply walk calmly and make short standing jumps, however, in the first location we will stare in puzzlement at the torn landscape, which clearly requires more advanced skills. How to run, how far to jump? How to carefully hang on your hands in order to reduce the distance to the bottom surface and not fall to death when jumping?

If you had a pirate cartridge back then (and it most likely was the case), then you learned the wisdom of moving using the method reactive heating of the fifth point trial and error, because The scant description of the controls in the game menu gave practically nothing. If suddenly you were the happy owner of a license, then the box contained instructions on how to competently move our hero along his difficult path. However, this did not make the task much easier. Yes, you knew in advance which way to hold the fishing rod... but in the murky depths Flashback faced the same tests as everyone else. Here they are, from left to right:

1) Opponents. Mutants, androids, robots, flying turrets, policemen flying on jetpacks, aliens... Each has its own tactics, and at least one at a time they are quite digestible, however, closer to the second half of the game these guys will meet you in a more organized manner and in the plural. Tactics and knowledge of the terrain will be our constant allies. After all, there is another feature of the gameplay - the screen. No, not only the protective screen in Conrad’s inventory, but literally the visible space. Remember I told about the revolution for PC gaming in “Dangerous Dave”, where the camera was taught to “scroll” the space following the character’s movement? This technology is not available here, the camera is static, but the space divided into sections is interconnected. Yes, you won’t be able to shoot at enemies “behind the screen,” but you can kindly “invite” them into your piece of the map, putting them in a very vulnerable position.

2) Level design. In some places the player will need to jump from a place to advance, in others from a running start, clinging to the very edge of the platform. This is not always possible to do the first time. Sometimes it seems that you are not doing something as intended, when Conrad once again falls to the ground while trying to jump onto a higher platform. But no. That's how it's done. Now add electrical, energy, and acid traps to the landscape. Few? How about a timer that requires you to run through some locations with virtually no mistakes?

3) System of interaction with items in the inventory. Here, rather, the question is for your attentiveness. As soon as the logic of working with the contents of our pockets becomes clear, everything will become simple. But from time to time the player will curse, realizing where he made the same stupid mistake. Didn't get a photo of the fugitive? Eyewitnesses will not talk to you, because you do not show it to them, and Conrad will simply say hello to the person he meets. Almost finished a level by buying jet boots to jump into the abyss leading to the underground entrance to the city? Don’t forget to take them out of your inventory, otherwise... save point, it was there.

Over time, we learn and begin to enjoy what is happening. At some point, the thought occurred to me that we did not disgrace our special agent at all with our initially crooked hands. The guy, for a second, lost his memory, and even landed epically, almost crashing! He was just regaining his skills.

Together with Conrad, we dive deeper into the adventure. Moreover, it is fully accompanied by a dense and eventful atmosphere.

❯ Atmosphere

Even now, in 2024, the appearance of the levels often makes you linger. The wild jungles of Titan, swallowing up corners once inhabited by humans. New Washington is scruffy and abandoned in places. The land, finally conquered, became an ecumenopolis (the latter, perhaps, is already my guess, there is no direct talk about this). A planet of hostile Aliens, more like a giant living organism.

The action is accompanied by unhurried electronic rhythms in the style of spy detectives, mysterious, alarming, gaining momentum when the next plot point comes.

The world we find ourselves in looks dysfunctional. Steel, glass, neon and concrete. Concrete with cracks, potholes, steel supported by a coating of corrosion. Garbage, dirt. Cold tones, dead electric light. The advancing lush vegetation of Titan, entangling buildings abandoned by man, now inhabited by mutants. The dead air of the Earth, whose atmosphere began to resemble muddy rotten water rather than bottomless blue. The Tower of Death, where our hero ends up, is a cruel entertainment for the crowd, watching with undying interest the deaths of the participants. Life-threatening work for a handful of credits, without any guarantees.

The world is gloomy, harsh, but filled with life, first of all - human, and secondly - synthetic. Thousands of cars are flying, capsule-shaped metro trains are rushing, people are sitting in bars, hanging out in passages, plotting bureaucratic intrigues for us, engaging in corruption and smuggling.

In addition, the game is full of references to cult films and more. We will need to track down and “retire” the dangerous android. Sound familiar? A special agent loses his memory and regains it thanks to a video message he recorded in advance for himself. Already seen somewhere! A living planet (judging by the signs encountered), with its own mind? The ears of science fiction works stick out here and there, playing into the hands of the general perception, complementing it, forcing our imagination to work more vividly.

And also, video inserts play well into his hands. Large ones that reveal the plot, and short ones that accompany some of Conrad’s actions. We are charging the power shield - we watch a short video with the installation of the shield in the charging installation. We have fallen into a death trap - we "enjoy" it in the video. And for the integrity of the picture, by the way, the authors were not lazy and made these inserts using computer animation.

In addition, both Conrad and his opponents move realistically, almost like in the movies. Just look!

I can only guess what an explosion this all made in 1992, if even after a third of a century it looks, although outdated, still worthy.

❯ Conclusion

All this, in total, captures the imagination and does not let go until the very end. Tough opponents that keep you in suspense, forcing you to show ingenuity and ingenuity, requiring quick reactions. An attention-grabbing picture, cinematic character movements and scene staging. An interesting, albeit somewhat secondary plot.

Is it any wonder that Flashback some time later entered the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling game created in France? You can buy it now; it has gone through many reprints, incl. and on platforms relevant for 2024. It would seem that this is the beginning of a new, brilliant series of games, because the authors deliberately made an open ending.

Alas, no.

The sequel, Fade to Back, released in 1995, made in full 3D, was met with much more restraint than its famous predecessor. And this was only the first alarm call. And then…

Bankruptcy. In 2004, Delphine Software International ceased to exist.

The company in which the story of Conrad B. Hart began left the stage, and the series plunged, like its protagonist, into suspended animation. For a long 9 years.

By 2013, the creator of the original, Paul Cusset, managed to organize a new studio, Vector Cell, which developed the remake. In the updated version, we are invited to relive the adventures of Conrad Hart, revisit familiar places, fight aliens and save the Earth. And here I want to dwell in more detail, since we are talking about an attempt to modernize the heroine of the article.

From the first moments after launch you can feel the difference. And with each subsequent minute the aftertaste becomes less and less pleasant. Remembering what was known in 1992 (and this is the first Mortal Kombat, Wolfenstein 3-D, Dune II strategy), you feel that Flashback was approximately on the same level with them. At the level of a superstar, destined to forever write his name in the history of the gaming industry.

In 2013, the remake looks like an average indie, but nothing more. Let me make a reservation right away: I’m not a great connoisseur of platformers. But compared to Ori or Trine, the updated Flashback looks rather meager. Moreover, the benefits of the 1992 version that made the game what it was were lost.

Firstly, the feeling of danger looming over us disappeared. Before, we entered each new “frame” with a weapon at the ready, with our finger frozen at the trigger. Each hit on Conrad threw him to the ground, the pace was lost, and the advantage that had existed before the fight went through all the reproductive areas. We felt the weight of every blow from the enemy and showed resourcefulness. What now? We now have a shield and health meter that recharges from defeated enemies. Here's your gun, special agent, shoot it into the white light like it's a pretty penny! Bonuses will not keep you waiting.

Secondly, the reality around us now looks different. Previously, these were city landscapes made in a style reminiscent of brutalism. It felt monumental, albeit worn by time. Now it's something, stylistically hovering between a neon-lit shopping mall (New Washington) and Kowloon (Earth). I don’t even want to talk about the world of aliens. Except that the first location with the jungle pleases the eye, awakening old emotions.

LOTS OF PICTURES!

Thirdly, this is pumping. For what? For what? The creators of the remake decided to finally finish off the need to have at least a minimum skill. Already at the beginning of the game, Conrad looks like a death machine, playfully dealing with his opponents. They are sent in large numbers at once, as if mocking the original. But with leveling up, our hero becomes even stronger. In contrast to the swinging Conrad, in the second half of the passage they throw “fat” opponents at us, but who said that this was interesting? When do you win not thanks to your reaction speed, resourcefulness, but thanks to damage points?

One of the advantages is such an innovation as teleport, it was interesting to play with it. And as a platformer, the game finally worked as it should, the former torment that caused someone to abandon the original as soon as they got to New Washington disappeared.

If this were a separate game, then there would undoubtedly be significantly fewer questions. And so, to the complaints about optimization and bugs (oh, yes, they are there too) were added the voices of dissatisfied fans of the original. Separately, just separately, Flashback 2013 is a good game for one evening. Or for a couple of evenings if you still have something else to do. But for 30 years, like its predecessor, it has not seen constant reissues.

To top off the above picture, thanks to the “success” of Flashback in 2013, we received our own flashback - in the form of the now bankrupt VectorCell. Also in 2013, just a couple of months after the release.

Unfortunately, the former reputation remained far in the past, not wanting to pursue the new part. Now the baton has been picked up by the French company Metroids. And in its orderly ranks came - whoever you thought - our old friend, Paul Cusset. Alive, smoking room. Flashback 2 was released in 2023 and drowned in negative reviews. But that, as they say, is a completely different story. I really want to believe that this is not the end, and the new adventures of special agent Conrad B. Hart will receive a new, more worthy continuation.

In the meantime... The legendary first part can still please you. It was published for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, among others. Bakery owners can go to Uncle Gabe's store or other green store sites you know.

Thank you for your attention! I hope this was as interesting a journey for you as it was for me! As they say, see you again!

P.S. A small bonus. Since Marvel has something to do with the game, I’ll use their feature and show additional material at the end. Below is the same comic that was published in the American edition for the Sega Genesis:

READ (in English)

Author of the text: Nikolay Bugaev. Written with support Timeweb Cloud especially for CatGeek and readers.

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