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Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 4: Double Visions Review for PC

Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 4: Double Visions Review for PC

Marty McFly, Matchmaker

Fans waited two decades in between the Back to the Future Part III and the first installment of Telltale’s Back to the Future: The Game, so it’s almost disappointing to think that with Friday’s release of the fourth episode of the latter, “Double Visions,” we’re almost done with this new chapter in the series. There’s only one episode remaining, after which the series will go dark again.

Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 4: Double Visions Screenshot

If you’ve been playing the game this far, you’ll know that Episode 3 did not end well. Marty managed to talk to Doc—or rather, to Citizen Brown, the leader of a Hill Valley that he’s turned into an Orwellian dystopia at the urging of his wife, Edna Strickland. Marty managed to convince Citizen Brown not only that he’d be better off without his crazier, more Puritanical half, but also that if he can fix the DeLorean, he can set things right. Problem is, Edna captured Marty and Citizen Brown and is trying to brainwash them.

It doesn’t take long for Marty to break out of his cell and release Doc. And it takes no time at all for Doc to fix the DeLorean, because once he figures it out, he travels back in time to save Marty the wait. But then comes the hard part: Doc and Marty have to travel back to 1931 (yes, 1931 . . . again . . . ) to stop Doc’s marriage to the well-meaning but eventually evil Edna. Complicating matters is the fact that the DeLorean’s time circuits are slightly off. Doc and Marty try to get Young Doc to see the movie Frankenstein rather than running off with Edna, but they end up arriving a few months late. It’s the time of the Hill Valley Expo, where the true Doc is supposed to launch his career in science with a rocket car. Instead, Young Doc has invested his time in an invention that Edna finds more agreeable: A device that reads people’s brain waves and (supposedly) reveals whether or not they’re a decent citizen.

Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 4: Double Visions Screenshot

Story-wise, this episode has the same problem we saw in Episode 3: The basic plot points are fascinating (1984 meets A Clockwork Orange, with time travel!), but the puzzles the developers made from them are boring, and as a result most of the episode just kind of churns along. Rather than exploring Doc’s mind and inventions in detail, you’ll spend most of this several-hour campaign trying to convince Edna that Doc isn’t right for her. The developers cover this up by offering an excuse—supposedly, Young Doc is so hard-headed that his mind can’t be changed—but the bottom line is that while Edna is a great supporting character, no one wants to spend hours trying to change her mind about anything. Not to mention that the basic goals here, which are to destroy Doc’s suit so he’s less attractive, convince Edna that Doc is having an affair (a subplot that involves Trixie Trotter), and make Doc look like a bad citizen, aren’t interesting in the slightest. Even the exception, a clever puzzle that involves manipulating Doc’s new machine to diagnose him as a “Degenerate Criminal,” is too long and slow for its own good.

Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 4: Double Visions Screenshot

So, those of us who play Back to the Future: The Game because we love Back to the Future, not because we love point-and-click games, are left out for most of the game. Even point-and-click fans will be disappointed to find that Telltale made the puzzles so simple to make the game friendly to casual gamers. It’s several hours of walking around, collecting items, matching items to their proper uses, using the hint system when necessary, and praying for a new plot twist or well-done cutscene.

Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 4: Double Visions Screenshot

Fortunately, though, toward the end, there are some plot twists and well-done cutscenes to reward us for our time. I won’t spoil the precise details, but what’s great about these scenes is that they rely on a very sensitive fact: With the timeline as it is, Young Doc has fallen in love with Edna, and while Old Doc knows where Edna’s good intentions can lead, he’s still sympathetic to her plight. Neither Doc wants to restore the original timeline, in which Hill Valley turns out okay, but Edna ends up as a bitter, lonely old woman, screaming at her neighbors through the window. As bored as I was solving mediocre point-and-click puzzles for several hours, I wouldn’t miss the final episode for the world, because I want to see how Marty and the two Docs decide to work things out.

Before wrapping up, I should weigh in on the basics of the game, but I’ll keep it brief, because they haven’t really changed since the previous episodes. The graphics are still well-done but not high-tech. The controls are still kind of annoying, with clunky movement and invisible walls, but by this point I’m used to it. The music and voice acting are still top-notch, setting the bar for future movie-based games (A. J. LoCascio’s awesome imitation of Michael J. Fox always deserves a shout-out).

All told, Back to the Future: The Game will go down in franchise history as a terrific new story, with interesting new plot ideas that incorporate time travel and introduce great new characters. I only wish that the minute-by-minute gameplay were as well-done as the larger structure.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.1 Graphics
It’s frustrating to wind up in 1931 yet again, instead of exploring an interesting new area, but that year still looks fine. 3.5 Control
Same old clunky setup. 4.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Great voice work, good music—nothing to complain about. 2.9 Play Value
Once again, we have some great plot elements at the beginning and end, with really boring tasks to perform in the meantime. 3.2 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Play as Marty in a cinematic adventure true to the films.
  • A collaboration with Bob Gale, co-creator and co-writer of the film series.
  • A new Back to the Future story in five monthly episodes.

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