The original Flashback is a bit of gaming royalty that’s far more influential than many give it credit, though hardly a name that’s going to be plastered on Mountain Dew cans across the globe. It was a surprise, then (but a very welcome one), to hear that it would be getting a sequel after some 31 years, and the cyberpunk adventure is out today on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S, Switch.
Flashback 2 retains the same kind of side-scrolling gameplay that the original helped to pioneer, which really stood out back in 1992 for its hand-drawn backdrops and rotoscoped animation, a technique that early Prince of Persia also leaned into. However, it looks a bit more action-packed in this sequel, calling to mind something like Epic’s criminally forgotten Shadow Complex.
Here’s a quick synopsis for Flashback 2:
In the 22nd century, the peace of the United Worlds extends throughout the Solar System — but this tranquility is threatened by the Morph invasion led by the fearsome General Lazarus.
In search of his lifelong friend, Ian, and with the help of his few allies — including A.I.S.H.A., his iconic AI-powered weapon — Conrad, once again, dives into a heart-pounding adventure full of twists, turns and revelations!A gripping, fluid and intricate platform shooter, including exploration, puzzle solving and, of course, adventure!
And here’s a trailer for Flashback 2 to boot:
However, interestingly, Flashback 2 isn’t actually the first sequel to Flashback. That’s Fade to Black, a game I own on PS1 and never even realised had a connection to Flashback. It’s clear that they’re making it a numbered sequel for a bit of nostalgia when really it’s Flashback 3. Original creator Paul Cuisset will also be returning for this sequel, which he also did for the often maligned remake of the original game that released in 2013 that I completely blanked until typing this sentence.
The Flashback universe is completely blowing my mind today. It will be interesting to see how the Flashback fandom (Flashers?) take to this game, but the lack of a Wikipedia page is a bit of an iffy sign.
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