I genuinely despise writing unfavorable opinions. There are actual human beings behind each challenge, and unhealthy video games are seldom the product of ethical failings, however as an alternative are sometimes attributable to an unlucky convergence of things each predictable and in any other case.

With that stated, the gaming trade isn’t a charity, and folks should know what they’re doubtlessly spending their hard-earned cash on. Right here’s what you must know: the issue with Flashback 2 isn’t merely that it’s buggy, typically to a hilarious diploma. As an alternative, the principle subject is that even when the bugs weren’t current, it nonetheless wouldn’t be value its present price ticket.

Flashback 2 (PC, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox Collection X/S)
Developer: Microids Studio Paris, Paul Cuisset
Writer: Microids
Launched: November 16, 2023
MSRP: $39.99

The silver lining

Let’s begin with the positives. Flashback 2 is the follow-up to the cult traditional 1992 recreation by Paul Cuisset. Flashback discovered recognition by its easy however efficient degree design, in addition to its adventurous story. Regardless of its age, the artwork type can nonetheless be appreciated, and the wide selection of actions accessible ensures you possibly can interact with a number of points of the atmosphere. It’s a recreation I get pleasure from, which is why I used to be trying ahead to this title.

Like its predecessor, Flashback 2 manages to seize that sense of journey. It has diversified environments that every current a novel aesthetic, with my favourite being the jungle which immediately jogs my memory of the 1992 recreation. The cities are cyberpunk communities with industrialist architectural types, and when racing between areas on a motorcycle, you’ll be handled to vivid colourful lights and neon indicators.

It’s additionally a recreation that appears good (typically). On PS5, the sport runs at 60 FPS more often than not, although you possibly can anticipate some fairly vital framerate dips, particularly when new enemies are spawned. There aren’t many graphics choices on consoles (precisely zero to be exact), however that’s not an excessive amount of of a draw back, as the sport isn’t graphically intense.

The cutscenes, that are ocassionally offered in comedian book-style panels, are additionally aesthetically pleasing. It might have been good to have extra of them, as they assist provide you with a greater sense of the type of world the builders had been making an attempt to create. The soundtrack and ambiance complement the visuals properly, and the voice appearing can also be satisfying.

Lastly, I just like the mini-games which might be current. To get by some doorways, you’ll have to interact in some hacking. This includes finishing a mini-game that has you shifting blocks round till the blocks with the identical symbols collide with one another. These puzzles aren’t significantly arduous, however they’re satisfying to resolve. You’ll even have a mecha battle to get by, which is brief however type of entertaining, not less than in comparison with the remainder of the sport.

These are all of the constructive issues that may be honestly acknowledged.

Synthetic stupidity

For a lot of the recreation, you’ll be exploring totally different environments and finishing duties in your quest to cease the shapeshifting Morphs that threaten humanity. After all, you’ll have a trusty weapon readily available referred to as A.I.S.H.A. that additionally doubles as an AI companion.

I hated the shootouts. Each final one in every of them. Flashback 2 takes on a 2.5D type after which is courageous sufficient to throw in some gunplay. It’s painfully awkward to purpose from this attitude, and oftentimes I discovered myself simply quickly tapping R2 and counting on the spray-and-pray methodology. As time progressed, I bought slightly extra comfy with aiming, however at no level did it ever really feel like I wasn’t in a relentless battle in opposition to the digicam perspective.

The enemies don’t make issues any extra pleasurable. They’re silly, uncoordinated, and typically simply plain damaged. As an alternative of getting enemies that strategize in opposition to you, Flashback 2 as an alternative makes an attempt to inject some issue by flooding you with foes. The issue is that whether or not there are two aliens or twenty, the spray-and-pray methodology nonetheless applies. There is no such thing as a strategizing when a lot of the gunfights happen in empty corridors – you simply shoot and shoot till there aren’t any extra baddies.

There may be not less than one saving grace relating to gunplay, and that’s the truth that once you die, you’re not pressured to restart the encounter. You’ll be able to decide up the place you left off, with a full well being bar this time. Usually, this is able to be a nasty factor, as it might make the sport too straightforward. Nonetheless, within the case of Flashback 2, it helped shorten what was an agonizingly irritating expertise.

Issues attain a peak in awfulness with the final battle the place the sport all of a sudden decides to completely change the angle into… I don’t know what this is able to be referred to as. It’s type of absolutely 3D, however means too complicated to name it that. Trying to purpose goes from being arduous to being wholly inconceivable. Attempting to elucidate it gained’t do it justice. Simply understand it’s painful to cope with.

It must be talked about that stealth is technically an choice, however virtually it’s not, and in the long run, it’s inconsequential since you’ll be barraged with enemies sooner or later both means. You don’t have to fret about ammo both so there’s hardly ever a purpose to not simply blast your means by any drawback.

The gameplay is beneath common, however it might have been way more acceptable if it weren’t for the bugs…

The bugs…

The bugs… there’s loads of them. They’re not simply annoying, they’re game-breaking. They may deliver your progress to a screeching halt and typically even make you lose hours of progress. Belief me, I discovered the arduous means. Flashback 2 shouldn’t be on sale in its present state.

Let’s begin with the refined bugs first. Arrow buttons don’t work on the principle menu, forcing you to make use of analog sticks. Don’t press any buttons whereas the sport is loading. You can by chance pause whereas on a loading display screen. Why is that this potential? On that notice, bear in mind that you just’ll be operating into far too many loading screens, they usually final far too lengthy. Why is that this 2.5D title loading slower than Spider-Man 2?

For vital elements of the sport, you’ll have an NPC with you as you get round. They’re not fairly escort missions, as your companion can’t die, however they do include a lot of the identical issues. When you’re getting wherever, you’ll have to attend on your cruelly sluggish companion to meet up with you. NPCs steadily get caught, or typically simply resolve they’re not following you anymore. With AI this rudimentary, this could by no means have been tried.

Now onto the larger bugs. Greater than as soon as, I bought caught in a wall, forcing me to load up an outdated save, costing me hours of begrudgingly earned progress. You see, there are a restricted variety of save factors, they usually’re unfold out fairly thinly. It’s an archaic type of recreation design doubtless meant to hearken again to the 1992 traditional, however it solely succeeds in triggering frustration. Some issues are higher left previously.

I additionally simply fell by the ground a couple of occasions, touchdown me in a black void. Sooner or later, I hoped the sport would simply keep that means, and I’d have an excuse to not end it. Sadly, reloading an outdated save fastened the issue.

Towards the later hours of Flashback 2, it felt like I used to be deliberately being punished. The frequency of bugs elevated, and finally, the sport didn’t hassle even giving me my subsequent mission goal. This pressured me to seek for a playthrough on-line so I might determine what I wanted to do subsequent to lastly finish this ordeal. I’m so glad I had an obscure French YouTube channel to assist me as a result of the sport certain wasn’t.

That wasn’t even essentially the most ridiculous second. The height of my frustration hit when the sport was actively giving me incorrect directions. That picture above is a spoiler however it doesn’t matter at this level. What’s vital is that it’s telling me to press the Proper button. That’s false, I’m imagined to press the Down button. Finally, it glitched so badly that the textual content within the message field stopped showing in any respect.

On the French YouTube channel, you possibly can watch a determined soul wrestle with this portion for over quarter-hour. They go to the controls menu to see in the event that they missed something, they usually even reload a save file from far earlier a number of occasions earlier than they notice simply how badly they’ve been bamboozled.

Among the glitches and errors simply really feel like an absence of high quality assurance. The sequel blindly reuses recreation over messages, even once you’ve misplaced for causes aside from Conrad dying. The sport is mendacity to you within the picture above. Conrad didn’t die. You’ll be able to see him standing proper there.

Mission targets annoyingly stay on the display screen even when cutscenes play, however that’s not the top of the lengthy listing of bugs. Throughout battles, if you happen to decide up an merchandise containing textual content or get caught in some dialog, Conrad will keep frozen till you’ve labored by all of the textual content, leaving you susceptible to enemy assaults and with no means to defend your self. Additionally, keep in mind that cool hacking mini-game I discussed? Flashback 2 finally manages to destroy that by overlapping pictures and turning the display screen into a visible mess, as you possibly can see above.

Simply play the primary recreation

It’s a long time later, and Flashback hasn’t magically grow to be a nasty recreation. You’ll be able to nonetheless decide it up on Steam for about $10, possibly much less when it’s on sale. I assure you’ll have a greater time with it than the sequel.

It took me 10 hours to get to the top of Flashback 2, however I believe I might have reduce that right down to 5-6 hours if it wasn’t for bugs steadily forcing me to lose progress. I didn’t get pleasure from a lot of it, and I barely paid consideration to the plot as a result of it didn’t matter. You’ll be able to’t deal with the plot when the sport is so damaged.

I can not in good conscience suggest this. Your money and time is healthier spent elsewhere.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}