Back in 1995

Back in 1995 is one of those games I truly wish I could give a neutral review and this should be a function in the Steam review system. The game has some fun elements going for it but is dragged down by a lot of the faults. I did find the retro and old graphical style charming, I appreciated that the puzzles weren't particularly cryptic and I didn't get stuck for long periods of time. Some of the aesthetic designs are neat, and without spoiling any of the story the narrative started slow and got a little more interesting/engaging nearer to the end, but never quite reaching captivating or terrifying as a horror piece. The developer seemed to be determined to recreate games they had played in the past, many people note this games similarity to a 3DO game called Doctor Hauzer, and I think that's a much better comparison than Silent Hill or Resident Evil. I would have advised the dev that it would have been a better idea to focus on FUN rather than recreation of archaic gameplay styles, because its own commitment to be limited and mimic old age are precisely why it fails to be truly captivating or fun to play. There's a reason these game design decisions stayed in 1995 and gameplay and presentation evolved from these archaic styles, because they're taxing on the player experience and their ability to have fun or be immersed. The CRT function which seemed to be one of the draws, recreating a CRT moniter look completely ruins the already blocky and minimalist presentation. It's already hard enough to find objects in these environments, and the CRT element completely ruins the chances you'll find every clue or item you need to be looking for. Thankfully you can turn this off and I elected to do so and found it the superior way to play. The designs of the monsters are just flatout weird or ugly and not in a good way. Monsters in a game like this should be terrifying, not remind me of a literal sentient pile of poo moving around the screen. The movement speed is totally bogus, the slowest moving possible that I could imagine in a 3D adventure game, and the turning is as bad or worse. The hit detection for gun combat seems not that well playtested, several times pointing a shotgun right at enemies and completely missing, seeming like a gamble whether I'm going to hit anything. The environments are pretty barren and lacking in flavor text, too many boring "door is broken" "door is locked" "elevator is out of order", there's nothing interesting or drawing me into these rather sterile environments either than the odd placed note or item. I think I found a couple of paintings in one area that are just there to look at but that's about it. The presentation is pretty bland, the characters are yawn-inducing, the story is poorly conveyed and the voice acting is actually grating to listen to most of the time. It sounds like all of the voice actors are trying to intentionally sound bad and lobotomized and it isn't "good bad" like a cheesy movie it's just BAD BAD like talent you'd find in a Sharknado 5 straight to DVD film. All these things draw down an otherwise interesting premise and it's hard to stay immersed when there's nothing really compelling about the creatures, characters or the presentation. If the game would have modernized some things, made movement like the original Silent Hill (at least you could RUN in that game for Pete's sake), put more thought into the creature designs, took more time creating atmospheric moments to induce horror, it feels like there wasn't a clear vision for the aesthetic and presentation. Most areas come off as boilerplate or uninspired rather than anything that will create a sense of dread in the player, office building, apartment building, boring factory setting, the only truly interesting location was at the conclusion and that only lasts literally about 30 seconds. Ultimately this is like a neutral review where I can see some positive aspects of the presentation and think it's really impressive the dev could recreate this style the failure to implement ANYTHING modern is unfortunately the thing holding the game back. And the "true ending" and meta commentary following the normal ending failed to hit me in any way that seemed profound, at the same time it's a fascinating demo into what a blueprint for a new old school 3d horror game could look like, I think the dev should tweak the gameplay and presentation and give it another shot with a new setting, an A for effort that I can only imagine the most HARDCORE hardcore 3D old school horror fan getting any enjoyment from. If you didn't like playing something like Alone in the Dark on old PCs you'll definitely find nothing fun here.