the 1992 game”Flashback: Quest for identity” was a cyberpunk gem

5 Comments

  1. thibault_lh

    This french game as released woldwide in 1992 on most gaming systems of that time. It is a fantastic game, not only for its fun and challenging gameplay.
    It captivated me as a child and I now know it was because of its cyberpunk atmosphere.
    It features androids calls « replicants », big corporations, conspiracy, televised violence (a game show in which you have to shoot replicants to survive). The plot revolves around a technology enabling you to save, share and delete your memories.
    Plus the art is heavily inspired by cyberpunk in its architecture, urban design, clothing, tech and general vibe. In the game booklet (check the last two pictures I uploaded on this post) its creators reference explicitly Blade Runner and Alien.
    There was alos a (not so good) comic book serving as prequel that is somewhat in the style of « Metal Hurlant ».

    The one thing that isn’t common in cyberpunk is that the protagonist has to stop an alien invasion (it is said from the start).

    It’s a shame the 2010’s remake totally scraped the cyberpunk elements for more common futuristic elements. The game totally lost its original appeal (plus the gameplay is lame).

    In addition, check this fan art, it’s the best I’ve seen and it captures perfectly the cyberpunk ambiance of the game.
    https://www.deviantart.com/absurdostudio-krum/art/Flashback-289263433

  2. I absolutely loved this on the Genesis. This, Shadowrun (also the Genesis version), and Syndicate on the PC were some amazing cyberpunk back in those days.

  3. Intelligent-Corgi624

    the hardest game I’ve ever played. even Battletoads was easy compared to it.

  4. AntiochRoad

    Agreed! – I picked it up recently cheap for the Switch. As a kid I couldn’t get past the jungle starting level because of some old guy – looking forward to having another, older me, crack at it 🙂 (Does that make me the old guy? Haha)

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