Back to the Future: The Game - Episode III (PC) Review - PAGE 1

We’ve reached the halfway point with the Back to the Future: The Game series, and Telltale Games has so far done a pretty good job with creating a worthy follow-up to the films. Citizen Brown takes players through the not-so-normal present era of Hill Valley, and it’s just as entertaining to explore as its 1931 counterpart.

With Kid Tannen finally behind bars in the past, Emmett “Doc” Brown and Marty McFly head back to Hill Valley in 1986. All seems well at first, but if there's one thing we've learned by now, it's that nothing ever stays that way.  The two soon realize they’ve created yet another alternate future due to Doc’s younger self going steady with Edna Strickland, rather than seeing the film that inspired him to take up science and create the time machine. This change transforms the modern day Hill Valley into a dystopia run by Doc (here known as "Citizen Brown") and Edna. To make matters worse, Marty’s parents are quarreling once again, and Marty’s now former girlfriend Jennifer Parker has become nothing more than a thug. And on top of all that, Marty’s re-entry into this new timeline resulted in a crash landing that destroys the DeLorean. In order to fix everything, Marty heads off to convince Citizen Brown that he is a time traveller and create a new time machine.

If you’ve been following the series to this point, you should know the drill by now. Back to the Future’s point-and-click adventures tend to be a casual affair, meaning the puzzles won't leave you stumped every few minutes. No matter what sort of experience you have with adventure games, you’ll be able to make it through Citizen Brown just by paying attention to what’s happening. Get stuck somewhere? The game's hint system can point you in the right direction -- or just tell you the solution you need. Telltale even provides a complete walkthrough that’s linked in the game launcher.

The first two episodes of Back to the Future had their fair share of performance issues, but Telltale finally managed to deliver a totally smooth experience with the third game; no polygon outlines, glitches, or skipping. The background music is still a tad loud, but character voices are also more audible and no longer overwhelmed by all the other in-game sounds. Citizen Brown also stretches longer than its predecessors, clocking in at around four hours (give or take). Not particularly impressive on its own, but that's twice the length of Episode 2, which was completable in just two hours. The game does start with a tour of the new Hill Valley that I personally found a bit tedious, but it's completely optional. At the same time, passing up the tour means missing out on a few funny quips from Marty, so it might be worth going through at least once.

Christopher Lloyd and A.J. LoCascio deliver great performances of Doc and Marty once again, and seeing the darker incarnation of Doc was pretty interesting. The overall mood of the game is more serious than you may expect, but humorous moments break up Citizen Brown's heavier themes. Without spoiling much, I’ll just say Marty’s attempts at being a bad boy yield hilarious results. Back to the Future diehards should also be pleased to know that Claudia Wells, the original Jennifer Parker from the first Back to the Future film, reprises her role in Citizen Brown as the rebellious version of Jennifer.

I did take issue with one thing: this Hill Valley is desolate. At the beginning of the game, you’re treated to this cutscene of Marty taking in the altered Hill Valley, with all its citizens dressed similarly and the authorities clad in riot gear. After that, however, only the integral NPCs are present. Telltale’s attempt to convey this unsettling, tightly-controlled city falls short when you’re running through a ghost town for the most of the episode. Even Hill Valley in 1931 was livelier than this.

As a whole, Telltale continues to do good for the Back to the Future franchise.  Citizen Brown may be more serious compared to the lighthearted romps in the previous episodes, yet it manages to draw fans in just the same.  The technical improvements do wonders for an already solid series, and the plotlines grow more elaborate with every episode. While I am eager to see what happens next in Double Visions, I'm a little worried at the same time.  Without revealing much, I’ll just say Double Visions is going to be retreading through familiar territory. Considering how the series has turned out so far, I can at least be hopeful of its entertainment value.