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.

Tardé más de 8 horas, jaja, a pesar de que dice de 2 a 3 horas de duración. El juego está bueno. bien onda ps1 en estética y control medio tosco. Me gustó mucho y además es barato.

1995年ごろのゲームを意識して作ってるだけあって、実際に雰囲気はよく当時のゲームを思い出してこんなだったなぁ…と懐かしめてとてもいい作品だった。 ラジコン操作という点や独特な世界感があり、サイレントヒルやバイオシリーズを彷彿とさせる。 ストーリー自体は基本的に一本道で迷うことがなくストーリーに集中できるのもまたよかった。（これには賛否ある） PSやSS、DCなど、当時のゲームが大好きだった自分からしたら、サクッと懐かしめて感傷に浸れるいい作品だったと思う。 当時の作品の雰囲気が好きだったり、よくやってた人にはぜひプレイしてみてほしい。

Ever wanted a game modeled after mid-90s survival horror that doesn't understand mid-90s survival horror? Back in 1995 has you covered! Weird warping textures that make it look like the floors and walls are doing the wave? Check. A character who can't run in an already slow-running game? Check. Small selection of enemies even slower than the main character to ensure they're completely non-threatening? Check. Enemies that look like sweet potatoes? Check. Gameplay that constantly gets bogged down by fetch quests and dirt simple puzzles? Check. Embarrassing voice work for most characters? Check. (Okay, they did get that part right about mid-90s survival horror.) This is the kind of game that should only exist as something Bart Simpson is shown playing for 5 seconds in a random Simpsons episode as a joke, but it's a whole game.

Bad cash grab :\

Game isn't a masterpiece or anything and probably not for everyone. For me it was neat/fun and hits a itch for the old-school PS1 era horror days. Picked it up on a sale for 2.50 and can't complain for what I got out of a title that cheap.

This is one of the weirdest cases when the game is released too early. Believe it or not, it would be far more successful if it was released in ~2020-2022 era, when the PS1-styled horrors were far more prominent. This game does seem to emulate something very similar, so it would end up far better if released later.

it's ok, it's like a short little indie throwback you would find on itch io, buy it on sale