The quality remains constant but a bit more daring would be appreciated.
Time flies when your having fun, or so the saying goes. Back to the future: The game has reached it penultimate instalment and the ride thus far has indeed been fun. Unfortunately, the first three episodes have also been somewhat underwhelming, offering decent point and click adventuring without really seeking the boundaries of the genre. There is nothing wrong with that but the time travelling aspect of Back of the Future, and especially its more complicated applications, could have led to something truly special. Ah well, at least the series manages to strike the right tone and the overall quality has risen ever so slightly with each episode. Perhaps Double Visions will be the instalment that rises the bar to the heights the franchise deserves.
GRAPHICS
As I have noted before in the reviews of the previous episodes, the stylised look is a good fit for the series. Its blend of cartoon and realism works better than a flat-out realistic approach would have had. Detailing and animation are yet again quite good and this time there doesnt seem to be any noticeable glitches. It is noteworthy that Double Visions, like Citizen Brown before it, features mainly new locations. The only returning one is young Emmetts laboratory and even then it has been revised. On the same note, a lot of the recurring characters have received makeovers as well. All this does keep the visuals fresh.
SOUND
The soundtrack is once again a highlight, wonderfully using the score of the films as its basis. Voice acting is generally great with the two Emmetts being the main attraction. Unfortunately the sound effects are just functional and dont quite adhere to the overall standard.
GAMEPLAY
After meddling with the time stream for the umpteenth time, Marty found himself in a alternate 1986 police state version of Hill Valley where Emmett and his wife Edna ruled the town as its benevolent dictators. He managed to persuade the older Emmet that something was very wrong but before either of them could take action, a disgruntled Edna intervened by having her husband arrested and scheduled to be brainwashed.
Double Visions starts with Marty incarcerated while having to figure out how to escape and save his friend. Youd might expect the whole episode to revolve around this premise but Doc is rescued rather quickly and soon the game returns to 1931 where Marty must try to sabotage Emmett and Ednas fledgling relationship. It goes too far to call this development disappointing but some more time in the dictatorial version of 1986 would have been nice.
Even so, what is there is good stuff. The tone is not quite as dark as in Citizen Brown but the episode still isnt particularly light-hearted. The younger version of Emmett remains great, especially in his love struck state while Edna turns out to be more than just an uptight and manipulative snob. Towards the end some interesting questions are put forward regarding the desirability to readjust the time stream, coming from a surprising source. A minor quibble however is that it is a bit silly that the pair can park, drive and time travel with the DeLorean in plain sight. One of the puzzles actually revolves around taking the car for a spin twice in a row, which doesnt quite gel with the secretiveness from the earlier episodes and the films.
Being a point and click adventure means that there are puzzles to solve. Those of Double Vision dont stray to far from the template set by its predecessors. They are fun to solve, even satisfyingly so at times, but will hardly challenge anyone with half a brain. There are several control options which all work pretty well although I found the combination of keyboard and mouse to be the most comfortable one.
It is not that there is something fundamentally wrong with the ideas underpinning most of the puzzles but rather that the execution doesnt do them fully justice. For example, during the 1986 segment a single object is used twice in a short amount of time, both in the same way, to solve two separate problems. In 1931 it is another single item that will be frequently used to solve the puzzles Marty encounters. Would it have been so much trouble to add some more items to collect or to come up with more interesting ways to use them?
The main problem probably lies with Double Visions compactness. There are only a handful of locations, each one being not all that large, which are cramped with hotspots, characters and items. There isnt much room to manoeuvre with these elements. Even so, the third episode of Telltales Tales of Monkey Island, Lair of the Leviathan, did successfully manage to wring a lot of variation out of a few relatively small locations.
The above naturally has consequences for the episodes longevity. Containing only a handful of locations and offering relatively simple puzzles means that Double Visions will be over rather quickly. Then again, at around three hours the episode doesnt last any shorter or longer than the previous three. Not that that is really an excuse but by now it shouldnt come as a surprise. For those that for one reason or another still face difficulties when solving the puzzles there is a well implemented hint system, even if it is somewhat wasted on this particular season.
FINAL REMARKS
Double Visions repeats the recipe of its predecessors by offering a compelling plot, a good and solid presentation and entertaining yet simple puzzles. The main problem still lies with that simplicity with puzzles that dont require a lot of actual thought or deduction. I realise Im beginning to sound like a broken record at this point but when it comes to Back to the Future: The Game that can unfortunately not be helped. I wish the situation could be different but alas. Perhaps the final episode will change this.
OVERALL: a 7,5.
