"Worthy successor to Prince of Persia"

All adventure game fans will surely remember the original Prince of Persia with fond memories. It contained enthralling side-scrolling gameplay, cool swordfights, and perfect character animations. Flashback, from Delphin Software, is a sci-fi game based on the same engine as Prince. The storyline is one of a young man stranded in a jungle trying to recover his lost memories and his identity. There are six levels in the game and good cinematic cut-scenes in between each level, helping to move the engaging storyline right along. Your character will start out with practically nothing on him but his gun and gradually collect an assortment of gadgety devices that, when used in ingenious ways, will help you to win the game.
Why is this game so fun to play? Well, it contains all the great characteristics that made Prince of Persia such an exciting game and more. Each level contains a great mix of combat situations---gun fights and ingenious puzzles that you need to solve. A great example would be when you are faced with opening a door that requires you to stand near a motion sensor. But you can't reach the door by just standing there and it will close if you move! You search through your inventory (a major improvement over Prince which had no inventory system) and drop a rock near the motion sensor to keep the door open. Puzzles like these keep the game interesting and players guessing for quite awhile. When you figure out a previously difficult puzzle, you really do get a sense of accomplishment.

Gameplay(9): Shoot enemies, talk to people, ride on the subway and even take sky taxies....what more do you want from a game? Did I neglect to mention that there is even a monetary system involved?

Story(10): Definitely the strongest part of the game. Each level has its own unique fit in the story and don't feel boring. Cinematics are all over the place. One level has you doing odd jobs to earn enough money and participate in a huge fight-to-the-death television tournament (think Smash TV). The next level has you fighting for your life in the tournament so you could win the grand prize: A spaceship ticket to Earth. The ending may seem a little lame for such a great game and all the hard work you did to beat the game.

Replayability(7): With three difficulty levels, Flashback provides at least 40 hours of enjoyment. Your reward may be the possibility of a different ending cutscene (I've only beaten the easy level). Did I mention how hard the game was? This game definitely has some tough spots and you will be well advised to find a FAQ or a friend who's played this game before to help you out.

Sound/Music(5): Music is very sparse and so-so. Sound Effects are pretty cool, especially in the cutscenes.

Overall: Go and pick this game up in a bargain bin for under $10. If you can't find it in stores (this game is pretty old), find an abandonware site that does have the game and download it. It's well worth the time invested.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/13/00, Updated 06/13/00