Flashback

The cult classic that inspired Tomb Raider, for many years it held the Guinness World Record for the best-selling French video game. Fully remastered, of course! Fans of the game will find all of the thrills and mechanics of the first game, with its long platform sequences. Hard at the start for newbies, but one every gamer should play.

The year was 1992, and Flashback revolutionised the action game genre and achieved legendary status, making the list of the 100 best video games in history.

Its developer, Paul Cuisset, wanted to serve up a different gaming experience to what was being done with Mario and Sonic: a highly narrative experience for adults set in a cyberpunk world, a theme that was still very new to gaming. And he did pulled it off: his concept was a huge success. Many say that without Flashback, there would never have been a Tomb Raider!

More than 25 years later, and Flashback is still fascinating gamers. This is a great chance to discover an updated version of this classic title while you wait for the release of Flashback 2, scheduled for late 2023.

This totally new remastered version is true to the original in every way, but its retro graphics have been given a cosmetic makeover.

The story begins in 2142. After escaping from a space ship, eminent scientist Conrad B. Hart wakes up on one of Saturn's colonised satellites. His memory is blank, his kidnappers are on his tail, and he needs to find a way back to Earth if he is to learn his true identity.

In the finest action-platformer tradition, the game is full of surprises with its unique actions that you can only use once during the whole adventure, forcing you to use your brains. How can you get past a glass obstacle? What does this teleporter do? What's the point in this photo booth?

We liked the option to play in Original or Modern modes, with bonuses hidden throughout the levels.

Our favourite part? The "flashback" feature that lets you rewind and replay the last thirty seconds of your game. It limits the frustration and comes in handy for less patient, younger gamers. This makes for a much more forgiving game than when it was first released.

There's bad news for the cheaters out there, though: you can no longer simply change direction to walk through walls. This exploit has been fixed so that you can't finish the game too quickly.

Our advice? Remember to take the very slight lag into account. We aren't really used to it anymore, and it can be felt particularly keenly when jumping. And remember to draw your laser pistol before you shoot!

An excellent game that will go down well with anyone who's feeling nostalgic, or anyone who wants to test their mettle against a game that's harder than the ones made today.