Flashback 2, the belated sequel to the 1992 cinematic platformer, is out in November. Its makers have also released a shiny new gameplay trailer.
The original Flashback may be over 30 years old, but its influence can still be seen and felt in the 2D platformers emerging in the 21st century. The upcoming (and exceedingly pretty) Planet of Lana, to cite one example, owes at least a small debt to developer Paul Cuisset’s seminal cyberpunk opus.
For the past couple of years or so, Cuisset has been at Microids Studio Lyon, working away on a belated sequel – logically called Flashback 2 – that both follows the template of the 1992 classic and expands on it. The original’s futuristic world is now rendered in glorious 3D, but protagonist Conrad B. Hart still has the same jacket-and-jeans combo, climbing skills, and trusty sci-fi pistol, A.I.S.H.A.
The new gameplay trailer below gives us a fresh look at Flashback 2′s gunplay and environments – it’s only seen briefly, but the original game’s leafy jungle level is back – as well as a brief insight into the story. The evil Morphs are back for another invasion, while Conrad’s off on a mission to find his old friend, Ian, another familiar face from the first game.
It all looks positively spiffing, and it’s pleasing to see that Cuisset and his collaborators have been willing to push the game’s visuals in a more modern direction rather than try to recreate the sprite-based graphics of its predecessor. Mostly, though, it’s nice to see that, although 30 years have passed, Conrad can still pull off a mean forward roll. We lost that ability long ago.
There isn’t too much longer to wait for Cuisset’s sequel, either. Flashback 2 is due out in November 2023 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. There’ll also be a physical release available in two flavours: in a regular limited edition with a Steelbook case and digital soundtrack, or a collector’s edition, which comes with an 8-inch Conrad statue and some other bits and pieces.
