Don't Look Back (video game)
Encyclopedia
Don't Look Back is a retro styled platform game
playable through Adobe Flash
and designed by Terry Cavanagh. The game is a modern interpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice
Greek legend.
The game is a combination of two ideas; Cavanagh wished to create a "silly shooter" where the player's actions were "redeemed" after being shown from a different perspective, he also wished to create a game where the gameplay acted as a metaphor of the player's actions.
Critics praised the game's addictiveness and presentation, but had different opinions over the game's high difficulty level.
Players control a man who begins the game standing at the grave of his lover. After finding a handgun, he descends into the underworld to find the spirit of the deceased and lead her back out to safety. Players have infinite chances to repeat each of the game's screens, the screen must be replayed if the player makes contact with an enemy or hazard, and also if the player turns the man to face his lover once she has been rescued. Play consists of crossing lava pits by jumping across platforms, circumnavigating other hazards, fending off enemies such as spiders and bats, and defeating bosses
. After safely leading the spirit out of the underworld, the player reaches the gravestone where the game started, to encounter the man still stood at the grave. Both the player character and the spirit disappear, leaving the other figure standing alone at the grave. The journey is a fantasy, once completed the player is confronted by the reality of the figure silently grieving.
described Don't Look Back as "simplistic, but very tricky", adding "It’s really well done". Indie game developer Derek Yu
stated it is a moody game similar to Seiklus
but "more focused and challenging", and that it is rewarding to play for fans of the genre. Tim Rose of IndieGames.com said the game is "simply quite brilliant" and "great platforming fun that deserves to be played".
The staff of online video game magazine The Escapist
found the game addictive, "a perfect example of doing more with less", and stated it possesses a "wonderfully haunting aesthetic".
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
playable through Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
and designed by Terry Cavanagh. The game is a modern interpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus and Eurydice is a tale from Greek legend. Works making holistic use of this legend include:-Literature:* The Death of Eurydice episode which occurs in Book X of Metamorphoses by Ovid * Sir Orfeo, anonymous narrative poem Orpheus and Eurydice is a tale from Greek legend. Works making...
Greek legend.
The game is a combination of two ideas; Cavanagh wished to create a "silly shooter" where the player's actions were "redeemed" after being shown from a different perspective, he also wished to create a game where the gameplay acted as a metaphor of the player's actions.
Critics praised the game's addictiveness and presentation, but had different opinions over the game's high difficulty level.
Gameplay
The game is a interpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice legend with stylized graphics resembling those produced by the Atari VCS game console.Players control a man who begins the game standing at the grave of his lover. After finding a handgun, he descends into the underworld to find the spirit of the deceased and lead her back out to safety. Players have infinite chances to repeat each of the game's screens, the screen must be replayed if the player makes contact with an enemy or hazard, and also if the player turns the man to face his lover once she has been rescued. Play consists of crossing lava pits by jumping across platforms, circumnavigating other hazards, fending off enemies such as spiders and bats, and defeating bosses
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
. After safely leading the spirit out of the underworld, the player reaches the gravestone where the game started, to encounter the man still stood at the grave. Both the player character and the spirit disappear, leaving the other figure standing alone at the grave. The journey is a fantasy, once completed the player is confronted by the reality of the figure silently grieving.
Development
Don't Look Back is a combination of two separate ideas, one of which was what Cavanagh termed "a silly shooter or something like that", which would be "redeem(ed)" by a twist which would show the player's actions in a different light. The other idea was creating a game where the gameplay itself was "a metaphor for something else that's happening to the player".Reception
Journalists praised Don't Look Back overall, in particular its presentation, the game's difficulty level elicited different responses. Journalist Jim Rossignol of Rock, Paper, ShotgunRock, Paper, Shotgun
Rock, Paper, Shotgun is a UK-based PC gaming blog written by Alec Meer, Jim Rossignol, John Walker, and previously Kieron Gillen and Quintin Smith. Rock, Paper, Shotgun launched in July 2007. In 2010 the website partnered with Eurogamer...
described Don't Look Back as "simplistic, but very tricky", adding "It’s really well done". Indie game developer Derek Yu
Derek Yu
Derek Yu is an independent game developer, game artist, and blogger.While he may be best known for his early work on freeware titles such as Eternal Daughter, Yu continues to make games...
stated it is a moody game similar to Seiklus
Seiklus
Seiklus is a platform game for Microsoft Windows. It was created by a single author, cly5m, using Game Maker over a period of approximately 6 months.- Overview :...
but "more focused and challenging", and that it is rewarding to play for fans of the genre. Tim Rose of IndieGames.com said the game is "simply quite brilliant" and "great platforming fun that deserves to be played".
The staff of online video game magazine The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
found the game addictive, "a perfect example of doing more with less", and stated it possesses a "wonderfully haunting aesthetic".