Back to the Future was one of my all time favorite movies. And I also had the NES game when I was a kid. To be honest it always pissed me off because I could never get even close to beating it. And I never did until very recently. So today we’re looking at a game that I considered to be one of the worst games ever made. Back to the Future for the NES. Let’s find the positives.
Back to the Future is considered to be a terrible game but not because it’s a bad game. It’s actually because it has very little to do with the movie. And that’s a big problem because the only reason you’re buying this game is if you’re a fan of the film. The gameplay revolves you as Marty McFly travelling the streets of Hill Valley. This alone would have made for an okay game but it’s not set up like a platformer which is what one would have expected for the time. Instead what they did was they turned it into more of a shoot ‘em up which is really odd because the gameplay feels like it clashes with the concept of what the movie’s all about. You go through the levels collecting these clocks to prevent yourself from aging in the picture and on top of that there’s a timer that’s always working against you. Then you find a new weapon in a level like say a bowling ball. And you’re now sitting there with a confused look on your face going was a bowling ball in Back to the Future? Or was it not? I don’t remember. Well I’m here to tell you no, there’s no Back to the Future bowling ball but for whatever reason they thought it should be in this game. The only thing that happens throughout the levels that has anything to do with the movie is finding a skateboard. That’s about it. One of the most offending problems with this game is Marty doesn’t even look like Marty. He doesn’t have the iconic blue denim jacket and bright colored vest. There’s no excuse because this game came out well after the film was released. They had to know what the main character looked like.
When you’re playing this game it really does feel like a shoot ‘em up. You eventually find your bowling ball to defend yourself but before that it’s a game of dodging enemies and obstacles which is actually pretty fun. And on top of that once you get the skateboard the gameplay ramps up in difficulty. Also the speed at which you can complete a level increases. Tying the discovery of a skateboard to the speed of the game and changing the difficulty on the fly, it makes for a challenging gameplay experience that really is kind of unique to this game. I don’t of many games that give you a power up that makes you go faster but also increases the difficulty of the game. So the first positive is that the gameplay is challenging but it’s a fun challenging. If the gameplay was only traversing the streets of Hill Valley that would have been a terrible game because there really isn’t that much going on. But the challenging stages that happen in between the street stages are kind of what this game is renowned for. When I was a kid I couldn’t beat the Lou’s Cafe level. But returning to it now when I’m older I saw that once I figured out what to do and practised I was able to beat it. For the first time in my life I was able to clear this stage and I was really happy. Then I realized that these stages are actually pretty fun. So the second positive is the game has fun and challenging in between stages.
Like I said earlier I’m a big fan of the Back to the Future film and I also own a lot of merchandise for the film. Because of this I think I picked up a couple of references in this game that were done pretty well. Marty defending himself from Biff is referenced all over the video game whether you see him on the streets or you’re trying to defend yourself against him and some other bullies in Lou’s Cafe. Although that’s not completely accurate it does call back to a scene that is part of the film. The next thing that’s done well is Marty trying to avoid the advances of his mother. Now while that is something that did happen in the film the game kind of treats it in a very different way by having you avoid hearts that are being thrown at you. I don’t totally understand that. But it’s actually the third mini stage that really shows off what this game is all about. The third mini stage is a perfect reference to Back to the Future. Marty’s up on stage and he’s playing as many notes as he can while trying to make his mom and dad fall in love with each other. At the end of that stage at the very bottom of the screen you see that they look at each other and fall in love. That’s exactly how it happened in the film just with a 8-bit limitation. Another cool part is after the enchantment under the sea dance that photo Marty carries with him that has been degrading over time stops degrading because Marty’s parents have fallen in love so there’s no reason for you to fade out of the picture now. At this point the only threat in the game is beating those levels before the time runs out. So the third positive is that while this game doesn’t perfectly represent the movie it does have a lot of neat references.
The only thing I ever wanted from a Back to the Future game, and probably what everyone else wanted too, was the ability to drive a DeLorean. This game would have been terrible if it wasn’t for the final level. In the last stage when you finally get to drive the DeLorean you’re going through a dark, dimly lit street just like it would have been in the original film. Nobody’s around because it’s a thunderstorm and you’re avoiding lightning bolts. Yes that part isn’t in the film but they had to give you some sort of hazard otherwise this would have a straight, easy drive. Once you’ve avoided the lightning bolts and you’ve hit 88 mph, you hit the powerline just in time to go back to the future. But it’s so difficult and if you don’t get it right it sends you all the way back to the beginning of the game. This creates a challenge and you’ll go back again and again just like I did until you finally complete it. A lot of people like to say that this game’s terrible that it has nothing to do with the film. But this final stage is a challenge and it gives you something to look forward to. So the fourth positive is you get to drive the DeLorean.
This game isn’t terrible. But it’s not amazing. It’s stuck somewhere in between in terms of quality. But it’s a fun game to play and it feels challenging and rewarding. And although the ending doesn’t really do much, because it’s just an end screen with text that sends you back to the beginning of the game, I enjoyed playing it. The first time around I really didn’t. But this time I came to see that it’s a misunderstood classic. So if you like the movie you may hate this game because it doesn’t make enough references. But if you give it a chance you may find that it’s a game worth playing.
NES ✌😎 @rerez
I like the movie,you remind us the movie is crusial for fans...
The terms movie license and NES are bound to disaster when combined.
Only way to make it worse would be by sticking LJN in there too.
You are a brave man for enjoying thus game XD