Flashback: The Quest for Identity

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Flashback: The Quest for Identity

DOS - 1993

Also released on: 3DO - Acorn 32-bit - Amiga - CD-i - FM Towns - Genesis - Jaguar - PC-98

Alt names פלאשבק: זיכרון גורלי, フラッシュバック, Flashback, Flashback (Enhanced CD-ROM)
Year 1993
Platform DOS
Released in Brazil, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, United States (1993)
France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom (1994)
United States (1995)
Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom (1996)
Genre Action
Theme Amnesia, Cyberpunk / Dark Sci-Fi, Platform, Puzzle elements, Shooter
Publisher Eidos Interactive Limited, SoftKey Multimedia Inc., Strategic Simulations, Inc., U.S. Gold Ltd.
Developer Delphine Software International
Perspectives Side view, Fixed / Flip-screen
Dosbox support Supported on 0.72 (works best on 0.70)
4.64 / 5 - 67 votes

Download extras files
Manual available

Description of Flashback: The Quest for Identity

Read Full Description

Flashback is a fun action adventure game that will please joystick experts and adventure gamers alike. Playing the role of Conrad B. Hart, a confused young man whose memory was wiped by the alien Morphs who caught him eavesdropping on their plan to conquer Earth. Your goal, of course, is to escape the from the grasp of the mutants and save earth from an untimely destruction.

As with its spiritual predecessor Out of This World, Flashback features life-like animations, well-crafted cinematic cutscenes, and tons of atmosphere. But despite better graphics and longer levels, Flashback isn't quite as fun as Out of This World in several ways. For starters, the "puzzles" are somewhat repetitive, as most of them focus on getting Conrad from one point to another by pressing a button or throwing switches. Although there are objects you can pick up and store in your inventory, most of their uses are so obvious that adventure gamers won't even consider them "puzzle" at all.

Furthermore, the game inherits Out of This World's save-only-at-save-point feature, but it is more frustrating this time around because most levels are much larger and more difficult. This means that if you die, you might have to spend hours retracing your steps, all the time hoping that you'd get to a new save point before the health meter goes to zero. Although this "realism" may appeal to some gamers, most of us who are not joystick gods will find it very irritating.

Fortunately, Flashback's excellent storyline and great level design makes its weaknesses seem trivial, and makes the game worthwhile to perservere. Every new level introduces new challenges, dangers, and objects to manipulate and use. It's more derivative than innovative, but it's still one of the best action adventures you'll ever play. Thumbs up!

Review By HOTUD

A remake in HD has been made in 2013, you can get it on Steam.

External links

Comments and reviews

The Boz 2023-01-13 0 point Genesis version

Borrowed a copy of this game and although it looked pretty awesome at the time, I couldn't really get into it. I've never been a fan of platformers or similar games that used or appeared to use motion capture for the sprites. This made controls slow, so if you need to jump, you need to jump at least a stride before you need to so the animation could play out.

J.D. 2022-05-02 3 points

I love "Flashback", played the MS DOS version when i was a kid and later the Sega CD, after my old PC died on me in late 90's. For a long time i had no idea this game was ported to so many consoles (even the Sega Dreamcast got a port) and the wired thing is almost all of them are good ports with some pros and cons). i did try other versions, such as the 3DO visually looks the best but lacking the music and voice-acting from the Sega CD, the Jaguar version is bizarre, at one hand it's frame rate can be very smooth and then gets choppy and wired and they changed the music, the SNES despite having great music, its sadly one of the weaker ports, it’s slow and the framerate is very choppy for some reason, despite the SNES have great ports of other cinematic platformers such as "Prince of Persia" and "Another World". Even the poor Phillips CDI got a port and it's actually Ok, not great but an OK port considering this dead-in-the-water multimedia monstrosity of a console barley had any good games on it. The ones that always gets the praises is the Sega Genesis and the Amiga versions. Makes sense, since it’s their first platforms they're made for, solid debut no doubt, but my personal favorite is the Sega CD version, the MS-DOS, Amiga and Genesis comes very close but the Sega CD is the best version in my opinion. Despite they changed the smooth animated cut-scenes for a computer generated FMV that looks very mid 90's and dated, it has exclusive level music and voice acting that no other version have, not even the 3DO. still Flashback is an awesome game! just stay away from the 2013 ramake, it's awful.

iQ 2021-03-01 1 point Amiga version

One of my favorite games! I played on real Amiga 500. The music is best on Amiga, made by using of digitized real instruments!

Manos 2020-04-17 0 point Amiga version

Probably the best action adventure out there! The graphics were also great back at the time and they still look good. I suggest to everyone to buy it or play it at Amiga Forever... The original is definitely the best but the HD remake was good too. More of a re-imagination than a remake of the game.

Hazzer 2019-12-27 2 points

Do not be mislead by the initial review that is is "not as fun as Out of This World". What a load of tripe! Flashback is way ahead of its time, presenting a cinematic experience and a genuinely original and atmospheric world without the ludicrously complex "puzzles" from Out Of This World. I found both to be absolute classics in the making and enjoyed them as much at the time as I do now, but Flashback's protagonist has cool moves from action rolls and long jumps to a cartridge-spitting hand cannon that made him an action hero to boot. Add that to the cool story that spans planets and you have a blast from the past. The remake was a joke. Stick with the original.

chromax 2019-10-07 1 point

Don´t miss the title-music on the amiga. One of the best amiga tunes I know.

Retrofreund 2019-04-01 4 points

The SNES version was also very nice.

Dragontorc 2018-05-18 1 point Amiga version

Played Amiga version as it has better quality audio than PC version (PCM MODs vs. MIDI). One of the best platform/adventure games I ever played. Probably only second to the Prince of Persia.

oplenti 2016-12-17 2 points

beautiful game with good puzzles and great action. not to mention it's not a simple side scroller as it first seems. it's a very good and atmospheric action adventure.

roberto 2016-12-15 -1 point PC-98 version

eu conheço esse jogo, j joguei a muito tempo´atras, pena que não sei instalar no meu notebook

FoNUS 2016-04-10 2 points Amiga version

This game was both good and beautiful. Smooth movement. Great!

TeoTest 2016-03-05 0 point DOS version

23 years later, the game still kick asses. Too bad the remake was miserable.

markegiani 2013-04-05 1 point DOS version

Great animation and very colorful. From the golden age of Amiga 500 ...

dizzy3 2012-11-07 0 point DOS version

great game this one

admin 2011-11-08 0 point DOS version

It might be good now ;)

Avzin 2011-11-07 0 point DOS version

A small complaint: I cannot play this game due to the 'copy protection'.

Feyd 2008-09-02 1 point DOS version

From delphine software, who also made the great another world, the golden age of the french video game studio.
One of the greatest action game of that era.

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Buy Flashback: The Quest for Identity

Flashback: The Quest for Identity is available for a small price on the following website, and is no longer abandonware. GOG.com provides the best release and does not include DRM, please buy from them! You can read our online store guide .

Game Extras and Resources

Some of these file may not be included in the game stores. For Flashback: The Quest for Identity, we have the following files:

ManualEnglish version 3 MB (DOS)

Other Releases

Flashback: The Quest for Identity was also released on the following systems:

3DO

Acorn 32-bit

Amiga

CD-i

FM Towns

Genesis

Jaguar

PC-98

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