Game Review: Back To Reality (Commodore 64, Mastertronic)

Back To Reality tries to set the tone for you being alone and isolated in space, and indeed the lengthy plot on the inlay of the game, which mentions the programmer Steve Elward as the missing technician stuck within the interior of an alien artefact.  You must in effect be able to complete several intelligence tests, and if you do able to complete those tasks, you can escape.   This sets the premise for what effectively is a flick screen arcade adventure.

Signs of a Struggle

There is always a slight element of doubt about any game when you look at the inlay and note carefully that screen shots from another version of the game have been used.  In this game’s case, the Amstrad CPC version’s screen shots are there.  The game also then loads up with a not very impressive loading screen, with the game title of Back to Reality.  Interestingly, the Amstrad version notes that it was also called Project Genesis, which considering the subject matter of the game and the tasks to be done, may have also been a better title for the game.

Confusing Clutter

The game loads, and the title screen shows the keys that can be pressed for various actions, mainly moving left and right, using the jet pack, and get/drop an object as well as the pause key.  There did not seem to be an easy way to redefine these here, but thankfully at least this version does allow joystick control with get/drop being provided by fire.  However, it is worth noting that the title screen and its maze of pipes around the keys to be defined and indeed the display looks very cluttered and messy, and this does not really bode well for the look and feel of the game.  You can press M if you wish to have music or you can play with just the sound effects.

Wibble Wobble

As you start the game and walk around with your character, it wobbles as it walks with some odd steps taken which does look terrible.  It does not bode well and you will soon be using your jet pack by pressing up to fly around.  However, this uses fuel and if you also collide with any of the alien monsters, that fuel also goes down.  If you run out of fuel, you will lose one of your five lives, and when you do have long climbs up to take where you need a fair amount of fuel, those lives can go to zero quite quickly without realising it.  There are spaces you can top up with fuel, but these appear to be too few and far between.

Combining Chemicals

The instructions do mention that you may need to combine some objects to make another.  Quite how this is done is not made clear.  You will need to be carrying one object and then collect the other.  Getting the objects requires you to be precisely underneath the storage boxes and then pressing fire.  Often because of your walk, when you do use the jet pack you are not directly underneath, meaning a waste of fuel whilst you re-align yourself.  It is very messy on this version and does not help you to progress, and does seem a lot better when you try this on the Amstrad version by way of comparison.

Artifact Anarchy

As you will go through the artifact, there are new objects to find and combine with, and in some cases be able to teleport to a different part to complete another task. The main issue is that you may not be able to get there before the fuel and lives run out, especially with some of the aliens being quite slow in their movement and getting in the way, or steering a path along a screen where you will not have much room to go underneath.  This does on balance mean that it is more about survival in some cases than solving the puzzles, and a finer balance should have been sought.  There are also long gaps between where you would need to swap an object to make the next part of say a chemical, and based on the distance that does also mean more chance of death rather than progress, which backs up the flaws mentioned as tracking back and forward can be time consuming as well as losing fuel and lives along the way.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Back to Reality are not to a very good standard. The backdrops show some variety, but the loading and title screens are a mess, and once you start exploring the artifact, you do feel like some of the parts were put together almost with some sense of randomness.  The animation for the character as it shuffles along walking is well below acceptable, and your character can get stuck at times.  The sound effects are passable with a nice whooshing noise when using the jet pack to thrust, but the music is utterly terrible, with an almost random feel to the notes being played and what can only be described as dirge.  I guarantee you that this will have your SID chip pleading for mercy to make it stop so it can play something better.

Final Thoughts

Although the idea of Back to Reality and its plot would have you believe that is an arcade adventure set aboard in space, the reality is that you will not be coming back for more.  The puzzles of combining objects are more trial and error than have some semblance of progress, even though the instructions have some hints. Once you do combine those, the fact you have limited lives and fuel which can go very quickly means that you will get more frustrated rather than be progressing onwards with going further and completing the tasks.  It is a game that is maybe best played on its original Amstrad format, where it appears to have more of a cult following.

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