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Flashback 1.1 update preview on iPhone

Flashback 1.1 update preview on iPhone

A few design decisions initially held back Manomio’s iPhone port of the classic platformer, Flashback, but the 1.1 update restores Delphine’s game to its former, retro glory.

Flashback is a firm favorite among a great many retro gamers, most of whom were particular fans of the awesome Amiga version. The initial excitement around Flashback’s appearance was somewhat subdued by a fraction of uncertainty around the game’s method of conversion, its control system and the lack of a full screen display.

Much of these concerns were alleviated almost immediately when Manomio addressed the iPhone community to discuss the way Flashback works (operating as something of an emulator that fetches the game data after installation from an abandomware site) and the lengths the developer had gone to in an effort to make the adaptation as official as possible. On top of all this, immediate work began on an update based on this early feedback, and it’s this update Manomio has sent exclusively to iPhone Otaku for a full preview.

It was actually great to hear how Manomio had approached the Flashback iPhone conversion, as the manner in which it works makes this a direct port of the definitive Amiga version - since it’s actually playing an Amiga game ROM. Therefore, the game kicks off with the beautifully animated vector-drawn into that’s become synonymous with this classic platformer, which helps to put you in the mood and sttir up a few feelings of excited nostalgia before the action kicks off.

There’s a particularly reminiscent moment as the game first begins - now in a full screen mode that really feels to open up the world of Flashback (even though it’s essentially just been stretched out), when an amnesiac Conrad climbs to his feet with the quiet tweeting of a holocube as it’s knocked off the ledge to coax you into teaching yourself how the game works. It’s a brilliant and subtle tactic that immediately has you climbing, jumping, running and shooting as you learn how to navigate around this strange new world.

Your objective is ultimately quite simple, but plays out expertly in revealing an entertaining narrative that guides you transparently though the levels of Flashback without any gaudy hand-holding. As a platformer, it switches dynamically between puzzle solving as you attempt to figure out a path around the beautifully designed screens, dexterous action as you jump from a ledge to grab another before falling to your death, or stealthy, fast-action shooting as you fight your way quickly and quietly through the dramatic conspiracy.

The controls are an essential part of Flashback, as there’s a significant degree of pixel hunting required in making some of the longer, running jumps, and in rolling on or off screen with gun drawn and enemies poised. Plenty of iPhone games have dabbled with the concept of an onscreen virtual D-pad, though with varying degrees of success. One of the major problems with this system is when your finger inevitable strays froFlashback_1-1_2m the D-pad and movement stops, and although it’s a little jarring to begin with, Manomio’s Flashback solution soon wins out.

Rather than being fixed to a specific location, Flashback’s iPhone D-pad appears wherever you touch the screen, and remains there - in full operation - until you let go again. Admittedly this can lead to the occasional mishap for the clumsy-fingered iPhoner, but it also means you never miss a virtual button - and that’s very important when helping Conrad to make those long jumps and ledge grabs. Conrad isn’t fixed in one area of Flashback’s screen, of course, and a fixed D-pad could easily put a finger in the way of the action, so this unique controller also means you can switch hands seamlessly at any point in the game. When working Conrad through a tangled knot of platforms on the right of the screen, you can easily control the virtual joystick with your left thumb, then switch back to the right thumb when Conrad exits stage right. As clever as it is functional.

Just out of personal interest I fired up an Amiga emulator to play the original, which, as expected, is identical to the 1.1 update of the iPhone’s Flashback. Also of interest was the fact that the original’s controls were slightly over-mechanical too, and most every slight annoyance when missing a jump, or failing to draw the gun, are actually down to the operation of the original Flashback, so Manomio has clearly nailed the iPhone adaptation down hard.

Anyone who felt apprehension at the iPhone adaptation of Flashback can now shed those concerns, and rest assured that the immortal classic from Delphine Software has been faithfully and lovingly restored on the iPhone, and all that matters now is the stopping the impressively exciting 17-year old threat of alien invasion.

[Thanks: http://iphoneotaku.com]

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