Don't Look Back (video game)
Don't Look Back | |
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Single-player |
Don't Look Back is a
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, and he also wished to create a game where the gameplay acted as a metaphor for the player's actions.
Critics praised the game's addictiveness and presentation, but had different opinions over its high difficulty level.
Gameplay
The game is an interpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice legend with stylized graphics resembling those produced by the Atari 2600 game console.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] Play consists of crossing lava pits by jumping across platforms, circumnavigating other hazards, fending off enemies such as spiders and bats, and defeating bosses.[1][4] 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.[5]
Development
Don't Look Back is a combination of two separate ideas, one of which was what Cavanagh termed as "a silly shooter or something like that",[5] 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".[5]
Reception
The iOS port had initially been rejected by Apple due to its marketing material stating that "There are no in-app purchases or any of that nonsense".[6]
Journalists praised Don't Look Back overall, in particular its presentation. Jim Rossignol of
In a positive examination of Don't Look Back, game designer
The game was included on game journalist Michael Rose's 2014 book 250 Indie Games You Must Play,[12] and has been credited with bringing Cavanagh into mainstream recognition.[12][13]
References
- ^ Jay is Games. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ Dugan, Patrick (2009-03-20). "Don't Look Back - A Love Story About Jumping Puzzles". Play This Thing. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ a b c Blondeau, Madeline (August 3, 2022). "Don't Look Back: You Can't Save Love". Paste. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- IndieGames.com. Archived from the originalon 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ a b c Gallaway, Brad (2009-04-18). "Interview with Terry Cavanagh, creator of Don't Look Back". GameCritics.com. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ "Distractionware » Don't Look Back now available for iOS and Android". 17 October 2012.
- ^ Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ a b Yu, Derek (2009-03-13). "Don't Look Back". TIGSource. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- IndieGames.com. Archived from the originalon 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
- ^ a b Escapist Staff (2009-03-13). "Alt + Escape - Don't Look Back". The Escapist. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
- Gamasutra. 21 July 2009.
- ^ ISBN 9781466503175.
- ^ Peel, Jeremy (September 14, 2021). "How Terry Cavanagh bet it all on the simple joy of platforming". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2023.