Review

Back to The Future Episode 3: Citizen Brown

Finally, Marty has come back…to Hill Valley! Yes, that’s right folks. Episode 3 is here and what an episode it is. Marty and Doc have done it again. The “it” is completely altering the present by changing the past. If you thought dealing with the Tannen Gang was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet!

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to play the previous episodes, let me get you up to speed (slight spoiler warning). This new, 5-part adventure takes places after the 3rd Back to the Future film (6 months after to be exact). It started with Marty going back in time to rescue a stranded Doc Brown from being murdered by Kid Tannen, the leader of the Tannen Gang. Doc was accused of burning down one of Tannen’s speakeasys, which would have led to Tannen exacting revenge and gunning Doc down. At least that’s what it said in a future newspaper. Of course, staying in line with the rest of the Back to the Future series, Marty accidentally changes the past for the worst after rescuing Doc. In the second episode Doc and Marty go back and set things right, making sure that Kid Tannen is locked up for good. However, by involving the young version of Doc Brown in Kid’s arrest, there was a slight change in the past that apparently had a lasting effect on the present. This is where our story continues.

Hill Valley has changed in drastic ways since the last time we saw it. A wall has been built up, surrounding the town in an effort to keep out unauthorized guests. In order to get into Hill Valley, one must be escorted by a badge wearing citizen or apply for a temporary pass. The citizens that live in Hill Valley are constantly monitored by cameras placed throughout the town to make sure they don’t break any rules. Rules rang from regulations on what clothes can be worn on what days, to outlawing public displays of affection. Citizens are given demerits (tickets) if they break a law. Get enough demerits and your hauled off to the court house (the famous one from the movies) to chat with Emit Brown. No longer going by Doc, Emit has turned Hill Valley into a “sterile” version of itself by making its inhabitants follow his strict rules. He even tells people what their allowed to eat and that they can’t own dogs. This is where Marty (and the gamer) steps in.

Episode 3 is different from the first two in a couple of ways. This installment has much more going on in terms of story. Because so many things have changed, gamers will have a lot of catching up to do via dialog with other characters. Depending on how you felt about the other two episodes, this could be a problem. Majority of this episode is made up long chats between characters. While the conversations are always interesting, the lack of puzzle solving made this episode feel a little boring when compared to episode 2. Of course, you could skip conversations but then you would be left with huge gaps in the story. Now, if you thought that the other episodes lacked any dialog it is certainly made up here. Citizen Brown is where we find out more about the new characters and how far they would go to achieve their goals, even if this is based on a “what if” future. These elements attribute to this episode feeling more like a part of a movie then a game.

Another way Citizen Brown sets itself apart is in the choices gamers have this time around. Like the other episodes, this game has one central puzzle that needs to be solved by completing smaller puzzles. This usually led to a linear approach to completing each game. This time players get to choose how they want to approach the major puzzle. Granted, I feel that the outcomes would have been similar (and that you probably would have had to complete most of the puzzles anyway), having some choice was better than none.

All and all, I am pleased with this installment. Even though it can be hard to sit through the long conversations between characters, they are always interesting and fun to hear. The fact that they help to create an awesome story within the larger plot helped me get over their length. Some might argue that adventure games are supposed to have a lot of dialog or written clues to move the story along. While that may be true, it’s how you implement them into the gameplay that counts. Being that this is episodic in nature, I felt that most of my short time with Citizen Brown was spent listening rather than playing. When I did get to solve puzzles, I had a great time just like I did with the previous episodes. I also enjoyed the variety in puzzles as well as the option to pick which ones I wanted to complete. Again, the overall plot presented across each episode is worth the price of admission. I recommend playing the previous episodes before getting this one. Either way, you should enjoy your time with Marty, Doc, and the rest of Hill Valley!