Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 3: Citizen Brown Review

Screwing up the past, present, and future is just part of a day's work for Marty McFly!

If you thought things got messy in the Back to the Future movies, with the changes in the time continuum and people given the power to change the world, Citizen Brown will throw you for a loop. This time, Doc's in charge and it doesn't look good at all…

[image1]The third episode of Telltale's Back to the Future begins, obviously enough, right where Get Tannen! left off, with Marty arriving in 1986 in the DeLorean. Unfortunately, things aren't all right. First, Doc is nowhere to be found and now Hill Valley looks completely off. The first person he runs into is none other than his girlfriend Jennifer, and she doesn't look at all like he remembers. The city is controlled by an alternate version of Doc Brown, not at all like the crazy scientist that invented a time machine, but more like someone out of an George Orwell novel.

Episode Three is the most out of left field of the three in this series so far in terms of premise. You're yet again tasked with setting things straight of course, but the way the story plays out is very well-done and works the somewhat tired premise of fixing up a screwed up setting creatively, by interacting with just about everyone you come across with in varied ways.

Telltale is yet again doing great things with the Back to the Future fiction. We get to meet even stranger variations of the characters from the movies who have already appeared in previous episodes, all the while bringing back some of the more obscure ones, like a bully from Marty's school named Leech (who shares and uncanny likeness to Needles, played by Flea in the movies) who's now a rival for Jennifer's attention. Speaking of Jennifer, Telltale's managed to track down Claudia Wells, who played the part in the first movie for the voice role, which should please the diehard fans of the franchise.

[image2]In terms of gameplay, you're still controlling Marty directly and clicking the environment in order to pick up and use items. There are a few puzzles that require you to perform some actions in a certain order and they're the closest you can get to being stuck in this game. There's a little challenge in how you pick up and combine items, though the tasks are mostly straightforward.

Like in previous episodes, you'll be able to make use of a comprehensive hint system, but to be honest, I would suggest against it, due to how easy the game is to begin with. The story is easily the best part of bringing back the franchise and they do a great job of building up to the end of the season, which is quickly approaching. If you don't mind having an easy time with a game in service to a great story, Episode Three is just like the previous two chapters in Back to the Future: The Game – an awesome piece of very approachable (if not plain too easy) fan service and, in this case, pleasing fans ain't bad at all.