Back Then
Octopus Embrace · 2023 · Story Rich, Exploration, Indie, Emotional, Walking Simulator
PC
Positive92% · 38
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About Back Then
We all live with the fear of reaching the shadow of dementia. The ultimate fear of forgetting. The fear of not remembering our past, what led us here. For who do we become when we forget who we are?
Back Then is a first-person narrative game journey taking place in the mind of Thomas Eilian, an elderly writer diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
The gameplay, presented in first-person perspective, is story-driven and is heavily focused on interactions, puzzles and detective exploration.
Stuck in a Wheelchair, players find themselves lost in a house, discovering more about Thomas and his family by unlocking new rooms, collectibles, objectives and puzzles. Together, both the player and Thomas attempt to discover who they are, listening to the monologues of Thomas and his family, detailing their own struggles and perspectives of the situation at hand.
Players traverse through the four seasons of the year, going back and forth between the House and Dreamlike Sequences as Thomas attempts to unravel what his life meant.
Back Then is a game for people who are in search of unconventional and new story-rich experiences.
It appeals to a more general audience, emphasizing on the game's atmosphere, soundtrack, and narrated-exploration to deliver players a poetic and emotional story.
Through this story we hope to make as many people as we can uncomfortable, but aware to the reality of millions around the world diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
We know what it's like... To have someone whom we love no longer even recognise you.
We become familiar strangers in their eyes.
We dedicate this game to you, your loved ones...
And all who were back then.
Back Then is a first-person narrative game journey taking place in the mind of Thomas Eilian, an elderly writer diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.
The gameplay, presented in first-person perspective, is story-driven and is heavily focused on interactions, puzzles and detective exploration.
Stuck in a Wheelchair, players find themselves lost in a house, discovering more about Thomas and his family by unlocking new rooms, collectibles, objectives and puzzles. Together, both the player and Thomas attempt to discover who they are, listening to the monologues of Thomas and his family, detailing their own struggles and perspectives of the situation at hand.
Players traverse through the four seasons of the year, going back and forth between the House and Dreamlike Sequences as Thomas attempts to unravel what his life meant.
Back Then is a game for people who are in search of unconventional and new story-rich experiences.
It appeals to a more general audience, emphasizing on the game's atmosphere, soundtrack, and narrated-exploration to deliver players a poetic and emotional story.
- In-depth narrative and storytelling experience.
- Detective exploration and puzzles.
- Creative gameplay and events related to Alzheimer’s and forgetfulness.
- Inspired by personal events, involving the team's loved ones and family.
Through this story we hope to make as many people as we can uncomfortable, but aware to the reality of millions around the world diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
We know what it's like... To have someone whom we love no longer even recognise you.
We become familiar strangers in their eyes.
We dedicate this game to you, your loved ones...
And all who were back then.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
It's quite a good walking sim focused on story about Alzheimer's and the finiteness of life. Excellent writing and voice acting. Sad themes. Moving is a bit slow though, especially when you have to use that stairs lift over and over again.2 found this helpful
I don't want to be too hard on the devs because it is their first game. It's beautiful, sad and powerful and gives you a strong visual representation of what it feels like living with Alzheimers and how loved ones are affected. It's a disease I wish never existed. However, with gameplay, it's not great. There's no option to save your progress if you can only play for a short period of time and don't finish a chapter. As a busy adult, that's just a no-no for me at this point. It's really too bad because I was excited to play this. But I also hated wandering through this maze to find three cogs where every corridor looks the same.1 found this helpful
What started off as a guided game with story and voiceover quickly turned into a bad and sour experience for me. The first few chapters were good but when you get to the RED ZONE (Collect The Poems) it gets frustrating and annoying. You have to find 10-15 peoms in misty red smoke and once you have done that, you have no idea where to go or what to do? The game doesn't tell you what to do or where to go after collecting poems (During the start of the game and previous chapters) they have told you what to do to guide you, but the (Poems) part is jjust a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ idea. There is no save during the game, only at the end of each chapter. I collected all the poems but can't find my way on. OHH walk speed is painful slow in the red zone so I found myself lumbering arohnd for 45 minutes+ wondering where to and reaching dead ends. Sad, and Awful game towards the end. No map or no direction, walk speed is bad. Do not buy this unless you want to get frustrated with the final chapter. It may look a fun game and emotional but the poems part is just frustrating and slow and awful.1 found this helpful
:)
Even though it was only two hours long, it was two hours well enjoyed. I played a demonstration a long time ago in a games convention is Lisbon, I only remembered I struggled to understand where the elevator was after I found it once more. Ironic maybe. It's good to finally play the final product, I wish the developers luck. The sound and graphical design were great, and the writing was fascinating.
Its a short first-person narrative puzzle game about an elderly writer living with Alzheimer’s. The puzzles are simple, but the atmosphere and storytelling are the real strength, quiet, intimate, and genuinely emotional. A bit easy to get lost at times, yet overall it’s a touching experience that stays with you.
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