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NES box art for Back to the Future Part II & III, the cover of NEStalgia episode 354

354 · Back to the Future Part II & III

▶ Game info
VerdictSkip it
SeasonSeason 6
DeveloperBeam Software
PublisherLJN
December 6, 2024 · 59 min · transcript available

Back to the Future Part II & III is a platform game based on the movies of the same name. The object of the game is to collect misplaced objects from various time periods like 1955, 1985 and 2015, and bring them back to their proper time period and location. The game often requires the player to solve a small puzzle to figure out what item fits the location he has found.

Our verdict: Skip it

The box promises two action-packed adventures on one cartridge, and we wondered if that was a bargain or a shortcut. Mike, Sean and Joe found the answer fast: it's one game, it isn't really either movie, and we never reached the Part III section. A lot of the episode drifted into the films, which says how we felt about the game.

Why it's a slog

  • One giant maze. There are no levels. You travel between 1955, 1985, 2015 and 1885 hunting for items and bringing each one to the right place and time. There are 16 streets, each in three versions, linked by elevators and gateways, and one player's map on video looked like four-dimensional chess.
  • Too much space, too little in it. Most walking felt wasted on bland platforming. An expert's long play ran 2 hours and 58 minutes. We aren't against long games, only this much with no reason for it.
  • Guess the drop-off. Carry an item to the wrong place and you lose it and redo the minigame. There are around 30 of these, with no rhyme or reason to where things go.
  • Barely the movie. The hoverboard is a platform that vanishes after a second, the DeLorean only scoops you up when you die, and there's no Biff boss and no train. Joe pointed out that Doc isn't anywhere, not even on the menu. The logo in the corner is the main tie-in, plus a clone of Marty that kills you on touch, which we liked as a nod to the fainting rule.
  • Mario in disguise. You stomp enemies, throw fireballs, and meet Spinies you can jump on, warp pipes and a flying fish. The jump is momentum-based with a stutter, and in the Biff world bricks drawn as background can kill you.

The good ideas

  • The minigames. Platforms that appear and vanish as you collect items, and Marty clones copying your moves, are neat, and the second resembles a later Mario trick. They're short, and the titles ("Cloning Owned," "Teddy Bears on Parade") made us laugh.

Beyond the game

We looked at the Genesis versions (a hoverboard first level, a horse chase) and a bootleg "Back to the Future 4" that turns out to be Blaster Master. Super Back to the Future Part II on Super Famicom looked best.

The bottom line

Skip it. All three of us voted it not essential. Mike called it one of the worst games we've played, and said he'd have liked it more as just the minigames. Sean said the branding is close enough to count as nothing, and the repetition runs too long. Joe voted no with a protest on Doc's behalf.

Written from our conversation in this episode.

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