This early cinematic platformer attempts to turn the unpredictable, context-sensitive action of Another World into something more formal and reliable, yet manages to be even more obtuse. Another's awkwardness was charming due to narrative consistency – the wordless presentation cohered with the zero-tutorial gameplay. But the more talkative story of Flashback doesn't jive with its taciturn approach to combat; coming out of a fire-fight unharmed feels like a glitch rather than a success. The final nail is its gamey environments – nothing like the believable spaces of Another World. For a similarly structured but better executed experience, play Blizzard's 16-bit Blackthorne.