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Back in 1995 - An hour of super lo-fi survival-horror footage
- Thread starter Dusk Golem
- Start date
plagiarize
Banned
I'm very intrigued. Silent Hill 1 is my favorite of the franchise and I played it for the first time circa 2007, so it was never about the graphics for me. I personally love that they seem to be going for that messed up texture filtering look that the first few years of PSX had. The title hints at a story reason for presentation too.
Do we know if there's an English version coming?
Do we know if there's an English version coming?
Shifty
Member
Ehh, I guess it's the closest thing that exists. I'm envisioning something more actiony and less survival horror-y.
That said, I never got very far in 2. Bloody Jujudormah.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
Steam Page is now live.
April 28th release date confirmed.
And English version confirmed for those curious:
CamHostage
Member
Eh, maybe, although if such old-school appreciation takes off, I do hope that teams experiment more with the artistry of first-gen polys rather than just adhere to it for the sake of looking out-of-date.
While I do respect the efforts of some developers to limit themselves truly to say NES parameters to the point where they could almost (and in a few slim cases actually do) run on real hardware, I'm not necessarily any more prone to buy their games just because of the tech nerdery. Something that evokes old-school appropriately but also creates something new, that's the sweet spot for me. Shovel Knight and Freedom Planet are examples old-school aesthetics pushed beyond old-school limitations to create something amazing in any era. Similar to how say Guy Madden films look ancient and yet fresh and startling.
But kudos to the team of Back in 1995 for tapping into a graphical style that deserves more exploration and kudos, and it does look like they put a lot of love into the details. Hopefully there's something to their approach.
Demanufacture
Banned
I like the low poly 3D stuff but hope you can make the IQ better.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
The game is out now, I'm about to play and will leave some impressions later, but to answer this question, the game does have screen filter options on release.
Visualante2
Member
2/5 from gaminghistory101
"this is mostly a tech demo. [...] an entertaining but short proof of concept" from Hikikomori Media
"this is mostly a tech demo. [...] an entertaining but short proof of concept" from Hikikomori Media
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
Springfoot
Member
Especially for people that still have actual CRTs they can play it on.
Apparently you won't be able to anyway - the Steam page mentions that you need a 720p screen or greater to play, which seems odd.
I've been tentatively interested, but the Steam page also mentions that it's only 2-3 hours long. Think I'll wait for a few more impressions or reviews to roll in.
I get that they're trying to do a throwback with the graphics but I just don't think they're nailing it right with the atmosphere. Games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill looked a lot better than this when they came out and although the graphics don't look great by today's standard they still had a good art direction which you can still appreciate even now.
The Baron Count
Member
Seriously.
This is not like the newer games coming out using 8 and 16 bit style visuals which were the pinnacle of that look. This is just an archaic and ugly look at the start of the 3D generation that has only ever improved.
It's like if all those indie 2D games were made to look like Atari 2600 games, not SNES ones.
Another issue is they are trying to approximate something that wasn't a choice, but was the best that the current hardware could do. The game doesn't even look accurate.
For fixed camera angles, nothing beats tank controls.
So do I, but I don't have affinity for 3DO/32X/GBA level 3D. Which is what this game has.
MulderYuffie
Member
Wow this is kinda getting released out of nowhere looking forward to see how it does.
timetokill
Banned
Do they have a "dancing polygons" effect you can turn on for the real PS1 feeling?
PetriP-TNT
Member
Really interested in this, hour seems short but then again it could be just right
Xaero Gravity
NEXT LEVEL lame™
Ugh, I have fond memories of the PS1/Saturn days, but they're certainly not of the graphics, they were fucking hideous. And tank controls? Some things really don't need to be brought back, and that's one of them.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
Back in 1995 is a retro-styled survival-horror game that takes most of its influence from a 1994 Japan-only 3DO horror game known as Dr. Hauzer and Silent Hill. The game has the sort of things you would expect from such an undertaking, such as fixed camera angles, limited supplies, tank controls. What may be a bit less predictable in the journey itself.
Now, let me first clarify something here and now; this game is not in the same league as the Resident Evil's and Silent Hill's of yesteryear. It doesn't even get in the remote ballpark of that level of quality during the 2-3 hour journey, and reminds me a lot more of the B-Tier horror game from that same era. I also feel I should preface this review with a mention that I am a horror enthusiast; I eat this genre right up. I played every Resident Evil and Silent Hill game through more than once ages ago, and have played more and more of the genre as time as gone on; I have played niche old titles ranging from Hungry Ghosts for the PS2 to Deep Fear on the Saturn, I've played all the Dead Space games and recently Night of the Sacrifice (Ikenie no Yoru) on the Wii, more recent indie horrors such as Left Alone and Dead Secret within the week, along with a ton of others. I have become more aware within the last few months I am beginning to run out of older horror games to play through; I have dug into the niche and the mostly forgotten, and I am almost done playing through every horror game that released before 2004, everything from the more well known Fatal Frame games to niche Korean-only PC releases. I think understanding where I'm coming from will help me explain my thoughts on this game.
Back in 1995 both succeeds and misses at what it is trying to be, and also provides an unexpected element that it also both succeeds and misses in. I'll talk about both elements here.
Firstly, as a retro horror game. The game actually does manage to capture that feel sometimes, particularly the feel of the B-Horror romps from yesteryear. I would put it at maybe the same quality as Chaos Break or Deep Fear, if you've played either of those. Games that have some flawed execution and rough edges, but can capture you with some well deployed curiosity. The game has four main segments, and each segment does manage to be more intriguing than the last and put new twists on the game to avoid becoming repetitive. The combat is super simple and maybe too easy for its own good; most of the enemies can be taken out pretty easily with just the crowbar you start off with, and while enemies attacks hurt, I found myself not very challenged by the game. There were a few puzzles that were a bit medium-easy in their difficulty for me, but were a bit of fun to mess around with.
The graphics look a bit worse than they should. Being able to alter the screen filter is good (I played the game with the CRT filter on but no noise, mostly), but the texture distortion is a bit much (textures distort and twist based on their perspective to the camera, which is an intended effect). It was very exaggerated and in some areas made the game look incredibly messy. The music went between being forgettable and a few nice tracks, but didn't really ever help the atmosphere, I felt. I get the game was going for a pre-PSX horror game sound style more similar to Alone in the Dark, Ecstatica, or the aftermentioned Dr. Hauzer, but I felt they could of easily gotten away with more atmospheric tracks and nobody would of given it any thought. The monsters aren't overused thankfully (there's only a handful of encounters in the game), and while there's only four different kinds they are used sparsely. I actually like most of them (the last two types especially), but the first monster type I could never find remotely scary or creepy, which is unfortunate (they look like fleshy Pacman ghosts to me).
Still, there's some interesting moments sprinkled throughout, some fun twists, a few moments that got me a bit to be startled or panicked, and on a whole I would say it was pretty alright. I think it's above the only other immediate indie comparisons I can give to this game, BlackSoul and Babysitter Bloodbath (some of the only retro-styled fixed camera angle indie horror games out there to this level). It's not just the most true to its roots, but the best executed of the three, in my opinion.
Which gets to a second element that many may not actually see coming about this game, I certainly didn't, which the game both hits the nail well on and doesn't. I'll spoiler tag this part, and would recommend if you plan to play the game and want to best experience it, not to read this, but I think it's important to mention.
.
The story is pretty interesting, but let-down by a rather abrupt ending.
Still, I enjoyed the game actually. It both lived up to what I wanted it to be, didn't live up to it, and surprised me in ways I wasn't expecting. It's not a flawless game, but I do think there will be appeal for the rabid horror enthusiast that are like myself. It's not the truly excellent and complete return to old-school horror I think some want it to be, but if you go in with a bit of an open mind, some appreciation for the older B-Tier horror game, and don't mind a 2-3 hour experience, you might find some things to like here. It could of been executed better in certain areas, but what's there is still a pretty nice game which I feel I'm warming up to more a few hours after completing it. Not everything I wanted from it, but a nice experience that did give me some things I wasn't aware I wanted.
Now, let me first clarify something here and now; this game is not in the same league as the Resident Evil's and Silent Hill's of yesteryear. It doesn't even get in the remote ballpark of that level of quality during the 2-3 hour journey, and reminds me a lot more of the B-Tier horror game from that same era. I also feel I should preface this review with a mention that I am a horror enthusiast; I eat this genre right up. I played every Resident Evil and Silent Hill game through more than once ages ago, and have played more and more of the genre as time as gone on; I have played niche old titles ranging from Hungry Ghosts for the PS2 to Deep Fear on the Saturn, I've played all the Dead Space games and recently Night of the Sacrifice (Ikenie no Yoru) on the Wii, more recent indie horrors such as Left Alone and Dead Secret within the week, along with a ton of others. I have become more aware within the last few months I am beginning to run out of older horror games to play through; I have dug into the niche and the mostly forgotten, and I am almost done playing through every horror game that released before 2004, everything from the more well known Fatal Frame games to niche Korean-only PC releases. I think understanding where I'm coming from will help me explain my thoughts on this game.
Back in 1995 both succeeds and misses at what it is trying to be, and also provides an unexpected element that it also both succeeds and misses in. I'll talk about both elements here.
Firstly, as a retro horror game. The game actually does manage to capture that feel sometimes, particularly the feel of the B-Horror romps from yesteryear. I would put it at maybe the same quality as Chaos Break or Deep Fear, if you've played either of those. Games that have some flawed execution and rough edges, but can capture you with some well deployed curiosity. The game has four main segments, and each segment does manage to be more intriguing than the last and put new twists on the game to avoid becoming repetitive. The combat is super simple and maybe too easy for its own good; most of the enemies can be taken out pretty easily with just the crowbar you start off with, and while enemies attacks hurt, I found myself not very challenged by the game. There were a few puzzles that were a bit medium-easy in their difficulty for me, but were a bit of fun to mess around with.
The graphics look a bit worse than they should. Being able to alter the screen filter is good (I played the game with the CRT filter on but no noise, mostly), but the texture distortion is a bit much (textures distort and twist based on their perspective to the camera, which is an intended effect). It was very exaggerated and in some areas made the game look incredibly messy. The music went between being forgettable and a few nice tracks, but didn't really ever help the atmosphere, I felt. I get the game was going for a pre-PSX horror game sound style more similar to Alone in the Dark, Ecstatica, or the aftermentioned Dr. Hauzer, but I felt they could of easily gotten away with more atmospheric tracks and nobody would of given it any thought. The monsters aren't overused thankfully (there's only a handful of encounters in the game), and while there's only four different kinds they are used sparsely. I actually like most of them (the last two types especially), but the first monster type I could never find remotely scary or creepy, which is unfortunate (they look like fleshy Pacman ghosts to me).
Still, there's some interesting moments sprinkled throughout, some fun twists, a few moments that got me a bit to be startled or panicked, and on a whole I would say it was pretty alright. I think it's above the only other immediate indie comparisons I can give to this game, BlackSoul and Babysitter Bloodbath (some of the only retro-styled fixed camera angle indie horror games out there to this level). It's not just the most true to its roots, but the best executed of the three, in my opinion.
Which gets to a second element that many may not actually see coming about this game, I certainly didn't, which the game both hits the nail well on and doesn't. I'll spoiler tag this part, and would recommend if you plan to play the game and want to best experience it, not to read this, but I think it's important to mention.
The game has a meta-game element.
The game a bit into it starts to do some tricks that sort of break the fourth wall, and they amp up towards the end of the game. We play as a character who is mentally stuck in 1995 and can't comprehend things that came out or happened after that year. Towards the end of the game, you think you might of finished the game (and I bet most will think so as the credits roll and you start the game from the beginning again), but if you play the beginning bit again he finds a more modern horror game-styled object which throws him off in how impossible it would be for back then, and then the game begins to disintegrate as he begins to realize we're, in fact, not in 1995. This element has a few moments that really do steal the show a bit, but unfortunately don't feel like they're pushed as far or as interestingly as they could of gone into. I also feel the moment with the creators comments could of been pushed to after the credits
The game a bit into it starts to do some tricks that sort of break the fourth wall, and they amp up towards the end of the game. We play as a character who is mentally stuck in 1995 and can't comprehend things that came out or happened after that year. Towards the end of the game, you think you might of finished the game (and I bet most will think so as the credits roll and you start the game from the beginning again), but if you play the beginning bit again he finds a more modern horror game-styled object which throws him off in how impossible it would be for back then, and then the game begins to disintegrate as he begins to realize we're, in fact, not in 1995. This element has a few moments that really do steal the show a bit, but unfortunately don't feel like they're pushed as far or as interestingly as they could of gone into. I also feel the moment with the creators comments could of been pushed to after the credits
The story is pretty interesting, but let-down by a rather abrupt ending.
Still, I enjoyed the game actually. It both lived up to what I wanted it to be, didn't live up to it, and surprised me in ways I wasn't expecting. It's not a flawless game, but I do think there will be appeal for the rabid horror enthusiast that are like myself. It's not the truly excellent and complete return to old-school horror I think some want it to be, but if you go in with a bit of an open mind, some appreciation for the older B-Tier horror game, and don't mind a 2-3 hour experience, you might find some things to like here. It could of been executed better in certain areas, but what's there is still a pretty nice game which I feel I'm warming up to more a few hours after completing it. Not everything I wanted from it, but a nice experience that did give me some things I wasn't aware I wanted.
PetriP-TNT
Member
Thanks for the review once again Dusk Golem, appreciated. Might pick it up and play it through tonight.
encephalon
Member
Does the Steam version come with language options?
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
English and Japanese.
encephalon
Member
Awesome. I'll try to find the time to play it soon. I'm a big fan of the era.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
The merit of early polygonal graphical style is debatable. But I have specifically heard many people request this style of graphics in retro-style games over the last few years. I'm not sure how much quantity of this type of game I want, but a few experiments in its style? I would absolutely eat that up.
And as for tank controls........ No you're factually wrong. I still think tank controls are awesome. I'd be all for them in modern games. It's just not populist. Many people don't "get" them, and so its okay to placate the masses looking for something easy and simple. But for a niche game? Yes fucking please. It was the perfect feeling of controlling a real, weighty body in a 3D space - perfect for horror.
I love low poly, clean textured games. Mega Man Legends and Metal Gear Solid still look really great. Things like Resident Evil I have nostalgia for, and I get that it would be less taxing for a small dev to shoot for that style, but I think if you're going old school 3D you have to look clean.
Herbspiceguy
Member
I was looking forward to this. I've been longing for low poly/def 32-bit style games and I love a good survival horror game.
I've been reading the Steam reviews (and now Dusk Golem's) and it seems my expectations were way off. I was expecting a game similar to oldskool RE/SH. Surely nowadays indie devs have the capability to pull that off.
I feel a bit disappointed, also by the fact that there isn't anything else in development with a similar style that has more potential.
I've been reading the Steam reviews (and now Dusk Golem's) and it seems my expectations were way off. I was expecting a game similar to oldskool RE/SH. Surely nowadays indie devs have the capability to pull that off.
I feel a bit disappointed, also by the fact that there isn't anything else in development with a similar style that has more potential.
grandwizard
Member
Thanks for the impressions Dusk. This looked interesting but the early reviews hitting Steam and your writeup has made me wait for a bigger sale before getting it. I do still like the style and respect them for trying to advance the indie style time-wise to early polygonal stuff.