Flashback

Overview

Where Another World was minimalist, Flashback was maximalist. Delphine Software’s 1992 follow-up combined rotoscoped animation with a complex conspiracy narrative, multiple locations, and gun combat. The Mega Drive version particularly impressed—players couldn’t believe such fluid animation came from a cartridge.

Fast facts

Developer: Delphine Software.
Director: Paul Cuisset.
Animation: rotoscoped motion capture.
Sales: over 2 million copies worldwide.

Technical achievements

Feature	Implementation
Rotoscoping	Motion-captured actor animations
Background detail	Hand-drawn, atmospheric environments
Cutscenes	In-engine cinematics
Memory	Massive for cartridge games

Story

The game’s narrative ambition:

Conrad awakens with amnesia
Discovers conspiracy involving shapeshifting aliens
Travels across multiple worlds
Recovers memory through holocubes

Gameplay systems

More complex than Another World:

Inventory management
NPCs and dialogue
Multiple weapons and items
Currency and shops
ID card systems

Locations

World	Setting
Titan	Jungle, ruins
New Washington	Futuristic city
Death Tower	Game show combat
Earth	Alien homeworld reveal
Morphs’ Planet	Final confrontation

Animation

The rotoscoping process:

Actor performed movements
Video frames traced by artists
Converted to game sprites
Created 24 frames/second illusion

Platform differences

Version	Notable features
Amiga	Original, benchmark
Mega Drive	Remarkably faithful
SNES	Slightly different controls
CD versions	Added voice acting

Critical reception

Contemporary reviews praised:

Animation quality
Atmospheric presentation
Gameplay depth
Technical achievement

Legacy

Flashback influenced:

Standards for 16-bit action adventures
Expectations for animation quality
Narrative ambition in platformers
Later Delphine productions

Sequel

Fade to Black (1995) attempted 3D translation with mixed results.

The CD-ROM game on cartridge