Flashback: The Quest for Identity 1992

Released: December 1992
Genres: Platform · Adventure
Platforms: Acorn Archimedes · Philips CD-i · Super Nintendo Entertainment System · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · 3DO Interactive Multiplayer · Mac · DOS · Amiga · Atari Jaguar · Sega CD · Super Famicom
Developers: Delphine Software · Tiertex Design Studios
More info: Wikipedia IGDB

Where to buy

On sale: $0.99 $9.99 -90% on GOG Fanatical More deals on GOG Fanatical, and in Adventure
Digital: GOG Fanatical GMG Steam Nintendo PlayStation Xbox
Physical: Delphine Software Collection 1 Search on Amazon

Affiliate links: GOG, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, ININ Games and Amazon

Is it still worth playing?

Paul Cuisset's 1992 cinematic platformer for the Amiga, then ported to many systems from 1993 on. In 2142 Conrad B. Hart, an intelligence agent, wakes in a jungle on Titan with no memory of how he got there. Each level spans many non scrolling screens, nearly all with several altitudes, so Conrad has to jump, grab ledges, climb, use elevators and drop to lower levels. He has realistic human running speed and jumping ability, and realistic weakness: he dies if he falls from a great height. He carries a pistol with unlimited ammunition and a force shield that absorbs a number of shots before it needs recharging, so it acts as his health. Across seven levels you meet more and more spatial puzzles that ask you to discover how to guide him toward his goal. Even now, a hero with human limits and a shield for health makes every drop and jump a measured risk.