Don’t Look Back
I’m proud to finally present Don’t Look Back, my very first game in flash! For the next week or so it’s available only on Kongregate, but after that I’ll provide a standalone version of the game here.
Being a flash game it doesn’t have a readme, so this seems like an appropriate place to say thanks to the people who helped me test it and gave me feedback during its development! I’d like to say a special thanks to Denis Cavanagh, Stephen Lavelle, Gregory Weir, Alex May, Josiah Tobin, disasterpiece, benzido, Tim W., zaphos, dock, Noyb, agj, Kian Bashiri, cactus, Annabelle Kennedy, Brandon McCartin, Ian Snyder, Porter, ozdy, lachhh, and finally, to Kongregate.
I hope you enjoy the game 
[Edit 12th March] Don’t Look Back is now also available on this site!
[Download offline DMG for Mac]
[Edit 26th March] To those of you looking for the soundtrack; you can find it here.
 209 Comments |
VVVVVV
Bridge
2009
2008
A [spoiler]? I liked it.
Congrats! It’s an excellent game.
Very Nice game, weird ending (or was it?)
Simply fantastic.
Great stuff, very successful at what I think you’re trying to do. I might do a roundup of some of the pixel-storytelling stuff I’ve played recently at my blog. I’ll let you know if I do.
I played your game on Kongregate, and have to say, it’s one of the best platformers I have ever played. I am a great fan of simplistic flash platformers, but so many try and fail.
Your game combined brilliant 8-bit graphics, simple yet amazingly effective use of colour (it really set the mood and atmosphere of the game). It was a game that you could immediately pick up and start playing, as opposed to reading 5 pages of instructions and doing a tutorial, and these are the type of flashes I love. Challenging and immersive. Amazing.
Oh, I forgot to add:
I hope you put this one Newgrounds once your 1 week deal with Kongregate is over, I’d love to see it there!
And where did you get the music from? It’s brilliant, it reminds me of the music in Twinsen’s Odyssey (one of the greatest adventure games ever made). Email me at ‘its-jarrah@hotmail.com’ if you read this, I’d greatly appreciate it!
Cheers,
-HarraH
Hi Terry,
You made a brilliant game (again) : simple, emotional, immersive. And great audio. That’s the kind of games I like to play and create
Thank you !
As a literature student who loves old-school platformers, I was surprised and delighted.
Excellent game.
What a beautiful game, thanks for sharing it. I’m really impressed by how you stripped away all the things that weren’t part of the gameplay or story.
excellent game! such a short piece with a major emotional impact. and challenging to boot!
thanks for your hard work. i hope it gets recognized!!
You already know how much I love this game.
It’s perfect now as far as balance goes, though; none of the problems I had before came up. Great job!
~Josiah
Perfect.
Thanks for letting me play this game.
Quite something how this simplitic game really had me pushing forward for the need to know what would happen next.
wonderful.
no fat, beautiful tone, great gameplay. strong sense of space in the game; the ‘empty’ screens really helped the narrative develop.
very moving too. hope to see more like this!
This was great – challenging but not too unforgiving and with a very strong aesthetic attitude to boot. And I loved the subtle hints gradually revealing who you are and what you’re doing.
The ending was sort of weird. I played it through again to check for Easter Eggs.
I like this game. There is too much stuff these days, about scoring, acheivements, memorization, etc., that it’s nice to see a game cut so short. It really made me feel lonely afterwards, I was sort of unfullfilled, and tried to search for other endings and stuff. But I think unfullfilled is good, it means the game isn’t there just to become more and more powerful, collect more items, replay it, check for multiple endings, etc.. I thought that the minimalism meant meant that the game seemed to intend something else, other than entertainment… it seemed to linger, before it got too bloated, and became a formula. It made me think of when I was younger, and playing games was serious business, and it required wit and cunning, like a real adventure, rather than a methodical discovering of every last thing
anyways, awesome game
Good lord, I’m gonna be up all night contemplating that ending.
most amazing storyline ever made without a single word =D!
Excellent. I also recommend checking out Seiklus or Kaipuu for similar themes. These are the kind of games I like — not afraid to be minimal, yet still having the appropriate effect.
Wonderful game, I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to your future releases. Definitely the best game I’ve played in a long time. =)
so sad…
almost allegoryish
Such a sad ending…
he goes to save his sisters soul and makes it back to Earth to find he’s a ghost as well and they both drift away in the wind…
im gonna be up all night thinking
Hi there, Josiah’s brother here
What a beautiful game. I love how you combine challenging gameplay with a mood/atmosphere/emotion and makes-you-think-ness. It’s like the best of both worlds =D
this is a good story: Orpheus was the son of the Muse Calliope and therefore a grand musician. His wife was a dryad, Eurydice, who also attracted the attentions of Aristaeus. Aristaeus pursued her until she stepped on a poisonous snake and was forced into the Underworld. Orpheus was determined to retrieve his beloved. He journeyed down to the underworld, first charming Charon, ferryman of the dead, and lulling to sleep Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog. He encountered Hades, who initially refused to release Eurydice, but Orpheus’s music so touched Persephone that she pleaded Orpheus’s case, and Hades relented. There was one condition: that Orpheus not look back on their way out. Of course, Orpheus was worried that Eurydice was not behind him, and he fatefully glanced back to see if she was following him. She disappeared back into Hades, and he lost her forever.
That was great. I especially liked the moment that I realized where the title came from.
That was great, I didn’t realize it was the story of Orpheus and Euridyce until he reaches her at the end, and then it became obvious (fighting Cerberus and Hades). Little weird that Orpheus would be using a gun instead of a lyre, but the game was still great. Every time I accidentally turned around after having retrieved her and she gasped and faded away made my heart leap a little bit.
I’m just a bit confused about the ending though. Obviously it ended differently than the myth, but what exactly happened? Did he see himself at the end? Was he actually dead?
After I thought about it a little, I liked the ending. For a game about death, a little nihilism seems in order – whatever stories we may tell ourselves to make it seem more palatable.
Or at least, that’s my reading of it.
Crap game.
(Someone had to say that
)
Seriously, I said it to you while testing it, for someone who isn’t good at games aside from footy manager and the total war series, I found this game beautiful, artistic almost. The ancient Greek mythological aspect was fascinating, combining the storyline with a great wee game that anyone can pick up and play. The music as I said is a fantastic mood setter, immersing the player into a different world as he enters a new room – adding to the goulish, frankly sinister aspects of certain levels (OR is that rooms, cages…? Dunno)
In short, I honestly think you’ve brought me round to the idea that games can be a form of art in themselves. That combination of minimalism and inexplicable ancient ‘mystique’, an almost unquantifiable spirituality runs through the game with the music and the 80s style graphics.
And I don’t know a lot about games…
Great game, amazing atmosphere. I’m of to wikipedia now to read up on some greek mythology.
I found it excellent, LOVED it
Greek mythology? Am I missing something, apart from the pillars in one screen? :p
~Josiah
Beautiful game. Someday, you’ll see it in a museum.
[...] hope that other players really liked Don’t Look Back, and that it inspires a whole trend of classical games! And I hope they’re more [...]
Though the offline version can’t be downloaded for me.
*SPOILER* You know, the end makes sense to me. Having ventured to the underworld, you can’t really “look back” to your old life. It’s like it was only a dream, or if it actually happened your soul cannot return because you dared to see the afterlife. It’s strangely poetic for a game…
This game is special. I just wanted to stop by and say thank you.
It’s a nice game. I liked the visual styling, and found the gameplay to be challenging, but not excessively frustrating.
Something more could have been done with the ending though. While it may have been clever, it wasn’t particularly satisfying, and ended all too quickly.
Overall, the game was still quite enjoyable though.
I’ve just finished the game and I only can say two words:
FUCKING AWESOME ^^.
Amazing game , also great music!
very well done, terry! i especially enjoyed the ending.
Thought I would drop in and say that this was a masterfully done game. The gameplay was addicting and challenging but forgiving enough to continue on. The story was well told, even without a single written or spoken word. Strict use of colours and simple yet defined characters, along with the music, really set the stage for the mood and atmosphere. Great work, I hope to see more in the future.
I really loved the game. I loved the emotional depth. Most video games tend to draw people away from the emotional side of life to a mindless violence type of thing. But your game was like a jewel amoung all of the others to me. Thanks for the great game.
Amazing game. One of the best games (Flash, console, PC, etc) I’ve played in so long. Wonderfully emotional.
Any chance you’ll post downloadable versions of the music?
What is the program you use i will now plis answere
Thanks everyone!
Wow, simple and challenging, just that ending…
I know of the greek myth, the name escapes me but a man whos voice is so fair that it rivaled the gods wanted to bring back his lover from the dead. He traveled to the underworld and pleaded with hades to let go of her soul. He refused,
Then he began to sing, this singing swayed Hades and Persephone also began to plead with hades to do so.
Hades agreed, and allowed him to take her soul back as long as he didn’t look back.
He was not 10 feet away from the underworld exit when he lacked faith, looked back, only to see his loved one’s soul vanishing away.
Vergil’s Orpheus, interesting ending, differs from the original, probably in the man’s imagination.
“I’d go through Hell, and kill Satan himself, … just to bring you back to me.” *sigh*
The whole game is just poetry.
Very nice game, but as already said, the ending was too quick and not satisfying enough. As if the game just restarted, heh.
Maybe add some greetings, credits, development info, whatever at the end ?
To be truely honnest, this game is just really nice, i’m really impressed by it’s quality.
I will keep an eye on your website.
Flash game are like music, you can see in a minute if this rock or if this is just a shitty game; if you were doing music, you would be a true artist.
If this was your first game in Flash, I am wondering… what did you code in before now ?
Well done, Terry. really proud of you!
its been a while since some1 developed such a good game,, thnx dude, just one question,, can u upload the soundtrack so we can download it? thnx again =)
Holy flying beer goggles.
I may not sleep very well tonight.
Maybe I’m a sucker for beautiful simplicity but that game threw me for a serious loop and that’s nothing compared to what that ending did.
GOOD ONE.
The game was fantastic! The combination of the story and music was overwhelmingly beautiful. Where did you come up with the music for that?
Great game…. When the end hit me, I cried. Very well done.
I am french, so excuse my bad english ^^
I really enjoyed this game, and the minimalist graphics were so charming !
Keep doing cool games like this one !
Congratulations !
wow, thanks for making this game. it’s been a long time since i’ve played a decent flash game.
Loved the atmosphere, the soundtrack and the trashy graphics. the story kinda reminded me of the greek myth of orpheus. really a pretty cool idea to remake that! i hope to see more of your games!
This is based off of the story of Orpheous right? It would be nice to learn the story you’ve created here and why they both disappear after seeing himself in another place.
Really great game,
The atmosphere is good. It made me thought in some kind of “Another word”. I’ve enjoyed playing at ur game and will play it again. Give it another chapter!!!!
If you need french dev help, i’m here.
Well done, thanks
This is a beautiful game, trully wonderful, thank you.
This is truly a unique piece; simple, 8-bit graphics conveying a deep, beautiful, and foreboding atmosphere. A challenge and a great homage to the Orpheus myth. I, for one, saw the sense in replacing his lyre with a gun
. I’ll be playing this gem for a long time, and I doubt I will tire of it anytime soon.
THIS GAME IS THE SHIT.
Well i dont think it was shit.. it was a good game, confusing at the end and im still thinking about it. which is a good thing in a way, you created something memorable and fun to play. Artistic etc
You know, if it’s THE shit, then that’s a good thing. And this game is a good thing.
[...] crumbs already tumbling forth to signal someone else’s morsel-sized feast. And so I share Don’t Look Back (Distractionware, 2009) with you. As you can see in the trailer, it’s a simple run-jump-shoot [...]
i like your game hope you make more
This was a very fun, deep game.
(i died like 200 times though)
But i thought the ending was really depressing
it’s pretty lame. I mean I read every review (for no reason) and some people said its the best game in the universe, and it isn’t. I dont know how you people figured out the story but it only kinda made sense to me, why did he see himself at the end. However I did get the whole “don’t look back” theme. I eventually I got really bored of it because you only get 1 weapon which has to be the most boring weapon possible, the hand gun. Why were there only 2 bosses. The game was too short. The pixelated effect was very clever yet it got lame after a while. Overall I give it a 3/10
im the same guy that wrote “It’s not that great” One more thing is that allmost everybody says the music is completly perfect which is a really stupid thing to say because the music was just below average because there wern’t many different songs.
The guy above me illustrates the cancer that is destroying gaming
If you want to play an actually good game, play sonny 2 it was rated
Sonny 9.6/10
Dont look back 6.6/10
see the difference
and more of an experience. You don’t play the game, you experience it. The graphics, the music, the simpliity, the story that leaves you to figure things out yourself, everything.
Few games I’ve played have been this deep or emotional. Reminds me of the flash “The Majesty of Colors”
Also, I agree soundtrack plz.
I really liked this one, especially the pixelly rain effect and the overall style. Sure, the gameplay is ‘minimal’, but that’s the idea, right?
This is an amazing game i just loved it and that sigh that the ghosst gave of you turned around was one of my fav sounds XD
Good job!
I had fun playing it. Brought back some memories. The twisted ending: He had to leave his body to venture into the underworld as a spirit to retrieve his loved one’s spirit. He comes back to find his dead body and neither can return and they both vanish back to the underworld. But shouldn’t his body be laying down when he gets back? How is it still standing up.
The game is fun but its too challenging especially the dog and the boss. The path when I cross through is a little bit hard and the part when the ghost follow me is a little bit scary. So far so good the game is fun and the graphic need to improve. But fortunately you make the game interesting by not setting the amount of time limit and the amount of life left. Since you did a good job I want to congratulate for the hard work you and your team did. So keep it up!
[...] без неправильных решений, без возможности проиграть. Don’t Look Back продолжает литературные эксперименты автора, [...]
For a first flash game, it’s very great. It’s kept to be as simple as possible and the game play is very similar to ‘I wanna be the Guy’. As for storyline, the plot perfectly fit the atmosphere as the game progresses. The background music and sound effects matched the plot as Orpheus fights against the 3-headed Cerberus and the Underworld God, Hades. However, it’s only flaw is the quick ending that leaves many confused and unsatisfied. People, this game is suppose to be simple, if you’re looking for a game with more features then look elsewhere. In my opinion, “Don’t Look Back” deserves a 9 out of 10 for artistic simplicity.
I’m a french guy and I’m a fan of this game! It’s really great! For information, I have discovered your game with http://www.koreus.com/jeu/dont-look-back.html
Wow. Just wow.
Amazing game.
I loved that.
It was an amazing piece of work. I downloaded it.
The ending was quite dramatic and sad.
The music made quite the impression on me.
i thought your game was very good. if the ending was intelegently played out as you intended it to it was brilliant. iv played evil dead fist full of boomstick to gears of war 2. id hold your last boss to that high standard, so an *.*.*.*.* from me.
this game will leave you with a wary feeling while and long after playing.i know its hard but play through to the end!
and it might just be me i think there’s a lot story
this flash game so make sure to keep an open mind
espesaly towards the Ghost =P
It’s a bit frustrating in places (and I’m sure that was intentional, given the theme!), but once I got to the end, I was left quietly reflecting on the journey to that point.
And I realised that, quite simply, it was brilliant.
I’m impressed at how you managed to evoke the story without any text or speech; the choice of music/sound effects was inspired, Terry. You’ve made a work of art, and thank you for sharing it with all of us.
wow, that game was amazing, can you tell me the story behind it? i’ve completed it and i dont quite understand, does he kill himself or something? or is the man too heartbroken to let his wife leave him so he gets her to take him to heaven aswell?
I just played this over on ArmorGames. Hands down, this is one of the best flash games I’ve played. Period. Proof positive a riveting game doesn’t need anything more than good puzzles and a better story line. Great job.
absolutely amazing. the ending was a real trip
I want the music please
Amazing. Excellent. Great from the first and improving all the way to the end. Original twist at mid-game. Lovely.
It would have been PERFECT for me if, in the ending…
[spoiler below]
your guy vanished… as the other guy turned toward you (and her).
Absolutely awesome. A mix between “Passage” and “Pitfall”
I almost gave up at two stages, the Big Dog and even more frustrating the Devil Boss.. I persevered though and finished to the end of the game!
Nice choice of music! The ending left me thinking, “What the??” But overall it was well done, especially given the simplicity of the graphics.
its fun but its pretty easy especialy the dog. I beat it really fast. Its still pretty fun though.
This is amazing, absolutely amazing. The puzzles you have constructed here are unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and they’re everything I’ve been hoping would be made someday. It is obvious that you put a great amount of thinking into this.
Your work is very inspiring, I can’t wait for more.
Great game. One of the best platformers I’ve ever played!!! No doubt, expand it to commercial length and we have a classic in the making!!!
The Great game! Awesome idea!
Few flash games can keep my interest these days, but this blew me away. So immersive, and nostalgic for me. Like a mix of “Another World” and my old Atari 2600 games
Had me cursing and swearing at times but felt nice to beat it, just the right length too.
It was linked from 2chan.net, found it by complete fluke, and glad I did now, will show it to all my friends, cheers for creating this!
I think I’ll add on to my previous comment… [Spoilers]
When you’re being followed, at one point you drop down, there are two stalagtites, and there are two passage ways that are not blocked off. Since you can’t look back, you can only go one way… I’m curios about the other way, is it some kind of easteregg? If it is I don’t believe it’s very accessible
…
Also I found another interesting tidbit. When you meet yourself standing next to the grave, before you get there, hold down space or x, and you’ll be holding your gun out for the short cutscene, which makes it look like a ghost and a guy are robbing a grave mourner
. If you play a new game you’ll be able to have the gun out too, but you won’t be able to shoot it, which is strange I think…
Actually, now that I think about it, this just might be intentional by the creator. I can already tell its going to take a lot of brain wracking to come up with an explanation about this that makes sense though.
Once again, I am awestruck. I’d given up on platformers, but you have replaced my trust.
Really enjoyed the game, very creative. Reminicant (sp?) of Pitfall and loved the mythology aspect. 2 thumbs up.
Its really interesting how you combine the Orpheus and Eurydice theme in a modern flash game. Keep on doing such great work!
Heh. Anyone want to see if there is a different ending if you don’t lose 1 life?
Frisky Piranha: The other way (to the right) is the path you took when you first entered the cave in the beginning.
~Josiah
Nice. Wicked ending. Love how the whole adventure is summed up just by the last scene.
Really really beautiful game! I love it!
Totally awesome. Beautiful marriage of gameplay and narrative.
The simplicity and nostalgia of this game was perfect. Strangely enough I really enjoyed what music there was. Strange how it is more meaningful after your first play through. Love it!
“When you’re being followed, at one point you drop down, there are two stalagtites, and there are two passage ways that are not blocked off. Since you can’t look back, you can only go one way… I’m curios about the other way, is it some kind of easteregg? If it is I don’t believe it’s very accessible
…”
If you replay the game, you’ll see that you were actually there before you fight all the big monsters. That’s the second room in the caves
I’d really appreciate finding out what the music was that you used in the game.
Could you just post it here so everybody could find out, or not?
If not, email is ss_raistlin@yahoo.com
I found this games on newgrounds and was intrigued. Frankly, I loved it. Masterfully done and simple enough for anyone to play…beautiful. I won’t sit here and repeat everything everyone else has said, just that it reminded me of the feeling i had playing my NES back when I was a little kid, and that no amount of graphic smoke and mirrors can ever compete with a good story-Thank you
I played your game 3 times already! I LOVE IT. Simple yet brillant. This game entertains and says a lot more than some of the the biggest budget titles out there now.
I’m honored to have enjoyed your game.
Un juego increible, alucinante…
I LOVE IT!
Saludos desde España, sigue asi…
This game is really awesome. GREAT. And could I know specific story of this game “Don’t look back”
? Why man go underworld and Who is the man that apper after finish?
Great game. Challenging, yet playable.
Thanks.
Awesome. I love it. Cheers from Brazil.
Thank you! You’re restored my faith in art!
I didn’t know where the story came from but I thouroughly enjoyed this oldschool arcade romp.
Two thumbs up!
Jeeezzzzz, You really changed the way I look at games! I tell you, this game deserves a 10.5/10 for not making the player play the game, but to make the player ponder about it. By the way, The guy who wrote the Reply “Not as good” and “one more thing” is an example of today’s plauged gamers who talk before they think. I hope you enjoy my Review on this game!
wow… it brought back memories from my beloved ATARI
congrats dude 
I have the review for your game! (I just opened my website, so its pretty fresh)
This is beautiful. The Atari-esque graphics, the music, the wordless story…. It all fits together perfectly. This is a game from the creator’s heart, and THAT’S what we’d all love to see more of.
May I get copies of the music sources? Please e-mail carrmd@NOmgcSPAM.edu (remove the NO and SPAM, of course) if I may.
[...] Don’t Look Back [...]
a very beautiful game. the mood reminds me a little of silent hill. could you upload the music sources?
thank you very much for this wonderful game.
Wow.Great game.And the songs r perfect too.But what do they call?
Great Game!
Very nice Style and atmo!
Great game. Now maybe I’m thinking too hard, but I wasn’t sure if there would be an alternate ending if you could beat it without getting killed… makes sense that you die in the end if you die inside? Man, I’m a nerd. Anyhow, I’ve been trying but to no avail. Anyone have any ideas?
Perfect game, I’ve never seen something like that, so simple and so incredible! Now you have a brazilian fan! Thanks for this awesome game!
so atmospheric!
very impressive sound and dead gf’s voice
thanx!
EAmazing. Excellent gameplay, oustanding sound, perfect atmosphere. Haven´t played any platformer this good since Braid.
Congratulations from Spain, Terry!
I fell in love with the ghost. Great game perfect ending.
A beautiful game, well crafted and masterfully delivered in minimalistic fashion to deliver a thought provoking and original idea.
A perfect example of how to tell a story with a game. Nothing in the game is not directly relevant to the story.
That was the most amazing experience of my entire week. Thank you.
Excellent game. I reviewed it on my blog. A summary excerpt:
“The revelation, without words, of this story–the hero’s motivation and intent, and the eventual resolution of the story–is very well done. As a platform game, Don’t Look Back is only average, but as a piece of storytelling it is really excellent.”
I analyze the game a bit more in the full post; should you want to read it, it is here: http://tmftgame.blogspot.com/2009/03/don-look-back.html
LOVE IT. The ending was a little frustrating, but I think I got the idea…
I love the ending. The game is amazing.
I like the nice, clean way of re-doing. How easily you retry reminds me of what I read in “A Theory of Fun”. You have a talent, dear sir. Wowee!
Cheers,
Bradley
hi there…i just end this game… and the end left me with the mouth open… i play this on http://www.minijuegos.com … i now get the picture of the idea… still i dont understand the ending.. i mean the “body” doesnt look back!! so why they both desapeard?? and is she her sister or loved one or a striper he fell in love before the herpes eat her brain???…anyway… good game i download it already…WANT MORE!!! try another mitology…you will make the people go to the web and read something interesting…gratz dude… good game…good history…good ending…awful gameplay…but it really worth the time…greetings from mexico..
When I saw a snapshot of this game for the first time, I thought it would be one of these weird, full-of-pixels game.
But all this thing about the grave, the spirit, the return… gosh, I have to admit it really moved me.
What a great soundtrack u chose for this game, by the way.
I’d like to know what your meaning is for this game. I don’t usually post comments about games, but this time I felt I had to.
Congratulations on your creation – simple and great
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oyhJoCLFkA
I will make a 100% better version in 2 weeks (this was my first try)
(sry for the spam i posted in the wrong place xD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pvg_jWP-jI&l&fmt=18 (chelo version)
Hah! Very cool, Nicolasduca
I liked your game Terry, didn’t finish it as of yet. I think I got stuck at some part, anyways – the pixel effect is great. Good minimal stuff going on.
Wow thx. U can help me by making midi versions of the soundtracks(or sheet music), cause i am having troubles transforming them back to .mid.
Good game.
Some parts are hard, specially the ones with monsters.
I loved the END. I didn’t spected it.
My fraternity borrows much from the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. As my chapter’s webmaster, I’d really like to embed this game on our website. Is this embed-able, or should I just distribute the downloadable exe/dmg?
Stephen: The kongregate version is freely embeddable anywhere – you can get it here!
the thing is that its a realy asome game but the ending doesnt make any sense at all can someone tell me
also the music was fantastic and it was a great game were did you get the idea anyways
[...] Don’t Look Back est déjà plus un jeu qu’un “essai contemplatif” comme l’est Judith. Le joueur est ici confronté à un plateformer 2D toujours old-school où il devra s’enfoncer dans les profondeurs terrestres retrouver l’âme de sa défunte compagne. Ici le challenge est présent et plutôt corsé : des pics et ennemis de partout, parfois requérant une bonne coordination, une précision millimétrique et des tirs bien placés. Les boss sont également de la partie et vous donneront du fil à retordre je peux vous l’avouer. Même si l’histoire bien qu’abstraite a une place importante, le côté “jeu” reste plus exploité, et c’est à mon sens la meilleure réalisation de Terry Cavanagh. [...]
This is the best piece of art i’ve ever seen in flash!
This was an excellent piece of work, thank you very much
매우 좋아하는 게임. ^ㅅ^ Very good!
great game a love the end… I didn’t spected it
and great music…
very very good!!!
u have a talent
Take care..
bye
Hey Just Finished the Game, I liked playtime, it was just right, not too short, but didn’t drag on either (perfect little distraction at work -he he he)
hey, dude, that´s what I searched for a long time!
Good game! Bravo!!!
Thanks a lot for this game.
It brought a lot of nostalgia in term of gameplay, and was at the same time new and refreshing. It is good to see that some people remember that gaming is not only about how much pixel you can have on your screen.
Thank you again for this piece of art.
sir, this game was awesome. beat the devil and retrieve your soul in all pixelated glory was great. congratulations and thanks for this piece of minimalistic art.
the game is perfect!
amazing game
Well… I am totally blown away…… just loved every pixel of it… This suggestion is also a spoiler, so those of you who havent finished the game please stop reading.. but in the very end, couldnt you change it so that you have to continue walking towards the grave, and when you get a few meters away, the person actually turns around, thus making the couple disappear? EXCELLENT GAME Terry, actually very deep and it really moved me. Please consider my suggestion
best wishes from Sweden!
I’m with Chris, I don’t think you have to move any closer, I feel that the arrival at the grave site would get his attention enough to have him turn around to glance at what was making the footsteps… But him turning around causing the disappearance at the end would be icing on the cake, for sure.
I still got chills when it happened though lol… amazing game, would love to see more like this these days.
Chris and Kevin: Cheers! I did consider that pretty seriously while developing it, but eventually decided against it because I thought it obscured the real meaning behind what I’d intended. I think it just works better the way it currently is!
Incredible, incredible game, especially the ending. (First time I’ve seen that cliché done well, by the way)
Game got me all depressed for one day, though. Ah well.
For those who didn’t understand the ending: (My opinion, at least)
SPOILER!
You’ve probably heard of Orpheus’ tale by now.
The hero of this game has lost his lover. He goes to hell and back to save her. But when he comes back to his lover’s grave, he knows he has just been standing here all along. He never went to hell. The game was a dream, and the dream characters disappear.
The hero dreams of a desperate chance to save his lover, no matter what the cost. He wants to be Orpheus. He wants to go on an epic adventure where he’ll sacrifice everything to resurrect his love. But life doesn’t work that way. His lover’s dead forever.
The game doesn’t end there, it only repeats. The hero will never be able to move on.
[...] spelmekaniken som genomsyrar hans spel, använder sig av av samma stil. Terry Cavanagh med Don’t Look Back och svensken Nifflas som har gett oss klassikern Knytt Stories kan också skrivas in i [...]
I just LOVED the game. Thank you very much for a great use of like 15 minutes of my miserable life. I really liked it. I hope you do more like this old-style games. love them. just love them. thanks againn
My interpretecion of the end:
when a close person die, is imposible bring come back but part of you are gone with her.
sorry for my english
Amazing end, grafic, jogability, all! I love it.
the best flash game.
I almost cried
I’m kinda euphoric now, I never thought such a game could impact me so thoroughly.
Congratulations
awesome!
it should be longer!
[...] I begin this review, I urge you to play the game. There are links there to the online and downloadable versions of the game. It only takes a few [...]
[...] stark textures and sprites evoke early first-person shooters like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. Don’t Look Back counts on the player having internalized platformer conventions (such as timed jumping puzzles and [...]
Awesome game. Any chance for a sequel?
What was your inspiration for this game? It reminds me of the Orpheus and Eurydice story.
A really excellent game. I love the focus on mood and subtly suggested emotional content in both this and Judith. You’re really doing something creative with these games, going in a direction that I personally have never seen before.
Good game. And it’s ending makes game not just good, but excellent.
*SPOILER begin*
There may be many versions of ending, but, I think the one right is that all was just a dream, fantasy. And when person dies there is nothing you can do… Even killing giant monsters can’t help it…
*SPOILER end*
Good job, Terry.
your game rox and nice ending
Brilliant – very emmersing and deep. Anyone who rates this as a bad game doesn’t deserve to play it, and as other people have said, it isn’t about collecting items and gaining levels, and is therfore all the better. What a great Gem!
*I want it on my website!*
The sleek melding of challenge and ease is a very modern touch. I was always interested, but never frustrated. I think the difficuly is appropriate to a wide-range of players: skilled players may be able to pass certain “scenes” their first try, whereas less experienced players may require several tries, but the difference in play experience ends there.
Great game, really
What a fantastic game! My favorite platformer ever. I really like that story, gameplay, and, especially music.
Greatness…
youare a freaking ARTIST
HOLY S**T THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!
ive played thru 3 times, and it still has its charm. oh, and btw, u ppl who said this game was bad can go and cram it.lets see YOU program a better game.
note to the creator (sorry i dont know ur name) i program occaisonally too, and this game inspired me. you can make a TRULY amazing game,even if it has almost no graphics. you are an amazing programmer, and i congradulate you. good job!!!
Great game. Reminds me the first time I saw Atari. I was 5 years old and I can remember thinking: “I have to make something like these some day.”
I hope there are some upgrades in the future.
Greetings from Santago, Chile.
Whoa. Just… whoa.
I think the only thing that could make this game any better would be if someone ported it to the PSP. I would play it, that I know. o.o
Amazing feat in indie gaming. Absoulutly fantastic, so much emotion in such a short title, it justs screams “This is the definition of gaming, no gimmicks, just gaming.”.
Great job and keep up the good work!
Amazing gameplay, bold visual style and an absolutely stunning ending! Epic in all respects.
Great game!!!! Parabéns!! I am brasilian player…your ideia is fantastic!!
excellent game
Wow, I can’t believe how much i liked this game. The music and graphics really set the mood. The idea of having it so dieing only set you back to the beginning of the current segment made the game very playable and enjoyable. Also, great ending.
Wow, this is a good game man ! I like the silence during all the game, music come just at the moments the most importants and that’s cool! Sorry if there’s mistake in the reply, my english isn’t very good :/
A very touching game in two exciting “parts” (the second one totally justifying the title), well crafted gameplay and beautiful graphics and music. The story(not)telling and, OMG, the *ending !* being just… perfect. GOOD JOB: one of the best Flash games I’ve ever seen, I look back so often on it !
– I’ll be sure to play your next games.
vary great game, I love the whole depressing environment. I think you should make a sequel, but instead of a “one hit kill” system, maybe you should have a health system. but what do I know, I’m not a game designer or anything. defiantly the best online game I have ever played. it would be cool if you could get all of the games you have made published on a disk for consoles. but, once again i am just a 14 year old fan so…yah.
OMG!!! I love your game, it’s amazing! I hope you will make some special and atrictive games like this.
I love you man! xd
[...] Canabalt, récemment mentionné ici-même, les jeux de Terry Cavanagh/DistractionWare reposent sur un principe volontaire de simplicité, teinté d’une bonne dose de nostalgie [...]
One word: Excellent.
Yeah, top stuff. Just gonna echo what everyone else has already said, the minimalism is great, very often gamers are patronised by the plot of games, but not here. Really sweet stuff, I’ll be checking your next one out.
Fantastic game!
At first glance I wouldn’t have thought I was going to sit there and play it through to the end, how wrong I was!
I’ve bought games that weren’t half as good as this, well done.
Wow, this game really, really impressed me. I’ve never played anything like it. It had the feel of an old Atari classic, it was extremely challenging without being impossible, trial-and-error without forcing the player to start over from scratch, and had a simple but powerful story element to it.
Marvelous game!
Love the ending!
Why do so many people write about how much this ending made them think? For my part, the ending made me feel… not really unsatisfied, more like kind of empty, and just a glimmer of disappointment. It just seemed like a way to end up back at the beginning like a lot of these kinds flash games do and I didn’t give it a second thought until I read what other people thought of it.
That being the case, I’d like to read more of what other people thought of the ending. Personally, I now wonder what kind of rescue attempt this was. Maybe he wasn’t trying to bring her back to life, he was just trying to take her with him to a better afterlife that isn’t, well, hell. Kind of like ‘What Dreams May Come’. I just hope that the real meaning isn’t what Walter said. It doesn’t matter how well it’s executed, after ‘Dallas’, nobody, Nobody, NOBODY, pulls THAT stupid-ass bull$#! without negative criticism and consequences. If you DID intend for the whole thing to be an inconsequential and unimportant daydream, then please do yourself and all of your fans who have standards a favor and lie. I really like juan’s interpretation though. If it’s something like that, it wouldn’t be a colossal “F——— You!” to the audience, unlike the alternative. Anyway, it seems the best thing you can do at this point is to not elaborate and just keep the ending open to interpretation.
(SPOILERS)
1: Although it’s clear this is probably Orpheus or based on him, it’s still just an assumption. After all, the Cerberus-like dog doesn’t seem to have three heads, and the last boss just didn’t seem very Hades-like.
2: Taken literally, the end makes sense considering how often you die. Does anyone know yet if not dying gets a different ending?
My only problem with this game is that it did seem a little short. Another boss might have helped. With only 2 bosses, it felt less like a short game and more like one overlong level in a game, and it didn’t know when to stop. Maybe you could have had him fight Charon in order to ride the ferry for free, since he doesn’t look like he has enough money to pay the fare. Anyway, great game! It’s a lot more faithful than God of War!
Fantastic game!
I was surprised when I read that this was your first game in flash.
A great game, so simple, yet so eloquent! I loved the music too. I share Homer’s question about whether the ending is different if you complete the game without dying. I would go again and try for that, except that I imagine it being highly time-intensive.
Excellent.
Just oooooooowesome! Oldscool classic
Did’n have so much fun since I was young and computers was more like calculators 
Thank you! Realy nice game. I’ll go play it again, and again… and again… 
man, this is a wonderful game. the concept “do not press right arrow” is extraordinary. the ending is a marvelous. while playing i had strange sensation being again in early 80s, overdosing spectrum games. thanks for this!
great game. have to say the story is especially touching, it made me think of it over and over. good job.
Maybe the best flash game I’ve ever played, congratulations my friend. This game is really a piece of art.
[...] adventure from the brainly fantastocity of Terry Cavanagh whose work last year with Judith and Don’t Look Back sowed the seeds of anticipation for this his biggest title to [...]
What a great wee game! Only had a time for a quick go initially and spent the whole day trying to free up some time to get back and complete it. Loved the end. Big monsteres were cool too.
Hmmm. What to play next?
[...] quite long and costs money, except that that would be to the disparagement of his earlier free games, which are entirely proper in their own [...]