Back to the Future (1985 computer game)

For the article about the NES game, see Back to the Future (video game). For the 2010/2011 episodic adventure game, see Back to the Future: The Game.


Back To The Future
Developer	Makoto Ichinoseki
Publisher	Pony, Inc.
Game System	MSX 2
Release Date	1985
Genre	2D Scroller
Number Of Players	1

Back to the Future is a video game based on Back to the Future. It was released in Japan by Pony, Inc. for the MSX computer in 1985. As was common in the early years of the video game industry, it was created by a single person. In this case, it was developed entirely by Makoto Ichinoseki.

Plot[]

Backtothefuturemsx — Title screen of Back to the Future

In the game, you take the role of a time traveling teenager named Marty McFly who is trapped in the past in the year 1955 and must venture get his parents, George McFly and Lorraine Baines together at the dance.

There are nine stages. Each stage requires Marty to open windows of various buildings to find George and Lorraine. Once he finds one, he has to wait for that person to meet up with the other. He then has to lead them to the dance, at which point the stage ends. This is continued throughout the nine stages. Each stage increases in difficulty, with Marty having to avoid obstacles such as police officers, automobiles, lightning, and birds, by jumping over them or dodging them.

There is also a timer at the bottom of the screen, and Marty will lose a life when it runs out. Marty can collect powerups, such as clocks, which extend the time, sneakers, which add to the total score at the end of the game along with the amount of lives left, and skateboards, which allow Marty to travel through the stage faster. However, he still has to avoid obstacles while waiting for George and Lorraine to catch up.

Once Marty gets George and Lorraine to the dance for the ninth time, he has to open windows to find Doc Brown. He then has to lead Doc to the Hill Valley clock tower. Once that happens, Marty will drive by in the DeLorean time machine and return to 1985.

Trivia[]

There are three songs that are played in the game. One is played on a loop during the level, one is a short piece played once the level is complete, and the final is played when the winning game text is displayed at the end of the game.
The final screen congratulates you for completing all the rounds, and adds up a bonus to your score by adding together the amount of lives left and the amount of sneakers you collected.