Fit check
Is Back Then worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- Players seeking story-led first-person adventures with investigation and puzzles
- Fans of atmospheric games focused on memory, family, and identity
- Players interested in unconventional narratives about dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking combat, fast movement, or action-focused gameplay
- Players who prefer open-ended systems or extensive replayability over a linear narrative journey
- Players looking for a lighthearted or low-emotion story
Our take on Back Then
The store presentation foregrounds poetic atmosphere and emotional storytelling, while the playable structure is centered on moving through a house in a wheelchair, locating objectives, collecting items, and solving puzzles. That contrast may matter to players expecting a more active detective adventure.
What is Back Then?
This first-person story adventure follows Thomas Eilian, an older author living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Movement through a house combines clue-finding, environmental actions, puzzles, and objective-based exploration while wheelchair-bound Thomas opens additional rooms and gathers collectibles. Spoken reflections reveal his family’s experiences. The narrative shifts through four seasons, moving between domestic spaces and surreal dream passages, and examines memory, mortality, identity, and forgetfulness. Its atmospheric narration draws on personal experiences connected to the development team’s relatives and families.
How Back Then plays
- 01House Investigation
- Progress through rooms by discovering objectives, collectibles, and puzzles.
- 02Seasonal Structure
- The story spans four seasons and shifts between the house and surreal dream sequences.
- 03Family Monologues
- Thomas and his relatives provide spoken perspectives on their experiences.
- 04Detective Puzzles
- Investigation and puzzle-solving form the main interactive activities.
Back Then compared to similar games
Back Then combines first-person house exploration, family monologues, puzzles, and dreamlike sequences around Alzheimer’s Disease. Jusant is an action-puzzle climbing game focused on ascending a tower, managing stamina, choosing routes, and uncovering the history of a lost civilization.
Back Then: platforms & release
Is Back Then worth it?
It is worth it if: players seeking story-led first-person adventures with investigation and puzzles. Skip it if: players seeking combat, fast movement, or action-focused gameplay.
Where can I download Back Then?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Back Then's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Back Then on?
Windows only.
