A Moving Journey Through Alzheimer’s in Back Then: A Narrative Puzzle Game

Back Then was one of those games that grabbed me the moment I saw the trailer—I knew I had to play it. Now that I’ve finished it, I find myself wondering what sparked that excitement. These days, I rarely get this worked up over flat-screen games anymore; I’m mostly into retro gaming or VR. Everything else tends to feel either like something I’ve seen before or just too overwhelming (time and size).

THIS IS BACK THEN…

Was it the melancholic music, the wheelchair scene, the art style, the storytelling approach, the studio behind it, or perhaps the focus on the topic of Alzheimer’s? Even after rewatching the trailer multiple times, I can’t quite pinpoint it. Honestly, I think it was a mix of “all of it and more.” The trailer explored themes I’d never seen in a game before, carried the feel of a VR experience, and had a captivating visual presence that practically demanded, “PLAY ME.”

Everything’s Gone…

Two minutes into the game, and I was hooked—how could I not be? Two minutes in and everything I had seen in the trailer countless times before was forgotten. Two minutes in, and I was captivated by the sound effects, the narrative, and the music—were they testing my ears and state of mind? Two minutes in, I felt lost, yet cautiously guided by voices. Was this something I hadn’t experienced in a game for years?

To be perfectly honest—not quite like this. Sure, there have been some excellent games in this genre before (Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture comes to mind), but for some reason, Back Then felt different. It was as if it wiped and tampered with my memory right from the start. As someone approaching 50, the experience felt so real, so relatable, that it genuinely unsettled me a little.

Is it a dream?

Back Then is a puzzle and walking simulator game where the narrative takes centre stage. While it doesn’t explicitly hold your hand, it provides the player with relatively straightforward tasks throughout. Most of the game takes place within a two-story house, where you move back and forth to solve various puzzles. All the while, a near-constant narrative unfolds, often delivered by a family member sharing an emotional and deeply relatable story.

The game unfolds across four different seasons, revisiting the same locations, each reflecting distinct changes over time. Through Thomas’s eyes, you witness how the mind plays tricks on him—rooms shift, change appearance, or look entirely unfamiliar, creating a disorienting and immersive experience.

While playing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the entire experience felt like a dream. There was something about the game’s design—unsettling and empty—that kept me searching desperately for something positive within it.

Is Back Then Scary?

Back Then isn’t a horror game, yet there were several moments when I braced myself for a jump scare—but it never came. This isn’t that kind of game at all. The reason it put me on edge was the way the story was told. My emotions were in overdrive: at times, I wanted to cry; at others, I wanted to smile. But for most of it, I felt like I was struggling to stay afloat. When the dark and moody atmosphere took over, the developer masterfully made it feel like it could veer into horror. That said, Alzheimer’s itself is terrifying for many, and this game captured that fear and conveyed it to me perfectly as a player.

The Verdict?

Who is this game for? It’s for those who appreciate a compelling story, enjoy light puzzle-solving, and, perhaps most importantly, seek an experience free of action, violence, or text boxes. The game’s interactivity is minimal, consisting mainly of opening doors and interacting with a limited amount of items while immersing yourself in the narrative it delivers.