Flashback: The Quest for Identity

Flashback, released as Flashback: The Quest for Identity in the United States, is a 1992 science fiction cinematic platform game developed by Delphine Software of France and published by U.S. Gold in United States and Europe, and Sunsoft in Japan.

As a cinematic platformer, Flashback features gameplay similar to that of 1989's Prince of Persia, and Delphine's own Another World released in 1991. Each level spans a large number of non-scrolling screens, nearly all of which feature multiple levels of altitude — requiring the player character Conrad to jump, grab onto ledges, climb, use elevators, and drop onto lower levels.

Conrad exhibits realistic human running speed and jumping ability, as well as realistic weakness — he will die if he falls from too great a height.

Conrad also carries a pistol with unlimited ammunition, a force shield (which absorbs a certain number of shots before needing recharging), and a portable force field (which can act as a barrier to deflect enemies' laser shots).

As Conrad progresses through the game's seven levels, he is increasingly presented with spatial puzzles, requiring the player to discover how to guide him toward his destination. Late in the game, Conrad receives a teleportation device, and is able to progress by throwing the device into areas that he would otherwise be unable to reach.

The game's protagonist, who is initially unnamed, begins the game by awakening in a jungle on Titan, completely unaware of who he is. After a short journey he retrieves a holocube which informs him that his name is Conrad B. Hart, an agent for the Galaxia Bureau of Investigation, and that during one of his investigations he discovered a plot to destroy the earth by shape shifting aliens that have disguised themselves as government officials. These shape-shifting aliens can be detected by the use of monoculars that measures molecular density. Upon discovering the aliens, Conrad uploaded a copy of his memory and gave it to his friend Ian before recording the holocube message for himself. As he feared, he was indeed captured and had his memory erased. The holocube message ends with the instruction to travel to New Washington, which is also on Titan, to meet with Ian and retrieve his memories. He eventually meets a wounded stranger who asks him to find his teleporter. After finding and returning his teleporter, the man teleports away but leaves behind an ID card, which Conrad later uses. Conrad then buys an anti-G belt from another stranger in order to jump down a hole that leads to New Washington.

There, he finds Ian being attacked by a pair of corrupt cops. Conrad kills them, and Ian uses a regenerator in order to give Conrad back his memory. Conrad asks Ian what to do in order to return to Earth. Ian says that the ticket price is huge, and the only way would be to be a contestant on the game show Death Tower. Conrad asks if Ian can give him false papers, but Ian tells him that he needs to ask for Jack in the bar. When he gets there, Jack tells him that the cost is 1500 credits. Conrad gets enough credits by getting a work permit and then completing jobs. Jack then gives him the papers, and Conrad enters Death Tower.

Conrad wins the contest. When he returns to Earth, a gang of corrupt cops discover him and try to kill him. As he fends them off and proceeds, he ends up in Paradise Club, which is really the aliens' hideout on Earth. Conrad sees three aliens, all but one in disguise, talking about how they have given the humans the ability to produce their needed power, and how millions of their warriors were soon going to be teleported to Earth to destroy mankind. The vent that Conrad is standing on falls, and the undisguised alien has him thrown in the dungeons and his gun taken from him. Soon, a Death Tower terminator opens Conrad's cell and tries to kill him, but he runs off and finds his gun, which he uses to kill the terminator.

Eventually, Conrad finds a teleporter that leads him to the very distant planet Morphs, which is the home of the aliens. There, Conrad finds a human prisoner named Phillip Howard Clark. As Conrad attempts to free him, a Morph shoots Phillip because his door is opened, only to then be killed by Conrad. Just before Phillip dies, he gives Conrad his atomic charge. He eventually finds his diary, which reveals Phillip's plan to destroy the Master Brain which controls the aliens. Conrad seeks out first the ancillary brain, and then the Master Brain. He destroys both. Then, at a certain spot, Conrad hears Phillip's voice tell him to put the atomic charge at the spot and then flee. Conrad does so as Morphs starts shaking and crumbling, and escapes via a spacecraft and gets out of Morphs's atmosphere just as it explodes.

The game then cuts to Conrad making a message in the spacecraft's journal. Conrad is shown entering suspended animation as the last sentence of the message is shown.