Back Then

About

= Back Then is a first-person adventure game where you navigate the fractured memories of an elderly man grappling with Alzheimer's. Played from Thomas Eilian’s perspective, you explore a decaying house, piecing together his life through environmental clues, audio logs, and cryptic puzzles. Each room holds fragments of his past, requiring you to connect objects and dialogue to progress. The experience blends methodical detective work with emotional storytelling, as Thomas’s recollections blur the line between reality and imagination. The game stands out for its quiet, introspective approach to a heavy theme. Its structure shifts between the seasons, mirroring Thomas’s mental decline while weaving his family’s perspectives into the narrative. The lack of traditional objectives or combat lets the atmosphere and score take center stage, creating a meditative tone. While not a puzzle-heavy title, its sparse but meaningful challenges complement the story of memory loss. For players seeking narrative-driven experiences with poetic visuals, this one offers a haunting, 4-hour trip into the fragility of identity.

Storyline

Stuck in a Wheelchair, players find themselves lost in a house, discovering more about Thomas and his family by unlocking new rooms, collectibles, objectives and puzzles. Together, both the player and Thomas attempt to discover who they are, listening to the monologues of Thomas and his family, detailing their own struggles and perspectives of the situation at hand. Players traverse through the four seasons of the year, going back and forth between the House and Dreamlike Sequences as Thomas attempts to unravel what his life meant. Back Then is a game for people who are in search of unconventional and new story-rich experiences. It appeals to a more general audience, emphasizing on the game's atmosphere, soundtrack, and narrated-exploration to deliver players a poetic and emotional story. It is a story about Time, Death, and who we become when we forget who we are. Through this story we hope to make as many people as we can uncomfortable, but aware to the reality of millions around the world diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.