Alt+Escape: Don't Look Back

Welcome to Alt+Escape, our weekly pick of browser-based games to help you start your weekend a little early. Check back each Friday for a new game!

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Don't Look Back

Don't Look Back is developed by the aptly named Distractionware. There's not a lot to say about the gameplay of Don't Look Back, because it doesn't really do anything new. You move with your arrow keys, you jump, you fire your little pistol, you dodge enemies and other lethal obstacles while making careful timed jumps.

It's an old-school game through-and-through, from the blocky 4-bit graphics to the way it will not hesitate to kill you, over and over and over again. Thankfully, death is but a brief setback, never sending you further back than a single screen.

Despite the difficulty, the fact that you can immediately tackle the offending obstacle again and again without penalty means that Don't Look Back is relentlessly addictive. It also has a wonderfully haunting aesthetic, and the title ties into the game in a pretty clever way near the end - but don't worry, I won't spoil it for you. Once you figure out the title (and ergo the rest of the story) it's kinda cool to see how it all ties together. Don't Look Back is a perfect example of doing more with less, and that's why it's this Friday's Alt+Escape.