NeverAwake Flashback review

NeverAwake Flashback takes the haunting, dreamlike foundations of Neotro Inc.’s 2022 twin-stick shooter and adapts it into a leaner, roguelike structure.  Where the original release emphasized gradual progression through 80 stages inside a young girl’s subconscious, Flashback condenses that experience into brisk, looping runs highlighted by perks after beating each stage. Expectedly, exposition take a backseat to the action.

Flashback preserves the core mechanic of NeverAwake: stages aren’t cleared by annihilating everything on screen. Instead, you’ll complete them once you’ve collected enough souls dropped by defeated enemies. This often means chasing falling essences, pushing you toward enemies and clouds of projectiles. Yet, failure rarely feels punitive. Each stage typically lasts three to five minutes, and a full run rarely stretches beyond twenty, giving the game an arcade-like feel.

Geared for Shorter Plays

Unlike the original’s RPG-like sense of permanent growth, Flashback is more of a true action roguelike. There are no permanent stat upgrades between runs. Instead, progression stems from unlocking new item sets and learning how different tools interact. Each stage rewards you with an upgrade and a choice of abilities, with the formers tied to a selection between an easier or harder route.

Expectedly, the twin-stick shooting remains central. Enemies attack from all directions, stages make full use of the screen, and precise movement and the ability to shooting openings is soon tested. Optional auto-aim appears to make the game approachable, but I found that merely firing at the closest foe isn’t always the best strategy.

This time out, protagonist Rem gets some offensive support from Gabe-chan, her tagalong plushie. He brings his own gun and can absorb bullets, providing a bit of flexibility in your approach. Rounding out your arsenal is the ability dash, which becomes essential after about five minutes into each run, and a limited number of opportunities to increase your damage output or firing speed.

Three Letter Journeys

One of Flashback’s more intriguing additions is its seed-based difficulty system. Three-letter codes drastically alter the challenge of a run, reshaping enemy density and pacing without prohibiting access to game’s final boss. Reaching that ultimate encounter requires plenty of skill as you gun down opponents and grab souls before the intensity of a stage escalates. While each run starts slowly, Flashback gradually ramps up the intensity until the screen is filled with opposition.

Visually and aurally, Flashback reuses many assets from NeverAwake, including enemies, environments, and much of its soundtrack. Fortunately, those assets were striking to begin with. The oversized sprites, surreal imagery, and ethereal music still evoke a dreamlike atmosphere of a young girl’s psyche.

Same Luminous Palette, Just Less Dark

That said, Flashback shifts the emotional tone. While the original focused heavily on fear, anxiety, and ambiguous diary fragments, Flashback offers a gentler perspective. Seeing Rem in more peaceful, affectionate moments adds warmth and context, abandoning some of the darker themes of the original. This time out, it feels like the lead has started to overcome some of her worries.

But my own apprehension is that Flashback’s ensuing intensity might be too much for some players. Without the approach of gradually decreasing the difficulty through stat growth, the abridged runs might frustrate players. Undoubtedly, some permanent upgrades could mitigate this issue.

Wake Me Up Inside (I Can’t Wake Up)

In the end, Flashback is an interesting alterative built around NeverAwake’s foundations. While some will appreciate the shorter runs and lighter tone, I’m more of a fan of the progression and melancholic tone of the original. Still, if you’re looking for a tough roguelike twin-stick shooter with style, don’t sleep on NeverAwake Flashback.

NeverAwake Flashback was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.