Back to Stone
An isometric action RPG with stone-pushing puzzles and no saving.
Back to Stone is an action role-playing game from the French developer Hidden Floor. It was published in Europe by Neko Entertainment and Big Ben Interactive, and in North America by Graffiti Entertainment and O~3 Entertainment. The game was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2006.
The player controls an amnesiac warrior who has been subjected to experiments by demonic creatures. The character can move freely through the game’s environments, jump across platforms, and fight enemies in real time. Defeated enemies turn to stone, and the player can move these stone blocks to solve puzzles. When the character takes damage, he transforms into a demonic monster, gaining enhanced combat abilities. The game does not include a save function, which had been a standard feature for many years by 2006. Instead, it uses a password system to let players resume their progress after turning off the console.
According to the review aggregation site Metacritic, the game received mixed or average reviews. Critics often described the gameplay as simple and familiar, and the stone-pushing puzzles as unimaginative, unoriginal, and repetitive. Some reviewers found the graphics and design charming and varied, and easy to read compared to *Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge*, but many called the presentation drab, grainy, and muddy. The game’s smooth framerate, special effects, and intricate boss battles received praise. Several reviewers noted that the isometric 3D perspective made character control difficult and unintuitive, due to the rigidity of the directional pad and trouble judging depth. The game’s length, estimated between 8 and 15 hours, was considered good for a portable title. The poor quality of the translation was also criticized. The lack of a save function, relying instead on passwords, was heavily and almost universally condemned as a cumbersome, stupefying, unforgivable, and inexcusably archaic flaw for a handheld game released in that era.
- Developer
- Hidden Floor
- Publisher (Europe)
- Neko Entertainment / Big Ben Interactive
- Publisher (North America)
- Graffiti Entertainment / O~3 Entertainment
- Platform
- Game Boy Advance
- Release Year
- 2006
- Genre
- Action role-playing game
- Perspective
- Isometric 3D
Lore & Background
Back to Stone places the player in control of a warrior who is mysteriously amnesiac and has been experimented on by demonic creatures. The player can move freely through environments, jump between platforms, and fight enemies dynamically. Defeated enemies turn to stone, which can then be moved and used to solve puzzles. When the player's character is wounded, he transforms into a demonic monster, improving his fighting capabilities. The game does not feature any way to save progress, instead relying on passwords to allow the player to return to where they left off.
Reader's Guide
Back to Stone received 'mixed or average' reviews on Metacritic. Critics generally found the gameplay simple and familiar, and the stone-pushing puzzles were described as unimaginative, unoriginal, and repetitive. The graphics and design were considered charming and varied by some, and easy to discern compared to Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, but many judged the presentation as drab, grainy, and muddy. The game's smooth framerate and special effects were praised, as were the intricate boss battles. However, controlling the character from the isometric 3D perspective was widely noted as difficult and unintuitive due to the rigidity of the directional pad and difficulty in judging depth. The game's length, estimated between 8 and 15 hours, was considered good for a portable game. The poor quality of the translation was also criticized. The lack of saving functionality, replaced by a password system, was heavily criticized almost unanimously as a cumbersome, stupefying, unforgivable, and inexcusably archaic flaw for a handheld game in 2006.
Did You Know?
- Killed enemies turn to stone, which can be moved and used to solve puzzles.
- When the player's character is wounded, he transforms into a demonic monster that improves his fighting capabilities.
- The game relies on passwords instead of a save function to track progress.
- The game's length was estimated between 8 and 15 hours.
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