I've watched Back to the Future once or twice, and I thought it was an OK movie. I didn't think there was much to it, and the whole thing would be prevented with some very obvious safeguards. Of course, it's hard to not notice that it's been a cult classic for a long time. It's the only reason that the Delorean Motor Company is known outside of niche groups. Too bad their cars weren't as popular as those movies, and went out of business years earlier.

For the 25th anniversary of the original movie, Telltale acquired the rights to, and released a series of episodic adventure games based on Back to the Future. These games bear the tell tale trademarks of early Telltale games. There's a lot of pointing and clicking around environments to advance a linear story, separate "games" in Steam for each episode, and low bitrate sound.

The first episode kicks off with Doc Brown having disappeared from Hill Valley and presumed dead, only for the Delorean to appear with Einstein (the dog) inside. For every episode, you control Marty (and never anyone else). Marty figures out when Doc is, and he's in the Hill Valley jail for arson. Unfortunately, he's been ensnared in a conspiracy involving the local mob and a nosy prohibitionist newspaper columnist, Edna, who is the antagonist of the entire series. With the help of Doc's teenage self, Marty makes history to free Doc.

A quick trip to "modern day" (1986) Hill Valley, reveals that mobs have taken over the entire state, because the mob wasn't taken down like it was supposed to. The second episode is where you, with help from the local townsfolk, take down the mob. Once done, this causes teenage Doc to go on a date with Edna.

The third episode takes place in an alternate modern Hill Valley. Doc married Edna, became mayor, and turned the town into an Orwellian police state. Marty needs to break enough rules to have an intervention by "Citizen Brown" himself, only for Doc to believe that Marty has severe mental illness. Only after exposing what's in the 'decycling' chute does Doc realize what Edna has done to him and the town.

In order for that to change, episode four has you break them up. Unfortunately, the Delorean has been damaged a bit, so they arrive a few months after episode two (not the next day). Nonetheless, Marty helps teenage Doc with a science project, and make Edna repulsed by him. Once the deed is done, Doc runs to the courthouse roof and Marty has an intervention with him.

However, Edna is still a loose end causing trouble. The last episode deals with teenage Doc reconciling with his father during a science expo, and Marty exposing Edna. When her secret is let out, Edna steals the Delorean, and goes who knows when, then the town disappears. Edna is quickly found, and not having learned from her mistake, has wound up being the same bitter woman she was in the first episode.

I found this Telltale series as mildly entertaining, but nothing that I feel I had missed out on. Don't worry, I have more Telltale games to get through.