Back Then

Fear of forgetting is a quiet, universal dread—especially the fear of losing your memories, your past, and the moments that made you who you are. Back Then is a first-person narrative adventure set inside the mind of Thomas Eilian, an elderly writer diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This story-driven journey focuses on interaction-heavy gameplay, puzzle-solving, and detective-style exploration as you piece together meaning in a fading world.

In Back Then, you play while stuck in a wheelchair and find yourself lost inside a house. By unlocking new rooms, collectibles, objectives, and puzzles, you learn more about Thomas and his family. As you explore, you listen to monologues from Thomas and his relatives, each sharing their struggles and perspectives on what’s happening. Your journey moves through the four seasons, shifting between the House and dreamlike sequences as Thomas tries to understand what his life meant. Back Then is made for players seeking unconventional, story-rich experiences. It focuses on atmosphere, soundtrack, and narrated exploration to deliver a poetic, emotional story about Time, Death, and who we become when we forget who we are. Through this story, the goal is to make people uncomfortable, but aware of the reality faced by millions diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.