Gather ‘round, children, because it’s time to share some gaming history with you. Back in 1995, LucasArts created a point-and-click adventure game about bad-ass bikers, complete with leather-clad tough guys, motorcycle combat and Mark Hamill as a villainous vice president. Full Throttle was lightning in a bottle, and a Remastered version is on its way — even though it doesn’t really work yet.
I went hands-on with Full Throttle Remastered at GDC 2017 this week, and I was shocked to find that every demo station I saw for it was empty. Surely, I thought, kids today simply can’t appreciate what a classic they’re missing. After all, what’s not to like about Full Throttle? After a high-octane opening cinematic with the Deep Purple-themed Legacy by the Gone Jackals blasting in the background, players take control of a biker named Ben. Ben has been framed and left for dead, and only his mad skills with a motorcycle can set things right — well, that and his logical thinking through ‘90s-era LucasArts puzzles, anyway.
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It took me only a few minutes to discover that there was actually a good reason why no one was playing, though: The build is pre-alpha and extremely unstable. After I sat down and took control of Ben, I punched my way out of a dumpster, kicked down the door to a honkytonk bar, roughed up the bartender, found the keys to my motorcycle, and prepared to ride down the highway, wind in my hair, when the game froze. Apparently, I was not the first person to encounter this problem.
Holding the technical issues against the game would be ludicrous at this point, since this stuff happens all the time in pre-alpha (and alpha, and beta, and sometimes even final) builds. But it was disappointing, as I was just getting into my point-and-click groove. The voice acting, preserved and presented in higher quality than in the original game, still sounds incredible today. The game features bravura performances from favorite voice actors like Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil, Rugrats) and Maurice LaMarche (Brain, Pinky and the Brain). Naturally, the standout is Mark Hamill as Adrian Ripburger, a scheming, slimy corporatist.
The graphics in Full Throttle Remastered are — as the name suggests — remastered, and they look fantastic. The aesthetic captures the gritty road-trip feel of the original, but with a bright, cartoony color palette that helps drive home the comedy. You’ve got to see the animation in action to fully appreciate it, but Full Throttle Remastered is a gorgeous game.
There’s no price or solid release date for the game yet, although it should be out sometime later this year on PC and PS4. You could spend the time prepping your leather jacket and digging out all the studded accessories from the back of your closet.
