When you play a third person shooter these days, you expect there to be a cover button – one that “attaches” you to a wall so you can pop out to shoot an enemy, and pop back into cover to evade bullets and reload. However, when WinBack came out (with slightly different names depending on region), this was a completely new concept. It’s a little bit clunky, but for the time, it worked extremely well.

The problem WinBack has, is that the novelty of the cover system was the main interesting thing about the game, so as it became a “standard” thing in games, there’s not a great deal else going for it. Which is a shame.

WinBack has you taking control of a building that has been overrun by terrorists. It controls a powerful space laser, and you must get it back before it fires again. The plot is fine with some good twists, but the game struggles with coming up with reasons for your squad to split up (as there’s no friendly AI in the game, so you only meet up in cutscenes).

About half way through, the main character (Jean-Luc) is deep in thought for a moment when the rest head off, and it takes the rest of the game to catch up, shooting through waves of enemies and solving puzzles (by hitting switches) that the rest of your squad seemingly had no access to – perhaps they have the ability to climb over small objects.

The level design is also just grey. There’s nothing interesting to look at throughout the game, just warehouse-like buildings. You’ll go back and forth through the same sections in different levels, and some different sections are nearly identical to previous areas. WinBack doesn’t really have much of its own identity, other than silly bosses that crop up.

WinBack was originally great because of its gameplay, as it provided a unique way of shooting. It should definitely be remembered for this concept, and it still plays absolutely fine, but it’s just a bit boring.

Fun

It’s just like being in the middle of a Holywood gunfight. Not that any of us have actually been in one, but WinBack certainly brought back memories of Butch and Sundance’s last stand, the end of High Plains Drifter and a few great episodes of 21 Jump Street.

Martin Kitts, N64 Magazine #41. Review Score: 83%

Remake or remaster?

WinBack got a remaster on PS2. It got criticised for terrible voice acting (the original had none) and for graphics that were a bit jarring – a strange mix of higher detailed models and stuff that was clearly from the N64. An updated release that adds a few graphical effects, control options and the like would be nice.

Official ways to get the game.

There is no way to buy a new copy of WinBack, the only official way to play is to rent it via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak.