Introduction to Don’t Look Back
Don’t Look Back is a stark side-scrolling platformer from Terry Cavanagh. It draws on the Orpheus myth and reduces it to movement and timing. The art uses red and black pixels that carve clear shapes for every hazard. You begin at a grave in the rain and push into caves and caverns. The story emerges through small scenes and the route you take.
Controls stay simple. You run, jump and fire a single shot. Enemies show patterns you can read. Checkpoints sit before tough rooms and bosses. The challenge ramps fast and deaths stack up, yet resets come quick and feel fair. In the second half you guide a silent figure back to the start and must not turn around to face it. Threats press from both sides, so you plan jumps and shots and keep moving forward.
The music leans on retro electronic lines that shift during the return. Sound effects land with sharp clicks that mark hits and falls. The spare art keeps focus on spacing and timing. The closing scene mirrors the opening and shows the man at the grave. That image changes how the run reads and ties the game back to the myth.