Super Back to the Future II

Development and release

Super Back to the Future II was developed by Daft as an adaptation of the film Back to the Future Part II, released four years after the film. It was originally planned as a role-playing game with a design similar to The Legend of Zelda, under the tentative title Back to the Future 2. The game was programmed by Puppet Ishizuka, with graphics designed by Endorphin Konappy, who used an anime art style with chibi character designs. The soundtrack, composed by Hitoshi Sakamoto, was based on the film's soundtrack and marked his first use of an orchestral style; his work on this and Dragon Quest VI led him to incorporate a leitmotif in future titles.

Published exclusively in Japan by Toshiba EMI on July 23, 1993, rumors of an English release in the third quarter of 1993 did not materialize. An English fan translation was later created by a user called mteam. It was the last Back to the Future video game until Back to the Future: The Game in 2010.

Reception

Super Back to the Future II received generally mixed reception. Critics regarded it as a standout entry in the Back to the Future video game series. Destructoid writer Allistair Pinsof considered the only other highlight to be Back to the Future: The Game by Telltale Games, describing it as miraculous that Super Back to the Future II was so much better than previous entries. Den of Geek's Aaron Birch found its implementation of Back to the Future elements cohesive and enjoyable, attributing its quality to the developer avoiding a strict adaptation while clearly setting out to make a real game.

Fellow Den of Geek writer Matthew Byrd considered it among the strangest Super Nintendo games due to its late release and being objectively better than other Back to the Future games. Super Play writer Jonathan Davies questioned why it adapted the second film instead of the first or third and found the anime art style strange; the magazine later cited it as an example of a poor licensed game. Nerdist writer Robert Workman felt it reflected the low quality of Back to the Future games and speculated that its middling reception kept it from leaving Japan.

Diehard GameFan writer Magilla believed the game lacked redeeming qualities, suggesting the developer cared only about using the license. Its visuals were considered a highlight; Katya Tonechkina of Страна игр thought it worth playing for its art alone. Author Christopher Carton praised the character designs and color palettes, finding the cutscenes enjoyable. Aaron Birch commended the developer for capturing the film visually, and NF Magazine writer David Oxford felt the cartoony style was better off for it.