History VideoGame / BACKTOTHEFUTURE

[[redirect:VideoGame/BackToTheFutureTheGame]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Back_To_the_Future_The_Game_5463.jpg]]

In December of 2010, over twenty years after the last ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' film came out, TelltaleGames had developed an episodic PointAndClick game series -- which involves both Bob Gale and Christopher Lloyd, the latter of who would be reprising his role as "Doc" Emmett L. Brown. The first episode, which begins a new chapter in the Back to the Future series, was released on PC and Mac in December 2010 to solid reviews, and subsequent episodes have been equally well received. Its plot revolves around working with a young Emmett Brown to save Doc from Prohibition-era Hill Valley and how Marty's efforts accidentally create a new timeline.

Not [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz92prJ3XlM to be confused with]] the NintendoEntertainmentSystem game, which is InNameOnly.

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!!This provides examples of:

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: How Marty wins back [[spoiler:alt-1986!Jennifer]]. In this timeline, she thinks Marty is a complete tool.
** And, in the final episode, [[spoiler:''Edna'' of all people: We see four different versions of an elderly Edna. One is mildly out-of-touch with reality. One is ''completely'' out of touch with reality. One turns Hill Valley into a complete police state. The only genuinely happy and well-adjusted version of her? The one who winds up marrying ''the gangster''.]]
* {{Angrish}}: Judge Brown's lecture to Emmett near the climax of Episode 1 is nonsensical as one puzzle sequence (trying to make fuel for a rocket powered drill while 1931!Emmett tries to give directions to Marty indirectly by enunciating certain words and phrases in his conversation - for example, "Can't you see the ''PRESSURE'' I'm going through?", refers to letting pressure of a valve) begins. As it advances, you start hearing Judge's Brown's voice more clearly- while also enunciating most of the same words - which is designed to confuse and disorient you into unintentionally listening to both of them- thus making a mistake.
* AppliedPhlebotinum: The explanation of how the [=DeLorean=] that comes for Marty isn't destroyed.
* {{Arcadia}}: [[spoiler:Edna]] perversely views the 1800s as this, even burning down Beauregard Tannen's saloon ([[spoiler:after which the fire winds up spreading to the rest of Hill Valley]]) to preserve it.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Kid Tannen is arrested in Episode 2 for kidnapping, attempted murder, tax evasion, and smelling like a piece of crap.
-->"[[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne Tax evasion?!]]"
** [[spoiler:Edna Strickland]] is arrested in Episode 5 for [[spoiler:arson, resisting arrest, and being a general all-around pain in the ass.]]
* BagOfHolding: Marty is able to carry everything in his pocket, even a full sized guitar!
* BigBad: Kid Tannen in the first two episodes. [[spoiler: Edna Strickland]] starts out as something of an annoyance, but then assumes this role from Episode 3 onwards.
* BigBrotherIsWatching: In Episode 3, "Big Brother" is Citizen Brown. [[spoiler: Though it's really Citizen Edna who pulls the strings.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: In Episode 2, Doc drops Marty off at his house and drives away in the [=DeLorean=] -- only to come back and [[spoiler:[[CarFu knock Kid Tannen's limo away]] just before the old gangster can shoot Marty dead]].
* BilingualBonus: "Douteux" means "doubtful", [[spoiler:foreshadowing Jacques Douteux's diving suit being used as a disguise by Citizen Brown]].
* BlackAndGreyMorality: The implications of erasing an alternate timeline -- along with Citizen Brown's life experiences -- are explored in Episode 4. Not to mention all of the underhanded things Marty does to preserve history.
* BlandNameProduct: There is [[CallBack a scene at the mall]] in the first episode, but one of the stores there is "[=JPPinney=]."
** Also, 1986!Biff's Jumpsuit has an "Adods" logo.
** In Episode 3, George [=McFly=] has a "Pepson" brand printer.
** A guard in Episode 4 is seen drinking from a can of soda named Alt (as opposed to Tab).
** In Episode 5, [[spoiler:Marty's hoverboard has an "Attell" logo on it.]]
* BlingBlingBang: In Episode 2, alt-1986 Biff intimidates Marty with a gold pistol. Subverted when it turns out to be a novelty lighter.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom: Same scene as the first movie, this time Biff does it. Marty tries it again in Episode 4, but it doesn't have the expected effect.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: (Episode 3) [[spoiler:The "Citizen Plus" program makes people physically incapable of bad behavior (they become nauseous if they even think about alcohol, violence, etc); they can also be turned into mindless drones acting on Edna's orders, as Biff demonstrates.]]
* BrutalHonesty: Marty uses this on young Emmett to break him out of his depression.
* BuffySpeak:
-->'''Marty:''' ''(looking at a bathysphere)'' "It's some kind of...deep-sea diving thingy."
* BurgerFool: Soup kitchens never went out of style in alt-1986. Marty's rival for love, Leech, works here as an attendee.
* ButThouMust: Episode 4: [[spoiler: There's no way to avoid telling Citizen Brown that Edna will be sad and lonely in the true timeline, and thus making him do a FaceHeelTurn.]]
** Episode 1: When trying to get young Emmett to build the rocket powered drill for you, the dialogue tree gives you the options of "I need that rocket drill," "I REALLY need that rocket drill," and "I REALLY REALLY need that rocket drill." Regardless of what you pick, the scene plays the same.
* CallBack / ContinuityNod: Episode 1 begins with the first time travel trip of the [=DeLorean=] from the first film, recreating it line by line before ominously deviating from the film. The player can still alter some of Marty's dialog during this sequence.
** Though you miss [[OneHundredPercentCompletion a Trophy]] if you do this.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Emmett does this to his father, Judge Brown, at the end of episode 1 and mid-way in episode 5.
* CameBackWrong: At the start of Episode 4, it appears that Citizen Brown's personality has reverted to the Doc that we're all familiar with. As the episode progresses however, it turns out that for one thing his scientific knowledge isn't at the same level it was previously, resulting in him [[spoiler:making defective repairs to the [=DeLorean=]]], and more problematically [[spoiler:he's still in love with Edna, to the point where he's willing to rewrite his own past to ensure that they still end up together]].
* CannedOrdersOverLoudspeaker: "RELAX! WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL."
* CatapultNightmare: Marty awakening in bed after the prologue.
* ChangedMyMindKid: Despite expressing his dread of "Scary Mary", [[spoiler:Willie [=McFly=]]] turns up to rescue Marty and Doc at [[spoiler:Crazy!Edna]]'s shack, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome grabbing her shotgun barrel before she can fire.]]
* TheChanteuse: Trixie Trotter.
* ChekhovsBoomerang: The [[spoiler:paddy wagon tire iron]] from Episode 1 and the [[spoiler:speakeasy panic button]] from Episode 2 both make surprise reappearances in Episode 3.
** Marty's guitar briefly shows up as part of a quickly-forgotten puzzle in Episode 1. It pops up again in Episodes 3 and 4.
* CitizenshipMarriage: [[spoiler: Art and Trixie, to allow her to work at the Expo. It's implied that it was a convenient excuse to get married, since they were falling in love during the previous episodes anyway.]]
* CloudCuckooLander: Edna. By the time Episode 5 rolls around, Marty exclaims, "Jeez, that lady was ''always'' a loon!"
* CloseEnoughTimeline: After all is said and done, the only real changes to the timeline are that [[spoiler: Doc never went to the Speakeasy in 1931 because the Arsonist (Edna) was caught; has set up semi-permanent residence in Hill Valley in his lab, and Edna and Kid Tannen, despite both being a BigBad of the adventure, are HappilyMarried.]]
** Also [[spoiler:the fact that Doc's set up said residence instead of living elsewhere; because Marty's meddling in his past allowed him to better reconcile with his father. He's there to run a foundation set up in his father's name for young inventors.]]
* ContinuityCameo: '''''[[spoiler:MICHAEL J. FOX]]''''' as Marty's great-grandfather [[spoiler:(and future selves)]] in Episode 5.
* ContinuityPorn: There are a great number of references to the movies, ranging from the dialogue and details of locales from the movie, to references to events that occurred but were never shown or showcased.
* CrapsaccharineWorld: Episode 3, ''and HOW''.
* CrazyCatLady: Edna early ([[TimeTravelTenseTrouble late?]]) in Episode 1.
** [[spoiler: And Episode 5.]]
* {{Crossdresser}}: Vice Principal Strickland, apparently.
** It should be noted, he only did this as a child. Though he did do it more than once.
** And it should be also noted that back as late as in the early 20th century it was normal for little boys to wear dresses.
* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: To save the future, Marty pretty much obliterates Emmett's life in the span of two minutes.
* CuriosityIsACrapshoot: As shown in Episode 1, Doc ends up in jail in 1931 after being knocked out during the speakeasy explosion. The whole reason he traveled back to 1931 was to figure out who started it, to satisfy his curiosity. [[spoiler:And also to find information on Marty's grandmother, who he figured he'd find in that era, for a scrapbook.]]
* CurseCutShort: Suspecting Marty of being a snitch, Alt-1986 [[spoiler:Jennifer]] threatens to shove her spraycan up...somewhere.
** Biff in episode 3: "What the [[PrecisionFStrike F]]aauuugh!"
* DarkReprise: The ''[=BttF=]'' instrumental theme has an imperious tone in the alternate Hill Valley.
** Emmett's sad rendition of "I Don't Care" on the roof of the courthouse.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Episode 3, "Citizen Brown", from start to finish. UpToEleven in Episode 4
* DeconstructedTrope: [[spoiler:Citizen Brown!Doc's speech to Marty serves as one to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong, as he makes Marty seriously think if what he's doing is really right if getting the timeline back to normal involves destroying the life of someone who was ''better off'' in the altered timeline.]]
** DeconReconSwitch: [[spoiler:Ultimately though it becomes obvious that the ''overall'' situation very much warranted changing it back, especially since said person was dangerously insane even before the point of divergence.]] The fact that [[spoiler:the CloseEnoughTimeline was better even for her because she ended up having to be rehabilitated in jail]] was a happy accident on Marty's part.
* DirtyCop: Officer Danny Parker starts working for Kid Tannen in Episode 2 after getting demoted and dumped by his girlfriend.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Kid Tannen serves as the main antagonist for the first two episodes of the game. [[spoiler: Then after his arrest, episode 3 comes in and proceeds to reveal Edna as the real Big Bad of the game's storyline. Not only is she now threatening Hill Valley's existence, but she's also the one that caused the speakeasy to burn down, inadvertently resulting in all the crap that Marty and Doc had to go through with Kid Tannen in the first place.]]
* DoomedNewClothes: Young Emmett's white suit, a gift from Edna. [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] by his invention of a surefire method to remove dirt stains, which Marty then converts into acid.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Episode 3, "Citizen Brown". Even for a cliffhanger, it's pretty dark. And there's Episode 4.]]
* TheDragon: Biff to Citizen Edna, against his will.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: In the game's prologue, Marty reenacts the Twin Pines mall scene in his dreams -- only this time, the [=DeLorean=] carrying Einstein doesn't come back, and the mall's fixtures start disappearing. This doesn't make sense until Episode 5, when [[spoiler:Edna Stickland erases Hill Valley from history]].
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Marty dressing up as a diminutive gangster and (later) in riot gear.
* DrowningMySorrows: Danny in Episode 2. See DirtyCop above.
* DumbBlonde: Trixie Trotter, Kid's moll.
** More of a subversion. She turned in Kid Tannen and her plan to get 1931!Edna to break up with Emmett was pretty clever.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: After repeatedly altering history, creating worse and worse timelines up to the point of causing Hill Valley to cease to exist, the final timeline at the end of Episode 5 [[CloseEnoughTimeline mirrors the state of things at the beginning of the series]] for the most part, and the noteworthy differences cause those involved to be better off.]]
* EmbarrassingOldPhoto: Principal Strickland as a baby.
** Trixie, the "Winsome Wench of Winnipeg". (Canadian porn is kinda weird.)
* EnhanceButton: Played embarrassingly straight in episode 4.
* EpicFail: [[spoiler: While in 1876, Edna tried to burn down Hill Valley's saloon since her grandfather wouldn't do anything about it. ...this ended up ''burning down '''ALL''' of Hill Valley.'']]
* EvilDetectingDog: [[spoiler:There's a reason Einstein is seen harassing [[KnightTemplar Edna Strickland]] in 1931 and 1986-Alternate]], although we don't find out why until well into Episode 3.
* EvilOldFolks: [[spoiler:Edna Strickland, ''and how''.]]
* ExactWords: After the [=DeLorean=] gets stuck a billboard, Marty cries at [[spoiler:alt-1986!Jennifer]] to "Give me a hand!" She responds with a [[SarcasticClapping golf clap]].
** While riding alongside the stolen [=DeLorean=], Marty claws his way onto one of gull wing doors and demands that Edna open up. "You want in? FINE!" she snarls back, then elbows the door open, sending Marty flying.
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Doc's HandWave for why he didn't recall meeting Marty in the thirties.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Emmett's success [-([[EducationThroughPyrotechnics sort of]])-] at the science expo results in him gaining his trademark [[EinsteinHair electrified 'do]].
* ExtyYearsFromNow: Downplayed; it's Exty-''Five'' Years From Now. Marty travels back 55 years to 1931 throughout Episodes 1 and 2 [[spoiler:and it was hinted that he'd travel forward 25 years to 2011, the year of the final episode's release. Sadly, that didn't pan out. Then you have 1876, which is 55 years before 1931.]]
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:In Episode 4, Citizen Brown voices his dissatisfaction with Marty's plan to "fix" the timeline since it means Edna ends up a CrazyCatLady. Episode 5 shows that he blames science and not Edna for the Orwellian 1986, and he teams up with 1931! Edna to try and sabotage Marty's efforts and his own younger self's interest in science to ensure that he married Edna after all. He kidnaps his younger self and traps him inside a bathysphere while Edna gets Officer Parker to shut down young Emmett's booth and try to arrest Marty.]]
* TheFaceless: Jacques Douteux.
* FairPlayWhodunnit: Several clues are given throughout all five episodes that hint to [[spoiler: the true identity of the Speakeasy Arsonist.]]
* TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily: The bootlegging ring definitely qualifies, as does the "Tannen Mob" in Marty's corrupted present. Public enemy no.... five.
* FictionalCounterpart: There is a "Soupmo" in alternate 1986 in Episode 3.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: For example, there's a ''Film/{{Frankenstein 1931}}'' poster in Marty's room in Episode 1.
** Almost every objects in Doc's garage in Episode 1 will be used in some way.
** Doc's mind reading helmet from the original film makes a reappearance in his lab, but it turns out to be more than just a MythologyGag.
** Edna Strickland of 1986 in Episode 1 spies on all the activity of the townspeople from her apartment. When Marty returns her shoe, she sighs happily, "Ah, so ''neat'' and ''orderly''."
** Some of the newspapers that Marty flips through in Episode 1 before he finds the right one talks about a soup kitchen being exposed...
** Also in Episode 1 at the same place, if you examine Edna's candy in 1986 you will notice one interesting book... [[spoiler:George Orwell's 1984, foreshadowing Episode 3]]
** It's hard to not expect the events of Episode 2 and Episode 3 when the existence of photographs of certain individuals or their possessions are repeatedly called attention to in preceding episodes. In particular, [[spoiler:Doc's ticket stub for Frankenstein and the photo of George [=McFly=].]]
** The opening sequence in Episode 1: Doc disappears from existence. [[spoiler:This happens at the end of Episode 2, sort of. In Episode 5, Doc ''does'' disappear - but the "wrong" Doc. At least he "dies" happy seeing "he" got The Key to the City".]]
** There is an old teapot in Doc's fishtank in Episode 1. You see the same teapot in Edna's apartment, but fresh and new. This indicates that the teapot will play a role in Episode 5. [[spoiler: Turns out to be a RedHerring, sort of.]]
** In Episode 5, Trixie tells Marty that he's "kind of like family." [[spoiler: Turns out she's his future grandmother Sylvia.]]
** When [[spoiler:Citizen Brown]] tries to convince Marty that [[spoiler:Edna]] had good intentions, Marty replies: "So did Nero!" [[spoiler:And Edna burns down a city, too.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare: See NotSoHarmlessVillain below.
* GainaxEnding: Admit it, that was pretty weird.
* GameBreakingBug: A nasty one in Episode 5. [[spoiler: Giving the recording to Officer Parker ''before'' doing the Glass House results in Marty being stuck in the Glass House with no exit and no way to do the puzzle.]]
** [[spoiler: Although this can be fixed by reloading the game's auto-save before entering.]]
* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: Though apparently not a fan of ''Frankenstein'', [[spoiler:Alt-1986!Edna]] definitely rented ''A Clockwork Orange'' at some point.
* GilliganCut: When Marty and Doc take Arthur into an alley near the new speakeasy in Episode 2.
* GoodOlBoy: Willie [=McFly=].
* GoneHorriblyRight: Marty successfully breaks [[spoiler:Biff's]] brainwashing near the end of Episode 3. When he comes around though, it turns out that his pathological hatred of the [=McFly=] family has returned in this timeline, and he's even more pissed off by the fact that Marty exploited his brainwashing in order to retrieve a videotape.
** Crops up once again in Episode 4. Because Marty never really thought of the effects his changes would have to the timeline, he has to go back to the past multiple times, each time making pretty much everyone's lives a little bit worse.
** Marty and Doc make the mistake of showing pity to [[spoiler:Crazy!Edna]]. Like Biff, however, she proves just as unstable as her other incarnations and pulls a shotgun (!) once her memory is restored.
* GoodBadGirl: Trixie Trotter [[spoiler: And when we realize who she is in the end of episode 5...]]
* GoodFeelsGood: Cue Ball says that it feels good working on the right side of the law in Episode 5.
* GoOutWithASmile / RedemptionEqualsDeath: After [[spoiler:Edna]] runs him down in the [=DeLorean=], [[spoiler:Citizen Brown]] (while also in the middle [[RetGone of fading out, no less]]) invokes this trope after seeing that "he" was given the key to the city (via newspaper).
* GoshDarnItToHeck: Marty encountering a post-op [[spoiler:Jennifer]] in the Citizen Plus facility.
-->'''[[spoiler:Jennifer!A]]''': "I don't think it's a good idea for us to see each other until you've undergone your first Citizen Plus treatment."
-->'''Marty:''' "Why not?"
-->'''[[spoiler:Jennifer!A]]:''' "Because your [[GoshDangItToHeck gosh dang]] hormones are out of control, ''Martin''!"
** Dropping a barrel of pickle juice on Edna issues this hollow cry: '''''"WHAT THE FRUG!??"'''''
* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: (Episode 3) [[spoiler: Citizen Edna Strickland in 1986-Alternate is about as pretty as a septuagenarian can get.]]
** [[spoiler: And a quite literal one when we find out who Marty's grandma is in Episode 5.]]
* [[GrumpyOldMan Grumpy Old Woman]]: Edna Strickland in Episode 1. [[spoiler: ''And'' Episode 5, in 1931.]]
* HackerCave: Alt-1986!George has a wall of monitors squirreled away in his garage. Though he begins by spying on his neighbors, Marty convinces him to use his camera network against the regime.
* HalfTruth: Cue Ball's personal spin on testifying against Kid Tannen in court.
-->"I prefer to think of it as exhibiting an admirable sense of self-preservation."
* {{Hammerspace}}: Well, where does Marty carry his sizable inventory -- when he's walking around town?
* {{Handwave}}: The appearance of the original [=DeLorean=] in Episode 1 is justified with the explanation that one of the lightning bolts that hit it in 1955 (likely the latter since that was when the [=DeLorean's=] Destination Time was on the fritz) created two copies; the one we know about, and one sent seventy years forward to 2025, and later found by Doc with his time train. Lampshaded by the fact that the PS3 version awards a Trophy titled 'A Plausible Explanation' for learning this.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Lampshaded in Episode 5.
-->'''Crazy!Edna''': [sobbing] "I'M A '''HOOLIGAN'''!!"
* HeelFaceTurn: Cue Ball in Episode 4.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: In Episode 5, Citizen Brown pushes Marty out of the way from being ran over by Edna, resulting in Brown getting fatally wounded instead.]]
** [[spoiler: Not that it mattered much, as he was already starting to fade out of the timeline.]]
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: In episode 3, Citizen Brown goes through one after he discovers the truth about Edna and the dystopia he helped her create.]]
** Officer Parker has one of his own after Marty's first set of actions in 1931 [[spoiler: cause him to get demoted and have his girlfriend (Jennifer's grandmother!) leave him]].
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Marty ignites a barrel of Kid Tannen's own moonshine to smoke him out. Double points for using the handgun lighter, swiped from Tannen's crime family in alt-1986.
** Alt-1986!Biff gets [[TapOnTheHead conked out]] by a rotating roulette table, a relic from his father's old speakeasy.
-->'''Marty:''' "[[BondOneLiner Place your bets!]]"
* HollywoodToneDeaf: Edna Strickland's rendition of "You Should Care" in Episode 2. In Young Emmett's words, "You know what represents a clear and present danger to public safety? Your singing voice!"
* HopeSpot: Episode 3, Marty convinces Citizen Brown he really is a time traveler trying to set the timeline right. [[spoiler: Citizen Edna has no intention of letting that happen.]]
** Episode 4, Marty goes off to help Young Emmett with his invention and finally fix the timeline. The ending shows [[spoiler: Citizen Brown wanting to foil Marty's plans in order to help Edna.]]
* HotScoop: Played with. 1931!Edna Strickland in Episodes 1 and 2 is an attractive young reporter who's involved with various charities. She's also a self-righteous prude who isn't as influential or talented as she'd like to think she is. By Episode 3, [[spoiler: her [[KnightTemplar self-righteousness and prudishness]] become a serious problem.]]
* HumiliationConga: Marty ends up {{invok|edTrope}}ing one in Episode 4, with poor Young Emmett as the subject to it. Citizen Brown [[WhatTheHellHero calls Marty out on it]] shortly before the plan reaches completion.
* ICallItVera: Kid Tannen's [[HandCannon six-shooter]], "Kid Junior". He's still packing it in 1986.
** Biff's car is named "Sheila".
* IWasQuiteALooker: Edna Strickland as a young woman in 1931 is ''significantly'' easier on the eyes.
** [[spoiler: Trixie turns out to be Marty's grandmother, Sylvia. Marty is completely shocked when he finds out.]]
* HypocriticalHumor: In Episode 1, 1986!Edna calls Marty a nosey busybody at the same time she's being one.
* ICanChangeMyBeloved: [[spoiler: The alternate Doc Brown is motivated to make his FaceHeelTurn by this belief after learning that Edna became a bitter spinster in Marty's original history. Eventually, he realizes his mistake.]]
* IdenticalGrandson: Continuing in the grand tradition of the movies. George and Biff are both the spitting image of their fathers, Arthur [=McFly=] and Irving "Kid" Tannen, respectively. Also, Jennifer's father clearly takes after his own father in the looks department. All in all, [[JustifiedTrope a very clever excuse]] to re-use character models.
** Lampshaded in Episode 4, when Marty sees a picture of a seemingly random man, only for him to point out that he looks pretty much the same as all the other Tannens, concluding that he must be an ancestor.
*** In Episode 5, [[spoiler: Marty's great grandpa Willy]] shows up. Ironically, he looks more like [[spoiler: Michael J. Fox, who is voicing said character]] than Marty.
* IdiotBall: (Episode 1) One moment the Doc is incredulous when he thinks Marty interacted with his grandfather, the next he urges Marty to work with Young Emmett, who isn't even an inventor yet, to get him out of prison. [[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong What could possibly go wrong?]] (Although to be fair, they have little choice in the matter.)
* [[ImMrFuturePopCultureReference I'm Mr. Future Pop Culture Reference]]: This time, both Marty and Doc use it. And when Marty does, you can choose the name yourself.
** Then [[spoiler:Edna Strickland]] gets in on the act in Episode 5, taking the alias [[spoiler:Mary Pickford]] upon arrival in 1876.
** Gets a brief lampshade in Episode 4 when Marty confuses Citizen Brown by telling him he's supposed to be "Carl Sagan".
---> '''Brown''': "The "billions and billions" guy?"
---> '''Marty''': "No, [[ItMakesSenseInContext the suspected arsonist]]"
*** Both [[spoiler: Edna]] and Doc {{lampshade}} this during their argument under the chandelier in Episode 5.
* IdentityAmnesia: Justified with Crazy!Edna, who is ''understandably'' scrambled at having traveled back in time (not to mention [[spoiler:burning Hill Valley to ashes, thus erasing its very existence]]).
* InJoke: Gale, Zemeckis, and Fine Law Office
* InkSuitActor: Played straight with Doc Brown, but subverted with Marty; he ''looks'' the same (heck, even ''sounds'' the same), but it isn't MichaelJFox.
** Double Subversion: [[spoiler: Marty's Great-Grandpa Willy [=McFly=] looks a lot like the present-day Michael J. Fox, who voices him.]]
** Played with in the case of [[spoiler:Citizen Brown]], who more closely resembles Christopher Lloyd (i.e. bald head and spectacles).
* IronicEcho: "It's a fact. Look it up." has reappeared 3 times so far: twice from Edna, [[spoiler: and once from Citizen Brown.]]
** This ends up mixed with {{Foreshadowing}} in "Get Tannen!": When Emmett is testing his flying rocket car, a mishap ends up stranding Einstein on the courthouse roof and said car crashed through a billboard on top of the soup kitchen. After roughly re-entering 1986 ([[spoiler: The Citizen Brown version, anyway...]]), Marty ends up pulling this stunt as well.
** A darker version of this appears in "OUTATIME": When Marty is walking to the Expo with 1931!Doc's static accumulator, he is almost hit by Citizen Brown driving the [=DeLorean=]. [[spoiler: Citizen Brown himself gets hit ([[HeroicSacrifice after pushing Marty out of the way]]) by Edna driving said [=DeLorean=] while escaping from Officer Parker.]]
** Marty provokes a club patron in 1931 by feebly calling him "chicken", getting him bounced out of the building.
* IronicHell: [[spoiler:Crazy!Edna]] lives in a shack in 1931-A, surrounded by the "pure simplicity" she sought to preserve - [[spoiler:a desolate wasteland where Hill Valley no longer exists]].
* JustTheFirstCitizen: Done literally with [[spoiler: Citizen Brown]]. Subverted when he turns out to be a DecoyLeader to [[spoiler:Edna, his wife]].
* LampshadeHanging: [[spoiler: In 1931-A, Willy points out the InJoke that "Hill Valley" makes no sense, being contradictory terms.]]
* LickedByTheDog: Edna Strickland is snobbish, controlling, mean-spirited, annoying, and [[spoiler: becomes a maniacal dictator in a bad future]]. However, [[spoiler: the Emmett Brown of said future likes her, even after her older self tortures and tries to brainwash him, so she can't be all bad...or can she?]]
** [[spoiler:The ''second'' example, though, is straight-Edna Tannen walking Einstein, who doesn't mind the arrangement.]]
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: (Episode 1) Marty asks Doc if his plan to tell Young Emmett the solution to the math problem he's been working on in his head will negatively affect the future. Doc answers in [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness big words]], but his response, summed up in normal English, is that it shouldn't hurt anything unless it turns out the world in which they live is a form of media displayed on a screen (such as a video game).
** As it happens, it's also an actual scientific theory. It has been suggested recently that the universe may indeed be a "hologram" very similar to Doc's explanation.
** Early in Episode 4, if Marty asks his father to override the security systems, George responds that this isn't a science fiction movie. He's right; it's a computer game ''based'' on a science fiction movie.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: "Speakeasy?? You're mistaken, officer! This is [[ImplausibleDeniability an ice cream parlor]]."
* LoopholeAbuse: Marty exploiting Trixie's iffy U.S. citizenship to get her canned from her hostess job.
-->'''Artie:''' "You know I don't like to pry, but...what state where you born in?"
-->'''Trixie:''' "[[CanadaEh Province, Manitoba]]. Why?"
** And done again to give Trixie her job back by using another loophole [[spoiler:by getting married to Artie.]]
** As [[spoiler:Crazy!Edna]] prepares to execute Marty and Doc for their supposed crimes (actually, hers), [[spoiler:Willie [=McFly=] [[BigDamnHeroes turns up in the nick of time]]. When she smugly points out that she can just as easily kill all three of them, Willie points out that she has no legal reason to do so]]. "And ''you'' [[DramaticIrony never break the law]]."
* LoveRedeems: [[spoiler: Edna is happy with Kid Tannen in Episode 5.]]
* LukeIAmYourFather: "Trixie Trotter", aka [[spoiler:Silvia Miskin - Marty's grandmother]].
* MagicAIsMagicA: Seemingly subverted at the end of Episode 2, regarding the DelayedRippleEffect and RippleEffectProofMemory. [[spoiler: When visiting alternate present timelines, namely the two Tannen-dominated ones in Part II and Episode II, time-traveling Marty doesn't become that timeline's Marty; but Doc apparently disappears from the [=DeLorean=] right after the jump to become Citizen Brown for Episode III.]]
** However, [[spoiler:2015!Biff suffered the same fate upon his return to 2015 after screwing with the timeline (shown in ''Back to the Future Part II''), so there's precedence for such an occasion. As stated in the films' [=DVDs' FAQs=], Lorraine ended up shooting the 1985A!Biff, thus ending his existence earlier. WordOfGod is that the original Doc faded out because he prevented his own existence by preventing time travel, as he only lived to his current age because of his body enhancements he got in the future, only possible due to time travel. So because he can't exist at this age, he fades from existence. Presumably, the same was also true of the original Einstein (the dog, not the physicist).]]
* ManInWhite: First Citizen Brown.
** Also, in the following episode Young Emmett (who at that point is on a course to become Citizen Brown) is [[{{Futureshadowing}} wearing a white suit]] which formerly belonged to Edna's grandfather -- and part of Marty's plot to get Edna to dump him involves ruining the suit.
* MayorPain: Citizen Brown is 1986-A's equivalent of Mayor (he demands that Marty address him as "[[InsistentTerminology your Honor]]"), and cultivates the image of a Type A. When [[spoiler:Edna]]'s plans unravel, he turns out to be a benign Type B.
* MexicanStandoff: Between Edna and Beauregard Tannen in Episode 5. If Edna drops the torch and sets the saloon on fire, Tannen shoots her. If Tannen shoots her, Edna drops the torch and sets the saloon on fire. However, the situation is weighted somewhat in Tannen's favor, as he can wait for her torch to burn out, and then just shoot her anyway. Naturally, it's up to Marty to find a way to disarm them both simultaneously
* [[spoiler: MindControlDevice: The Citizen Plus Wristwatch.]]
* MindScrew: See the You Didn't See That entry below.
* MisterSandmanSequence: Yep, it's back in episodes 1 and 3, complete with period-appropriate music and Marty almost getting hit by a car.
** Parodied somewhat in Episode 4. 1931 is familiar territory to both Marty and the player by this point, but it's new to Citizen Brown. The latter goes through a mini-MSS of his own, near car accident included.
* MoralDilemma: (Episode 1) [[spoiler: Emmett asks Marty when he should expect to hear back from the patent office regarding the Rocket-Powered Drill. The game speech options lists various times, but ultimately Marty ignores whatever the player chooses and reveals to Emmett he isn't from the patent office at all and just needs the invention to help a friend out [[NeverTheSelvesShallMeet (but refuses to say who)]].]]
* MulticoloredHair[=/=]DelinquentHair: Alt-1986![[spoiler:Jennifer]]. Rowr.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: (Episode 3) [[spoiler: Citizen Brown's reaction after hearing Citizen Edna's true intentions for, and use of, his [[BrainwashedAndCrazy [=CitizenPlus=] program]].]]
** Danny in Episode 2 after Marty convinces him that working for Kid Tannen is wrong.
* MythologyGag: Left and right.
# Episode 1:
** Marty sees a sign for a production featuring a real shark, echoing his experience with ''Film/{{Jaws}} 19'' in ''Back to the Future II''.
** The Sisters of Mercy Soup Kitchen is located where the cafe and saloon were in the films. And it wouldn't be complete without a "[[SayMyName HEY, [=McFLY=]]]!!"-scene with similar lines.
** Marty's mother waking him up at the start of Episode 1, which makes it a GoodMorningCrono
** Marty's experience with the amplifier, except that in this example, he uses it against Biff. Meanwhile, Biff using the amplifier mirrors Marty's actions from the first film. Marty even mentions that it took him forever to fix it after the last time he blew it out.
** Marty arrives at 1986!Edna's apartment being towed on his skateboard by a pickup truck, like he does in the first film.
** The first scene in the Soup Kitchen is the per-requisite bar scene, complete with "Hey [=McFly=]!", a Tannen scolding a relative [=McFly=] for his incompetence, and even a reference to the ''original'' scene by having Kid Tannen look towards Marty and say "What are you looking at, punk?". It's also notable that the [=McFly=] relative, as in 1955, is minding his own business and simply eating at the start of the scene.
*** It also has a Tannen making an incorrect statement that is corrected by a person nearby. "I don't think Babe Ruth plays baseball anymore, boss."
** Marty clinging onto a vehicle being driven by Tannen mirrors the similar scene in ''Back to the Future Part II'', down to trying to secretly snare an important plot point without his noticing.
** If Marty turns on the TV in Doc's garage, he watches a short clip from Creator/CarlSagan's ''Series/CosmosAPersonalVoyage'' in which Carl wonders whether nature would allow a time traveler to prevent his own conception. Cue Marty looking over to his dad and smiling.
** Marty's dad mentions that sometimes, you gotta go out on a limb for the ones you love. Apt, given that he met his wife after falling from the tree branch from which he was spying on her.
# Episode 2:
** One area of this game has Marty having to [[NeverTheSelvesShallMeet avoid interaction with himself]], much like he did in ''Back to the Future Part II''.
** In 1986:
*** When going to the side door, Marty decides to "try the front door, just in case" something like in 1985-A (''BTTF Part II'') happens.
*** Marty telling something only ''he'' would know to his dad George: what he did when he was eight, or how George met Lorraine.
*** During the Biff scene, a reference is made to when George punched Biff, and when Biff crashed into a manure truck - apparently a more recent crash than the one in 1955, prompting a confused Marty to ask, "Which one?"
** Looking at the gazebo in the daytime in 1931 has Marty mention his band, the Pinheads, from the first film.
** Young Emmett mentions requiring 1.21 kilowatts for an experiment. Later, when preparing to use his prototype flying car, he says [[IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect a line similar to one that Doc says]] in the first film (and in Episode 1).
** Emmett says that his flying car could make accidents and traffic jams a thing of the past. He's completely ''wrong;'' as seen in the second movie, the airways could suffer from accidents as almost caused by the [=DeLorean=] spontaneously appearing in traffic, and one look at a billboard told Doc it would take them "forever" to reach Hilldale because the ''skyway'' was jammed.
** In the new speakeasy:
*** Marty tries to sing "Johnny B. Goode" on the microphone.
*** Marty almost orders a Pepsi at the bar.
# Episode 3:
** Marty {{lampshades}} that he's destroyed the car ''again'', and really shouldn't be allowed to drive it anymore. Note also that when Marty asks alt-1986![[spoiler:Jennifer]] for a lift into town, she drives past him -- just like the elderly couple in the first film.
** When Marty finds his dad George, he says, "He's a peeping tom!" There is also a box of peanut brittle (referencing a deleted scene from the first film).
** Marty mentions the time he set fire to the living room to his mom Lorraine.
** Marty can say: "Rock n'roll is my density-- er, destiny!"
*** This is just one of several possible random lines of dialog from that scene, the best being, "He might be good with the guitar but I ''invented'' Rock and Roll!"
** Biff messes up a turn of phrase and gets corrected by someone else (who calls him an idiot in the process).
** Biff stands up tall against Marty as in the films.
** When talking to Citizen Brown about the [=DeLorean=] time machine, Marty says "You built a time machine... out of a [=DeLorean=]!" identically to the way he said it in ''Back to the Future'' (and subsequently Episode 1's opening), emphasis and all.
*** Not to mention that Marty tries to restate what Doc meant to tell him about the [=DeLorean=]'s steel frame being perfect for time travel, also from ''Back to the Future''... except he doesn't know ''exactly'' what that is.
** Citizen Brown derisively calls Marty "Time Travel Boy" before kicking him out of his office. He is imitating 1955!Doc, who mocked Marty by calling him "Future Boy".
# Episode 4:
** Jennifer notes Marty is wearing Calvin Klein underwear.
--->'''Jennifer:''' "''Really?''"
** George decks a security guard harassing Lorraine, as Marty commends, "Alright, Dad!"
** Marty has to [[NeverTheSelvesShallMeet hide Citizen Brown from his past self]], giving him a technobabble explanation similar to the one Doc gave Marty so long ago.
** When Marty picks up a can of leftover chemicals from the rocket car in Emmett's lab:
--->'''Marty:''' "Gross!"
--->'''Emmett:''' "Accounting doesn't enter into it!"
** [[spoiler: After Citizen Brown took six months to fix the time machine and went back to get Marty, he mentions that the time machine repairs involved his family fortune and "a sketchy deal with some Libyan nationalists". The same things used to build the time machine originally.]]
** Marty, his guitar, and giant amps once again play a part in the story.
*** Not to mention that the final puzzle of the episode involves Emmett, the clocktower, and an oncoming lightning storm.
** The Mind Map card on top of the stack is one taken from Red Thomas, Hill Valley's mayor-turned-bum. There's also a poster asking people to re-elect him at the Science Fair.
** Emmett's photo album is titled "Von Braun Family", which Doc said was his family's name when they came to the U.S. before changing it to "Brown" during WWI.
** One of Emmett's boxes for the expo is a Peabody apples box. Peabody was the farmer in the first film who was obsessed with pine trees.
** Marty, at the "Hill Valley of the Past" diorama, looks at a T-Rex model and mutters, "If this thing is called a Tannenosaurus..." The animated series ''did'' feature a dinosaur Biff.
# Episode 5:
** For starters, the title: The other four titles have been straightforward in their explanations, but the finale is simply called 'OUTATIME'. It makes sense when you remember that's what's spell out in the [=DeLorean=]'s License Plate.
** Marty wakes up in his trademark sleeping pose from the movies. Once again, it's Emmett Brown's phone call which jolts him awake.
** One of the exhibits at the science fair is "Enlightenment Under the Sea".
** [[spoiler: Great-grandpa Willy makes an appearance - voiced by ''Michael J. Fox!'']]
--->[[spoiler: '''Marty:''' "Hey! That was my great-grandpa Willy! He peed on me!]]"
** "He stole his wallet! I think he stole his wallet!"
** Art says you have to ''go out on a limb'' for the ones you love. His son took that to heart.
** The final scene of Episode 5 [[spoiler: pays homage then outright goes UpToEleven in its parody of the final scene of the first film.]]
** [[spoiler:Crazy hermit Edna's primitive alarm system includes a couple of Frisbie pie tins. Marty of course uses one of these as a frisbee to disarm Buford Tannen in 1885.]]
** The final playable sequence involves Marty clinging to a vehicle from the outside once again. It's not driven by a Tannen this time, but [[spoiler: the hoverboard makes a triumphant return]]!
*** A final conflict without a Tannen? MADNESS. [[spoiler:Actually not, Edna Strickland, the driver, is destinated to become one in the final timeline shown when we go back to 1986, and a happy one too for the bonus.]]
** Speaking of Tannens, [[spoiler:Beauregard Tannen is actually a Tannen ''from'' the animated series!]]
** Doc mentioned Verne [[spoiler:having a 21st century video game console cache, which included an Xbox 360. This alludes to how, in The Animated Series, Verne was a huge video game addict]].
# Throughout the series:
** OncePerEpisode, Marty using the classic "[[LookBehindYou What the hell is that?!]]" and pointing behind who he's talking to.
*** In Episode 5, ''[[spoiler: Edna]]'' pulls it off. Marty actually ''falls for it''. Officer Parker {{lampshades}}, "One of these days, I really should stop falling for that!"
** Kid Tannen winds up going into a pile of manure, of course. No "I hate manure" line, though.
* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailer for Episode 4 that's found at the end of Episode 3 shows [[spoiler:Marty telling alt-1986!Jennifer that he's from an alternate timeline]]. This never happens in the actual game.
** Not to mention three other aspects of that trailer: [[spoiler:Citizen Brown talking to Edna, Marty still wearing his regular outfit in 1931, and the Science Expo not being hinted at ''once'']].
*** Really, though, the entirety of that trailer should be ignored.
* [[spoiler: [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Villain:]]]] [[spoiler: Edna's efforts in trying to burn down Beauregard Tannen's saloon end in utter disaster. Namely, the destruction of '''Hill Valley itself'''.]]
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Doc Brown's father looks strikingly like Theodore Roosevelt.
* NotSoDifferent: Marty's playing mediator between Young Emmett and Judge Brown eventually reveals that the Judge went through the same thing with ''his'' father, except it was about his decision to come to America rather than Emmett's pursuit of science. This realization is what gets the Judge to let his son take his own path in life.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: [[spoiler: Edna Strickland, who goes from being a batty old kook in Episode 1 and Doc's love interest in Episode 2 to becoming the BigBad in Episode 3 and beyond.]] Making the transition so awesome is that [[{{Foreshadowing}} the game drops constant hints]] that are easily missed, and replaying the game brings an new appreciation for [[spoiler: Edna's character]].
** A few scenes near the end of Episode 2 imply that [[spoiler:''she'' was the one responsible for the speakeasy explosion Doc got framed for in Episode 1. She denies having to do anything with it when asked, but in Episode 5, it's revealed she was indeed responsible - AND pinned it on "Carl Sagan"]].
* OffTheWagon: Alt-1986!George suspects Marty's mom of this.
* OhCrap: Both Marty and Doc have a ''huge'' one in Episode 5 when [[spoiler: Edna changes the timeline.]]
** [[spoiler: Don't forget the end with 3 Future Alternative Marty's!]]
** Earlier on, Episode 2 sees Doc have one [[spoiler: as he realizes that his past self is now getting romantically involved with Edna, which in turn is drastically changing history... leading him to disappear and Marty to appear in a new 1986 where Hill Valley is now in a totalitarian state]].
* OppositesAttract: [[spoiler: Edna and Kid Tannen end up together.]]
* OurFounder: In the alternate Hill Valley, Emmett's "heroic" triumph over Kid Tannen is immortalized in a bizarre art deco statue. Marty adjusts it to block a security camera's [[InsecurityCamera line of sight]].
* PersonaNonGrata: Emmett's DieselPunk [=DeLorean=] gets him banned from the Science Expo for fifty years. Which, as it turns out, would be 48 years longer than Hill Valley had a Science Expo left to ban him from.
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler: A literal example in Episode 5. How happy is Edna? She loves Einstein and is Emmett's dogwalker!]]
* PlotDrivenBreakdown: After the [=DeLorean=] is fixed in Episode 4, Marty and Citizen Brown reenter 1931, [[spoiler: and learn instead of August, they landed on ''October'', right before the '''''Hill Valley Expo''''']], the only reason why they don't just go back to an earlier date is the same reason why they have this current problem: [[spoiler: the time circuits are broken... only now more so.]]
* PoliceState: The alternate universe's Hill Valley.
* PyroManiac: In Episode 5, [[spoiler: we learn Edna was... aroused by the sight of the speakeasy in flames.]]
* ThePowerOfRock: A few guitar licks is all that's needed to snap [[spoiler:Jennifer!A]]'s brain back to normal.
* PuppyDogEyes: Edna lays this trope on Young Emmett, provoking a hilarious [[TheUnsmile attempt at a smile]].
* [[PressXToNotDie Quick Time Sequence]]:
** One is cleverly implemented in Episode 1, in which Emmett hints which gadget to use to create the fuel for the Rocket-Powered Drill.
** Two more are each at the beginning and end of Episode 2. Marty must move around the [=DeLorean=] before Danny Parker reaches him, and later must close young Emmett's flying car's top at the right time.
** Episode 3's final scene.
* RaceAgainstTheClock: This happens in Episode 4. [[spoiler:On the Courthouse summit, Young Emmett is stuck on a rope that prevents him from falling to his death. It's up to Marty to save Doc once again.]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Marty ''has'' to deliver one to Emmett in order to motivate him and set his life back on track. Goes with the "CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption" example up above.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Det. Parker.
** Surprisingly, [[spoiler: First Citizen Brown seems intent on getting to the root of Marty's sudden rule breaking and tries to be friendly with him, rather than being the iron-fisted dictator the previews and most of the episode implied. He's reluctant to believe Marty's story, but can't argue when Marty points out the facts. Edna, the ''real'' iron-fisted dictator, even complains about his softness. Ultimately, this results in the two of them turning on each other.]]
** 1931's Officer Parker becomes this in Episode 5.
* RedScare: [[spoiler: Edna uses fear of Anarchists to blackmail the police, dubbing Marty Yakov Smirnoff.]]
* RefusalOfTheCall: In Episode 1, Emmett at first refuses to go along with Marty's attempts to get him to work on his Rocket-Powered Drill for fear of his father, Judge Brown, finding out his love of science and distaste for law.
* ReversePsychology: Towards the end of Episode 4, when Emmett is sitting on the clock tower ledge and thinking about giving up on science, Marty starts to hurl insults at him, hoping that Emmett will be provoked into reconsidering his stance. [[spoiler: It works perfectly.]]
* RippleEffectIndicator: Several, starting with Marty's family photo.
* RuleOfSymbolism: When Marty [[spoiler:crashes right through the billboard sign in Citizen Brown, punching a hole where the clock was on the billboard along with having broken the timeline,]] he remarks to himself, "[[SarcasmMode Subtle. Real subtle, Marty.]]"
* ScaryShinyGlasses: First Citizen Brown, as he's depicted in his propaganda posters.
** A picture in Citizen Brown's office shows them on [[NotSoDifferent Judge Brown]], too.
* ScienceIsBad: Citizen Brown blames his science for turning [[spoiler: Edna]] so corrupt in the future. He's wrong, of course, but he's unlikely to listen to reason...
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler: Marty and Doc's reaction to the three different future Marties is to jump in the Delorean and bolt.]]
* ScriptSwap: Marty has to engineer two simultaneous variants in Episode 2, one with sheet music for various piano songs and one with lyrics to one of those songs.
* SeeYouInHell: Spoken to Beauregard Tannen by [[spoiler:Edna]].
-->'''Beauregard:''' "You first, lady."
* SequelHook: [[spoiler: Besides the classic "To Be Continued", the game ends with three future Marties showing up. Telltale did not announce a sequel, but hasn't ruled it out - so the "To Be Continued" could actually be followed up on, or it could simply be a nod to the VHS release of the original film that included the same SequelHook.]]
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: A ''continuing'' plot for the series. The story opens with Marty trying to rescue Doc, but this leads to further problems as Marty's interactions in the past just cause the present to break down even further. A major case happens in Episode 3, [[spoiler: where almost all the events from the movies never happened]].
** ''Completely'' [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructed]] in Episode 4, where [[spoiler:Citizen Brown calls Marty out on the fact that, according to his "right" timeline, Edna winds up alone and miserable. Citizen Brown goes off to save Edna with his ''own'' SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong plan by making sure that Young Emmett winds up with Edna, but she doesn't corrupt him]].
*** It gets reconstructed by the end of Episode 5, though; [[spoiler:in the final timeline, Emmett and Edna aren't together, but the latter is neither alone nor miserable.]]
* ShootHimHeHasAWallet: Marty almost ends up on the business end of this trope in Episode 2 when he pulls out a [[spoiler:gun-shaped lighter]] in the middle of Tannen's speakeasy, and immediately finds himself staring down the barrels of several guns simultaneously.
-->'''Matches''': "Don't. Even. Blink."
-->'''Marty''': ''(puts his hands up)'' "It's not a real gun, it's not a real gun, I swear!"
* ShoutOut:
** In Episode 1:
*** The ''Film/WeirdScience'' poster on Marty's wall.
*** Marty also has a [[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice "Greetings from the Moon"]] postcard on his wall.
*** Mario Bros. Charity.
*** Marty's choice of an alias are [[Series/MiamiVice Sonny Crockett]], [[DirtyHarry Harry Callahan]], and [[Film/TheGodfather Michael Corleone]], all names of famous characters in crime fiction. On top of ''that'', Marty also has the option of quoting said Callahan before giving his name.
*** Doc has the alias Creator/CarlSagan in 1931. Additionally, the TV in Doc's garage plays a clip from ''Series/CosmosAPersonalVoyage''.
*** Edna screams out the window, "Jack! Diane! I know what you're doing behind that tree!", a reference to the song ''Jack and Diane''.
*** The next thing Young Emmett says after introducing himself is that he's "a law clerk, not a doctor!", and Marty later threatens to award the patent for the rocket-powered drill to one [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Dr. McCoy]].
** In Episode 2:
*** Doc mentions having hidden the [=DeLorean=] in a [[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice DeSoto]] lot, keeping it safe because no one is buying cars in the Depression-era economy.
*** When trying to get into the speakeasy, Marty can say that he's "selling these [[Film/TheLastCrusade fine]] [[VideoGame/MonkeyIsland leather]] [[Creator/LucasArts jackets]]."
*** One of the gangsters in Kid Tannen's gang is named "[[BillyZane Zane]]."
** In Episode 3:
*** When [[spoiler:Alt-1986!Jennifer]] spots Marty's [=DeLorean=] in a billboard, she asks whether he's [[TheDukesOfHazzard Luke or Bo]].
*** [[Music/TheBeatles Helter Skelter]] is mentioned [[spoiler:by Alt-1986!Jennifer]].
*** Marty can have this exchange with any security box:
--->'''Marty:''' "[[ANewHope We're fine here, we're all fine now, thank you. How are you?]]"
*** Also, the [[CosmeticAward PS3 trophy]] for diving into the decycling bin is called "Into the garbage chute, [=McFlyboy=]".
*** If you examine Marty's guitar in his inventory, he'll say "[[Film/FullMetalJacket This is my axe. There are many like it, but this one is mine.]]"
*** [[spoiler:The "Citizen Plus" program is eerily similar to the brainwashing in ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', as seen with Biff (who becomes physically ill at the mere thought of "bad behavior") and Doc (who ends the episode strapped to a chair with his eyes pried open).]]
*** A box of floppy disks includes one labeled [[WarGames WOPR]]. Another is labeled "LOGO" and features an image of a turtle; LOGO is a programming language used for "turtle graphics" that was used by many educational facilities in the 1980s.
*** A portrait of [[spoiler:Citizen Brown and [[InsistentTerminology Mrs. Citizen Brown]]]] resembles [[AmericanGothicCouple American Gothic.]]
*** When examining a [[ConspicuouslyLightPatch noteworthy]] (but ultimately useless) brick for the first time, Marty exclaims that it's [[PinkFloyd just another brick in the wall]].
*** When you go down the garbage chute and land in the dumpster, one of the items that flies out is [[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice a Banang bottle]].
*** Near the end when Marty is trying to avoid getting beaten up by [[spoiler:an un-brainwashed Biff]], he decides to start throwing vinyls at him from a nearby box as he advances slowly. [[Film/ShaunOfTheDead Sound familiar?]]
** In Episode 4:
*** Jennifer remarks Marty is "[[Franchise/StarWars a little short for a Stormtrooper]]." Since ''Franchise/StarWars'' had been released in theaters at that point, Jennifer is probably {{lampshading}} the situation.
** In Episode 5: Marty is called [[spoiler: Yakov Smirnoff, while Edna herself goes by Mary Pickford, which makes perfect sense since Pickford was a famous actress in 1931 whose name no one would recognize in the 1870's.[[note]]Mainly because she wouldn't be born until 1892. Close than Clint Eastwood, though.[[/note]]]]
* ShownTheirWork: The environments are mostly extremely detailed reproductions of classic scenes from the movie, such as Doc's lab (complete with the speaker that Marty blows up in the beginning of the first movie) and the ''Lone'' Pine Mall in the first episode. Even the flying [=DeLorean=] has the flashing green lights underneath it, which were only seen once in the second film.
** Doc tells Marty that his inspiration for deciding to become a scientist was seeing ''Film/{{Frankenstein 1931}}'' for the first time. When he goes [[spoiler: on a date with Edna instead]] he sees ''The Virtuous Husband'' instead. This was a real movie released in the same year as Frankenstein. (It was a comedy about how a man marries at a young age and bases all of his marriage decisions on advice written in letters from his dead mother. The wife can't stand it and eventually burns them, and the man grows more tolerable.)
* ShootTheHostage: [[spoiler:In Episode 5, 1986A! Citizen Brown has hidden 1931! Emmett Brown inside a bathysphere and poses as Jacques Doutoux, and wouldn't let Marty near the bathysphere. Marty steps on the bathysphere's hose, cutting off oxygen to Emmett in order to get Brown, who begins to painfully fade away, to release him.]]
* SigilSpam: The "human with arms raised" symbol in alt-1986. [[spoiler: When Citizen Brown sees the notebook, he realizes the similarity to the Flux Capacitor, suggesting that he may have subconsciously based one on the other.]]
* SlapSlapKiss: As soon as Emmett and Edna start hurling vitriolic insults at each other, you know there's going to be trouble.
** Inverted with Edna and [[spoiler:Kid Tannen]] in the finale.
* TheSlowPath: [[spoiler: Edna!1800's.]]
* SoapBoxSadie: Edna Strickland is arguably a Deconstruction. Her protests and general prudishness are harmless enough as a young woman, but when [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans she]] [[ShadowDictator gets]] [[MoralEventHorizon older...]]
** ...well, it depends on the timeline. In the normal one, she becomes an absent-minded CrazyCatLady who lives by herself in a second-story apartment and is always using a megaphone to yell at hooligans from her window.
** Although [[spoiler:she wasn't as harmless as a teen/young adult as she initially lets on...]]
* SoWasX: Though Citizen Brown admits [[spoiler: Edna]]'s methods were horrible, he reminds Marty that [[spoiler: she]] started with good intentions. Marty retorts, "So did [[TheCaligula Nero]]!"
** {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: Edna ''does'' burn down a city despite having good intentions!]]
* StartXToStopX: Though not deliberately, [[spoiler:Edna Strickland]] winds up destroying [[spoiler:Hill Valley]] in an attempt to "save" it!
* StealthPun: The "Plant Recorder"? It's a listening device you ''plant'' someplace!
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Arthur [=McFly=] looks and sounds just like George [=McFly=] (both being based on Crispin Glover's performance in the film). Artie's father, William, is once again played by Michael J. Fox, who had previously portrayed him in a photo shown in the third film (even though Marty himself is actually voiced by AJ [=LoCascio=]). This leads one to believe that if the pattern continues, since Marty's son will end up looking like Michael J. Fox, his grandson and great-grandson will look like Crispin Glover, and so on.
** Also, Kid Tannen is basically just Biff with a moustache and zoot suit.
* AStormIsComing: A thunderstorm rolls in during Marty's premonitory dream in Episode 1.
* SuperMultiPurposeRoom: Kid's concealable speakeasy.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The character of Leech was originally intended as Needles, but was altered for budgetary reasons (presumably, they couldn't afford to use Flea's likeness).
** In addition, the voice actor just wasn't able to get the voice of Needles down, but could handle Leech properly.
* TakeAThirdOption: Episode 4. [[spoiler: Citizen Brown suggests that instead of destroying his timeline to restore Marty's, they try to find a "best of both worlds" approach, letting him marry Edna but trying to temper her zeal. Marty rejects the idea, which leads to Brown's FaceHeelTurn. In the end, they both get what they want: Marty's timeline is restored, but Edna ends up HappilyMarried (just not to Doc) and mellowed out rather than the CrazyCatLady she was originally.]]
* TakeMyHand: Doc hoisting Marty back into the [=DeLorean=] at Episode 5's climax. The geezer's got a pretty strong arm.
* TakingTheBullet: When Edna carjacks the [=DeLorean=], a fading [[spoiler:Citizen Brown]] shoves Marty out of the way. The camera [[BloodlessCarnage cuts away]], revealing that he's been fatally struck by the car.
* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: Doc's tape in Episode 1 and the billboard PA in Episode 3.
* ThatDidntHappen: Check the You Didn't See That entry below.
* ThemeTuneCameo: A part of "Back In Time" is on the jukebox at Doc Brown's estate. The entire first verse can be played in-game, and the entire song is played during the end credits of Episode 5.
** Only problem with trying to play it on the jukebox is that Biff constantly gets in the way. It isn't until you get Marty to talk to George about how he can take care of himself that you're able to play it in the background, as Biff is now generous enough to turn it on for you.
* ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels: Marty's realization that he's seen his [[spoiler:future grandmother]] naked.
* ThrowABarrelAtIt: Kid is undone by a loose [[{{Irony}} barrel of alcohol]], whilst Edna is apprehended with a barrel of pickles.
* TimTaylorTechnology: Young Emmett's rocket-powered drill in Episode 1. [[spoiler:In a subversion, it ''completely fails'' at its intended purpose and just explodes when Marty tries to use it, but the rocket segment remains intact. Marty attaches the rockets to a bicycle in order to chase down Kid Tannen, and this application of Tim Taylor Technology ''does'' work]].
** [[spoiler: Then there's Emmett's flying car in Episode 5. '''''KABOOM!''''']]
* TimeTravelTenseTrouble:
-->'''Marty:''' "Marty [=McFly=] ''A dork?'' He '''can't''' be a dork!"
-->'''[[spoiler:Jennifer!A]]''': "OK, anyone who talks about himself [[ThirdPersonPerson in the third person]] ''is'' a dork!"
* TimeshiftedActor: Young Emmett is voiced by Creator/JamesArnoldTaylor; also, Young and Old Edna each have their own voice actress.
** AJ [=LoCascio=] plays Marty throughout the game. In Episode 5, Michael J. Fox finally joins in as William [=McFly=], in addition to [[spoiler:the three older future Martys at the very end of the game.]]
* TitleDrop: Subverted when [[spoiler: Crazy!Edna]] acts like she's in the past.
--> '''[[spoiler: Crazy!Edna]]''': "Here they come! The lights! I'm being transported!"
--> '''Doc''': "Where?"
--> '''[[spoiler: Crazy!Edna]]''': "BACK! ''*steps out of [[spoiler: broken [=DeLorean=]]]*'' Back...to the past."
* TookALevelInBadass: (Episode 3) [[spoiler:Punk rock Jennifer in 1986-Alternate is far hotter than her "normal" timeline counterpart.]]
** TookALevelInJerkass: [[spoiler:And she's also kind of a bitch. This could also be a case of becoming a BrokenBird because of the terrifying dystopia she's grown up in.]]
* TrappedInThePast: Doc in Episode 1, before Marty comes to 1931 to rescue him. Unfortunately, Marty has his work cut out for him since Doc is trapped in jail.
* [[DoubleEntendre Triple Entendre]]: The Episode 1 title "It's About Time", which can be interpreted as Marty's reaction to seeing Doc again, as well as the widespread reaction to news of a new ''Back to the Future'' game. (Or a good one anyway.)
** It could also be a case of ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - aka "It (the game) is about time."
* UncleSamWantsYou: '''''YOU''''' could be a Citizen Plus!
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Episode 3, "Citizen Brown", ''and HOW''. [[spoiler: Edna Strickland convinces Emmett Brown of this, though she goes even further than ''he'' would.]]
* TheVoice: Judge Brown in the first episode. Even in the Browns' family portrait, you can only make out his [[SinisterSilhouettes silhouette]].
** He does appear in Episode 5.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Judge Brown.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Citizen Brown, especially by the end of episode 4.]]
** In Episode 5, [[spoiler: Edna reveals she was the speakeasy arsonist, and did it out of moral outrage. Upon traveling back to the 1800's, she unhesitatingly burns down a saloon for similar reasons, accidentally taking the rest of Hill Valley with it.]] If that's not well-intentioned AND extreme, nothing is.
* WhamLine: Episode 4: [[spoiler: "How much do you know about *insert Marty's alias here*?"]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
** In episode 5, what happened to the French diver after Doc stole his outfit?
*** Presumably he was hidden somewhere in his booth, because it'd be kind of hard for Doc to drag an unconscious body through a crowded expo hall without drawing attention.
*** You mean like [[spoiler:he presumably dragged his younger self TO that booth]]?
* WhatTheHellHero: In Episode 4, [[spoiler:Citizen Brown makes Marty feel ''really'' bad about the fact that reverting history will leave Edna lonely and unhappy.]] Can also double as WhatTheHellPlayer.
** Also in the next episode where [[spoiler:Marty has to threaten Citizen Brown with suffocating Young Doc to death in order to free him from imprisonment. It might've been a bluff, but Citizen Brown only gives in a few minutes after he's started.]]
* WhatYearIsThis: Marty ends up resorting to this in Episode 3, despite the time display still working. Likely the result of denial due to the severe differences between the alternate 1986 and the original timeline.
** And then again in Episode 4, because the time display ''isn't'' working as well as he thought.
* WhichMe: [[spoiler:The trio of bickering Martys]] in the pre-credits scene. SequelHook?
* [[WhosOnFirst Who's On First?]]: In Episode 1:
--> '''Marty:''' "''Nice bike. Huffy?''"
--> '''1931 Edna:''' "''Huffy? I'm not huffy, I'm passionate!''"
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Edna is petrified of dogs; Naturally, Marty sics Einstein onto to her at every opportunity. In the alternate Hill Valley, she responds with a pitch-perfect [[InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers Donald Sutherland]] impression.
** ''[[[GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger points]]]'' "...doooooOOOOOOOOOOO'''''OOOOOOOOOOOOG! EEEEEEEK!!!!'''''"
** However, [[spoiler:the "Good" Edna in the ending of Episode 5 gets along great with Einstein and even takes him out for walks.]]
* YouBastard: [[spoiler:Young Emmett uses this verbatim against Marty, when he realizes that he's the one who's been messing up his entire life from the start. [[ReversePsychology Also, Marty even plays up the role, making himself out to be a sadistic Jerkass, so Young Emmett will snap out of his depression.]]]]
* YouCantFightFate: No matter what marriage Doc chooses with [[spoiler: Edna]], it turns out badly. [[spoiler: If Doc is pushed into leaving science, he becomes a successful industrialist and ''still'' has an acrimonious divorce with Edna, according to the newspaper.]]
* YouDidntSeeThat / ThatDidntHappen / MindScrew: The ending of Episode 5.
-->'''Doc:''' "Don't say anything. Let's just walk quietly into the lab and [[TemptingFate hope there are no more surprises.]]"
* YouMakeMeSic: While on her bullhorn, Edna corrects a vandal's misspelling of his graffiti.
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Practically every episode has ''at least'' one occurrence of this. To be fair, this ''is'' par for the course with Telltale games, ''but still''!
* {{Zeerust}}: At the Hill Valley Science and Technology Expo in Episode 4, Marty sees a "Hill Valley of the Future" tent speculating what Hill Valley will be like in 1981. (The scene takes place in 1931. Marty's from 1986.) The exhibit predicts underground cities, very Zeerust-esque architecture, and artificial rain and sunshine. Marty's comment: "I don't think I've visited THAT timeline yet..."
** ZeerustCanon: The ending of Episode 5: [[spoiler:Marty asks where did he and Doc get those headsets, which are quite obviously those of the Xbox 360 (Verne had them in his 21st century video game console cache), which hints that our contemporary times are canon. A second later, Marty gets his hoverboard from 2015, which proves that their 21st century is still like in the films. Either it somehow survived an unintended alteration of history that resulted in our own present-day, Doc picked up a new hoverboard from later in the future, or something advanced the world's technology, and quickly. Sometimes, handwaves are better...]]
*** Or, you know, [[spoiler:XBox 360s exist along with Hoverboards in the BTTF 2015 but just weren't seen.]]
----

** [[spoiler: After Citizen Brown took six months to fix the time machine and went back to get Marty, he mentions that the time machine repairs involved his family fortune and "a sketchy deal with some Libyan nationalists". [[CaptainObvious The same things used to build the time machine originally.]]]]

* SoapBoxSadie: Edna Strickland is arguably a Deconstruction. Her protests and general prudishness are harmless enough as a teenager, but when [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans she]] [[ShadowDictator gets]] [[MoralEventHorizon older...]]

*** Marty's choice of an alias are [[MiamiVice Sonny Crockett]], [[DirtyHarry Harry Callahan]], and [[Film/TheGodfather Michael Corleone]], all names of famous characters in crime fiction. On top of ''that'', Marty also has the option of quoting said Callahan before giving his name.

** Double Subversion: [[spoiler: Marty's Great-Grandpa Willy McFly looks a lot like the present-day Michael J. Fox, who voices him.]]

In December of 2010, over twenty years after the last ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' film came out, TelltaleGames had developed an episodic PointAndClick game series -- which involves both Bob Gale and Christopher Lloyd, the latter of who would be reprising his role as "Doc" Emmett L. Brown. The first episode, which begins a new chapter in the Back to the Future series, was released on PC and Mac in December 2010 to solid reviews, and subsequent episodes have been equally well received. Its plot revolves around working with a young Emmett Brown to save Doc from Prohibition-era Hill Valley and how Marty's efforts accidentally create a new timeline.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Back_To_the_Future_The_Game_5463.jpg

*** If you examine Marty's guitar in his inventory, he'll say "[[FullMetalJacket This is my axe. There are many like it, but this one is mine.]]"

** In Episode 5: Marty is called [[spoiler: Yakov Smirnoff, while Edna herself goes by Mary Pickford, which makes perfect sense since Pickford was a famous actress in 1931 whose name no one would recognize in the 1870's.]]

* DevelopmentGag: Not a gag relating to the development of the game, but to ''Back to the Future Part III''. In Episode 1, Marty can find an old photograph of Marshall Strickland in Edna Strickland's home. Edna states that he had been shot and killed by Buford Tannen. Marty (who, of course, had been to 1885 when Strickland was alive and who was instrumental in Buford being sent to prison) states that he doesn't remember that occurrence. While there's an in-story reason for this (he wasn't there when it happened nor informed of the events), the joke is actually a meta-joke about how the scene depicting Strickland's death was cut from the film.
** Episode 1 references a gag from the aborted Script/NumberTwo script, wherein Marty is arrested, and chooses the alias "Marty [=DeLorean=]" to get Doc's attention through the newspapers. In the video game, however, it's the other way around: Doc is arrested, and chooses the alias "Carl Sagan" to get Marty's attention through the newspapers.
** In Episode 3, George has a box of peanut brittle on his desk by the monitors. This refers to a deleted scene in the original Back To the Future where George displays what a wimp he is by being bullied into buying tons of peanut brittle. The only remnant of this in the final film is a shot of him pouring some into a bowl.

* TakeAThirdOption: Episode 4. [[spoiler: Citizen Brown doesn't want Edna to end up old and alone, which hints at his FaceHeelTurn.]]

* MulticoloredHair: Alt-1986![[spoiler:Jennifer]]. Rowr.

* [[spoiler:YouBastard: Young Emmett uses this verbatim against Marty, when he realizes that he's the one who's been messing up his entire life from the start. Also, Marty even plays up the role, making himself out to be a sadistic {{Jerkass}}, so Young Emmett will snap out of his depression.]]

** TookALevelInJerkass: [[spoiler:And she's also kind of a bitch. This could also be a case of becoming a BrokenBird because of the terrifying dystopia she's living in.]]