Backpackward

This is more of a demo than an actual game. Literally none of the conflicts introduced in the story are resolved by the time it ends, and it ends on a cliffhanger note that strongly implies the action will continue in one or more future episodes.

The most interesting thing about it is the backpack for holding inventory, a cool graphical interface that forces the player to choose which items will be available in each part of the narrative. The backpack only holds so much (represented as a limited number of squares), and items take up squares in varying amounts and configurations. You've almost certainly seen this interface in other games before, but here the assortment of items is entertaining in itself. (Spoiler - click to show)(Should I ditch the bong to make room for the photograph of Burt Reynolds? Which is more likely to be useful in a medieval setting: a spade or a pack of cigarettes?) Although items can be rotated to allow denser packing, there is never enough room to take everything available.

The implication of that process is that the choice of available items will significantly alter the gameplay of each part, perhaps even going so far as to make a poor enough choice result in a loss. However, as far as I can tell none of the choices to be made by the player -- neither the choice of inventory items nor the standard action choices presented -- matter much at all. The plot is essentially unchanged regardless of which options are selected; only details at the margins are modified.

The writing was amusing in many places, and some of the jokes got genuine laughs, but after two playthroughs I think I've seen just about all it has to offer. Recommended as a quick diversion for those who like anti-heroes and mild absurdism, with the advice that there's no point in thinking hard about which path to take since any two paths will be 95% the same.

An edited version of a review originally posted at intfiction.org on September 24, 2025

I... did not enjoy this game, for multiple reasons. One was that it's buggy; it frequently referenced choices I hadn’t made and items I didn’t have with me. But much more significant was that it’s gross toward its female characters, including playing the idea of sexual assault for laughs.

BERT: Who has the gold?
SEWARD: The King. It is well-guarded, in the castle.
CICILIA: As is my sister. [...] I guess she was the beautiful one.

Cicilia later elaborates, "Every maiden, when she comes of age, must present herself at the castle. Some never return." And later we get very explicit clarification:

BERT: Is she being violated, there?
CICILIA: Of course.

However, Cicilia is not actually particularly concerned about her sister; she's more focused on aggressively flirting with the PC and fretting that she wasn't being beautiful enough to be taken. Besides the cavalier treatment of the sister being kidnapped, this is a case of a female character being written shallowly to prop up the male protagonist (who, frankly, has done nothing to deserve her attention except... be from the 21st century).

She winks. Is she flirting or suggesting that…
CICILIA: She’s the most beautiful girl in the village, you know. And unmarried. Unsullied. We think. A Wizard for a husband! What girl should be so lucky?
BERT: Are you trying to seduce me on behalf of your…
CICILIA: Legs like this!
CICILIA lifts her skirts.

Overall, I found the story and the main character actively unpleasant. His attitude made sense at the beginning, while he was being treated like crap at a miserable retail job, but he's also a total asshole to his mom and friends. He then gets rewarded with the opportunity to become a hero in a poorly-realized version of the medieval era. Very much not a game for me.

Backpackward is a portal fantasy that sees a slacker, low-motivation protagonist in the modern world finding an alternate world where he might actually make a name for himself.

Gameplay
In Backpackward, we play as a guy named Bert. The game begins right as we get fired from Jack of All Fruits, a ridiculous smoothie bar that requires employees to wear jester costumes and treat customers like royalty.

After a few more misadventures we reach home, only to be locked out by Bert’s mom. The solution? Sleep in the cellar of the house next door. It belonged to a neighbor named Jan, but she had recently moved out and sold the house, thankfully. You enter the cellar…

A vast rolling green expanse unfurls before you. There’s a PEASANT HUT just between you and the SHEEP BARN you’ve stepped out of. And the near horizon, framed in majestic sunlight, is a medieval CASTLE.

…only to find yourself in a fantasy land reminiscent of the Middle Ages. That’s right, Jan’s cellar contains a portal. And the key to this portal? Your crusty trusty JanSport backpack.

Puzzles
Each scene is interspaced with inventory management segments where you decide what to put in your backpack. This is done visually. The player drags icons of items into a backpack that has a grid layout. The layout requires the player to rotate and shuffle items around to make them fit, and some items will inevitably have to be left behind. You must decide what will give you the best advantage in the portal world.

The inventory limits add replay value because it’s fun to experiment to see what benefits come with each item you pack. Now, a lot of it is superficial in that it doesn’t transform the narrative. For example, (Spoiler - click to show)if you hide as Tech Bro leaves the mall, the sounds of your costume spook his dogs. Left the costume behind? You sneeze, scaring the dogs. No matter what, something will scare the dogs. The fun is finding the different ways of reaching the same outcome.

Or consider what you bring to the medieval world. Packing the (Spoiler - click to show)suckers allows you to make the three babies stop crying. It has no other impact on the gameplay, but I enjoyed seeing how the simplest of items have their own applications. (Make sure you pack the Cheetos for the final fight.)

I will say, the game underestimates the number of items you can put into a backpack when you really want to. If only it were a 1998 Urban Adventurer Streetwarrior TRIPLE-REINFORCED Lifestyle Management System by Jansport*.

*Cragne Manor reference.

Story/Characters
Bert has issues with anger. Gameplay choices are largely based on whether to act on this anger or to suppress it.

You breeze past NED. He is so startled at your sudden show of politeness, a Cheeto falls out of his open mouth.

However, we never get to dive deeper into Bert’s anger issues. So far, they merely set the gameplay’s tone. Being fired from Jack of All Fruits certainly didn’t help.

The portal is significant for Bert because unlike the real world on the other side of the portal, the people here regard him with awe because they believe he’s a wizard. We learn that the (Spoiler - click to show)land is ruled over by a womanizing King. The villagers would like to get rid of him but lack the confidence and resources to take on the King and his forces.

In other words, this is a chance for Bert to be the hero. For once. Plus, (Spoiler - click to show)Cicilia seems interested in him. We see him at his best here: resourceful and quick-thinking. It’s a nice change of pace after seeing him fumble his relationships and employment status.

On top of that, I liked the writing. It is loaded with cynicism and conveys the protagonist’s apathy and agitation. The NPCs (Ned with his Excel spreadsheets, Goth Girrrl, the Cheeto-eating cat) are entertaining and feed into Bert’s cynical narrative.

Endings
Or more like (Spoiler - click to show)ending. Just one. Spoilers, obviously.

Visuals
Overall, the game is well-organized and easy to read. Black screen with white/yellow text and yellow links. Dialogue is evenly centered in the middle of the screen and character names are clearly shown in BOLD. Small details like these provide a smoother experience.

As I said before, the Backpackward uses visual icons for packing your backpack. And they are polished. I was not expecting such a feature when I first started. Hovering over items provides more information, and the backpack’s grid lights up in either green or red as you try to fit everything inside. It really elevated the quality of the game and gives a great impression.

Final thoughts
Backpackward has a snarky attitude with sharply written characters that left me wanting more. Bert is entertaining even as a static character, and I like how the portal gives him the opportunity to make something of himself. Even if he doesn’t know what that would be. It’s also worth multiple playthroughs thanks to its inventory management system.

I want to give the game a higher rating, but the loose ends dented the experience. I think the game also shoehorns the player a bit too much in the gameplay, such as (Spoiler - click to show)forcing you to visit the gun store before the fireworks stand. That said, while I was disappointed to see the game end so abruptly, I look forward to any future installments.