A strange top-down escape across a scrolling board where nothing left behind returns. Power up generators in order.
Can’t Get Back is an odd, moody escape game viewed from above on a tilted, glowing board. You guide a spinning shape over grass that keeps scrolling by. The twist is in the title: once something drifts far enough away, it is deleted, so you cannot go back for it. Your task is to find numbered generators and turn them on in sequence while dark squares chase you.
Every picture and sound in the game is made by code, and it all fit inside a 13-kilobyte contest entry from 2019.
Getting started
Press Space on the title screen. A brief story rolls past, and then you are dropped onto the board. A counter in the top corner tells you how many generators remain on the current level.
Look for gray machines labeled with numbers. Walk up to the next one in the sequence and press E. Turning one on also heals a heart if you have lost any.
The danger
Black squares with red outlines show up as you travel and glide in your direction. Getting touched takes away a heart and hurls you to another part of the board. You cannot destroy them. Your shots, fired with W, A, S and D, curve toward the closest square and knock it backward. A square is only gone for good when it is pushed off the edge.
Lose your final heart and a death screen appears. Space restarts the level, but every generator on it must be activated again.
Moving up
Finish all the generators and a new level begins. The color scheme changes, the music quickens, you gain an extra heart, and the sequence grows by one generator. The game keeps going for as long as you survive.
Strategy notes
- Check the little radar in the lower corner. Green dots are generators, red ones are enemies, and blue ones are pickups.
- When you spot the number you need, stay near it. Wander off and it may scroll away forever.
- Hold on to the medkit, a white crate marked with a red cross, until you are low, since it fills every heart.
- The green heart pickup adds a heart beyond your current total.
Press M to stop the music after its current loop, or L to switch to a low-detail mode on slower machines.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| Start the game or restart after dying | Space |
| Move | Arrow keys |
| Shoot up, left, down or right | W, A, S, D |
| Use a generator or pickup | E |
| Mute the music (after the current loop) | M |
| Low-detail mode for slow devices | L |
Can't Get Back FAQ
Can I play Can't Get Back on a phone or Chromebook?
A Chromebook or any computer with a keyboard works. Phones and tablets do not, since there are no on-screen buttons. You move with the arrow keys, shoot with W A S D, and use generators or pickups with E.
How long does a game last?
There is no last level. Each one you clear adds a generator and a heart, and the run continues until all your hearts are gone. How far you get is the real score.
What should I do if I keep getting swarmed?
Fire in the direction of the closest squares to shove them back, then look for pickups. The dark statue grants about eight seconds of immunity, and the blue SPD block gives a quick speed boost to escape.
Why does a generator say "Can't activate"?
Generators have to be turned on in number order. Only the one numbered right after your last activation will respond, so find 1 first, then 2, and so on.
