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ONE IN THE BACK

ONE IN THE BACK Game Cover
100%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:music, gameplay
100% User Score Based on 61 reviews

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ONE IN THE BACK Game Cover

About ONE IN THE BACK

ONE IN THE BACK is a single player casual puzzle game with horror, mystery and anime themes. It was developed by Mr. Jingo and was released on October 14, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

An escape-room styled series of puzzles await in the car that seems to contain neither rhyme nor reason. See if you can solve the mysteries of the photographs, and figure out what it means to be the One in the Back.

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ONE IN THE BACK screenshot
ONE IN THE BACK screenshot
ONE IN THE BACK screenshot
ONE IN THE BACK screenshot
ONE IN THE BACK screenshot
ONE IN THE BACK screenshot
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Reviews

100%Audience ScoreBased on 61 reviews
story10 positive mentions
  • Engaging and clever puzzles that are challenging without being frustrating, making the game enjoyable for puzzle and escape room fans.
  • Unique and appealing art style combined with atmospheric visual storytelling that intrigues players and adds depth to the experience.
  • Intriguing lore and story elements conveyed subtly through environment and non-verbal cues, enhancing immersion and curiosity.
  • The story is often unclear or convoluted, making it difficult for players to fully understand the narrative and character motivations.
  • Lack of a save system, causing frustration as interruptions require restarting the game from the beginning.
  • Strict requirement for a 16:9 screen ratio leads to issues with gameplay on other monitor sizes, including game-breaking bugs.

  • story

    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    59% positive mentions, 23% neutral mentions, 18% negative mentions

    The story is cryptic and largely ambiguous, conveyed mainly through visual and environmental storytelling rather than explicit exposition. While some players find the narrative intriguing and appreciate its mysterious tone and atmosphere, others struggle to piece together a coherent plot due to its fragmented and unclear presentation. Overall, the story enhances the game's mood but remains a puzzling enigma rather than a fully fleshed-out tale.

    • “The art and story left me really intrigued about these characters' backgrounds and curious about what the world is like.”
    • “Surprisingly good puzzle game, with an unusual progression, a cryptic and twisted story, and beautiful graphics comics-style.”
    • “The atmosphere is top notch and the visual storytelling really makes you want to know who these characters are and what is going on in the world.”
    • “There is a story, but it’s extremely unclear.”
    • “However, the story, if there actually is any and it's not just a collection of random ideas, is very convoluted, and I couldn't make heads or tails of it, just a very rough estimate from barely scraping little snippets it tried to convey.”
    • “Most of them either barely have any role in the story, or if they actually do, you still can't make sense of how.”

  • graphics

    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    63% positive mentions, 18% neutral mentions, 19% negative mentions

    The game features a distinct, hand-drawn, 2D art style that is widely praised for its charm and atmosphere, evoking a comic-like visual appeal. Reviewers appreciate the graphics for effectively complementing the game's puzzles and storytelling, creating an engaging and intriguing experience despite its short length. Some minor critiques note slight inconsistencies, such as the main menu differing from the overall art style, but overall the visuals are seen as a strong and inviting aspect.

    • “Surprisingly good puzzle game, with an unusual progression, a cryptic and twisted story, and beautiful graphics comics-style.”
    • “It’s not some ultra realistic 3D graphics, and that’s exactly what I enjoyed about it: a simple, hand drawn or just 2D world.”
    • “Good visuals, story told through environment/items instead of exposition, interesting puzzles.”
    • “My one (very minor) critique would be that the main menu graphic style seems a bit at odds with the rest of the game.”
    • “If you're averted by the art style or the fact that this is free (I am a low down dirty graphics and 'polish' snob), I hope you give this a shot and end up eating crow like I did.”
    • “The tone, art style, and secrets are comfortably enough to sustain your curiosity from start to end.”

  • music

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    The music is generally well-liked for its vibe and fitting atmosphere, but many note that there is only a single track, which becomes repetitive over time. While some praise its epic and cool qualities, others find it barely noticeable or underwhelming. Overall, the soundtrack adds to the experience but could benefit from more variety.

    • “The puzzles were all very intuitive and fun to figure out and the music was such a vibe to listen to while doing so.”
    • “It's a mix of epic battles, ancient mythology, and cool music that really rocks.”
    • “The art and music are great, and the puzzles are very clever and intriguing.”
    • “Music is acceptable, but there’s only a single main track, and it becomes repetitive quickly.”
    • “Decent music, but only one track.”
    • “Beautiful art, quite hard puzzles (especially the dice one), music... there was music?”

  • gameplay

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    40% positive mentions, 20% neutral mentions, 40% negative mentions

    The gameplay features intuitive and varied puzzles that are enjoyable, complemented by a unique mechanic of switching perspectives between characters. While not particularly innovative, the design of traveling between rooms is well-executed, making for a short and engaging riddle experience.

    • “The puzzles were all very intuitive and fun to figure out, and the music was a great vibe to listen to while doing so. I also found the switching of perspectives through the characters' eyes to be a really cool game mechanic.”
    • “A very good and short riddle game with nice mechanics.”
    • “The main mechanic to travel between 'rooms' and how it's introduced is good game design.”
    • “The puzzles are varied and mildly fun, though not especially innovative.”

  • atmosphere

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    75% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its stylish art style and immersive visual storytelling, creating a compelling and mysterious world that captivates players. The well-crafted ambiance, enhanced by collectible photographs and balanced puzzles, encourages players to explore and uncover the story behind the characters and setting.

    • “The atmosphere is top notch and the visual storytelling really makes you want to know who these characters are and what is going on in the world.”
    • “Very stylish, great atmosphere, and the puzzles are interesting and well-balanced.”
    • “I'm still not sure what it all means nor what the goal even was, but the atmosphere and various photographs you collect are enough to have a small grasp.”

  • character development

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The character development in the game is praised for its cool and impressive character design, contributing positively to the overall experience.

  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Players find the game surprisingly emotional, as it evokes thoughtful reflection through its use of photographs and character interactions, creating a meaningful and engaging experience despite being free.

    • “For a free game, this is a pretty good experience. You even get a little emotional when you look at the photographs and then look at the people in the car while slowly putting together the puzzle in your head.”
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ONE IN THE BACK is a casual puzzle game with horror, mystery and anime themes. Common tags for ONE IN THE BACK include indie, surreal, psychological, 2.5d, third person and others.

ONE IN THE BACK is available on PC and Windows.

ONE IN THE BACK was released on October 14, 2025.

ONE IN THE BACK was developed by Mr. Jingo.

ONE IN THE BACK has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked ONE IN THE BACK for its story but disliked it for its music.

ONE IN THE BACK is a single player game.

Similar games include Machinika Museum, Gorogoa, Birth, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, The Dream Machine and others.