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With Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis all but drawing a line through the possibility of another Back to the Future film, Jeffrey Ashbrook, a former Disney Imagineer, has taken it upon himself to deliver the next best thing. Originally known as Ari Buktu and the Anytime Elevator, Lifted is a fun, cinematic action-platformer featuring a central relationship so Doc and Marty-coded that it’s sure to please anyone who’s been longing for another time-hopping romp through the ages. With his studio, Adventure Works, Ashbrook plays fast and loose with time travel, keeping things fun and uncomplicated, in what is effectively the Back to the Future IV we never got.
The decision to open with a non-linear cold open, which, in all honesty, does nothing to benefit the tension or stakes, felt like a weird choice. However, in all, Lifted is a joyous adventure where Ari, the once titular hero, signs on to Professor Raventhorpe’s after-school experiment in the hope of a little extra credit. What follows is a roaring ride through history, specifically Ancient Egypt, as the professor searches high and low for a treasured tiara to gift to a special someone; all inspired by the power of love. Of course, there are lessons learned along the way, and I did dig the feelgood nature of the plot.
The concept of the Anytime Elevator is incredibly fun, and has enormous potential going forward, provided Lifted is successful enough to warrant a follow-up. It might lack the sex appeal of Doc Brown’s DeLorean, it feels rooted in a similar scientific curiosity while retaining the sturdy build of Bill and Ted’s timeless phone box.
Despite presenting as a more-involved action platformer, Lifted masks its overall simplicity through its excellent, cinematic camera use. In reality, Lifted is as basic a platformer as you can get in today’s age; movement exists on a two-dimensional plane with the locked camera careening stylishly to always offer up the best perspective on the current set-piece. What a roller coaster ride Lifted is as it packs in a veritable “greatest hits” of platforming tropes from action-packed chases to minecart rides that really heighten that thrilling sense of speed you’d get at a theme park.
Although Ari has a number of tricks and tools at his disposal, his leap remains his number one asset. The platforming itself felt like a bit of a throwback to classics like Crash Bandicoot, albeit with a dash of jank. One of the two “difficulty” options diminishes the challenge of both the platforming and the puzzles; however, having stuck with the default, I have no reluctance in saying Lifted serves up a welcome challenge when the stakes call for it—though a lot of the trouble I had during the story was a result of iffy animation pulling the handbrake on my rhythm.
Like any adventurer worth their salt, Ari has a very handy grappling hook, which can be used for many things, including swinging from anchor points and pulling trees over to create convenient log bridges, and I couldn’t find any fault with it as a tool. It was whenever Ari would swing from a beam that I found the animation awkwardly incomplete and I struggled to get a gauge on how far I’d progressed through a swing and it simply never looked or felt right. Similarly, whenever Ari rock climbs, using the convenient hand holds carved into the rock face, it was hard to get into a good flow which led to some bothersome sections late where speed was crucial to getting out unscathed as the world collapsed in one of Ari’s daring escapes.
Despite a few rough edges, Lifted has an undeniable confidence and charm that manages to cut through. Not only is it clever, it’s also funnier than I expected it could be. Despite the Professor being along Ari’s side every step of the way, he disappears throughout prolonged platforming sections only to reemerge, professing to have found an easier route—it’s a recurring gag that gets a lot of airtime and it made me laugh every time.
While there’s a linearity to each of the game’s levels, I do think the level design, and the variety of what’s on offer given it hops around quite a bit, is great. Whether through snow and cloud textures that react to Ari’s actions or a stunning turn to piracy in a stereotypical skull cave tucked into a stunning, tropical Tortuga beachfront, I feel like the team got the most out of the levels they packed in. Although far from unique, the character designs, which feature delimbed hands and feet floating in mid-air like Rayman, are undoubtedly Lifted’s most striking choice.
In case there was some doubt that Lifted was crafted in Back to the Future’s image, Ari’s denim and puffer combo are pulled—lifted, if you please—straight from the Marty McFly style guide. Even more incredible is how similar to Michael J. Fox Joe Gaudet, the actor playing Ari, sounds. It feels quite studied.
Although I do wish they stuck with Ari Buktu and the Anytime Elevator, which is a better, albeit wordier, title, Lifted was a genuine joy from beginning to end. Sure, it keeps things simple, with a platforming suite that’s outmatched in “basic” by its left-to-right, linear level design, but its expert use of camera to create spectacle, and confidence to hit on all of the hallmark moments that make up a great platformer left me pleasantly surprised by Lifted.
