Backtrace: Mechanisms for Forgetting announced for PC – pixel art yuri mystery and puzzle game inside a retro computer

San Francisco-based studio Petallix Games has announced Backtrace: Mechanisms for Forgetting, a pixel art yuri mystery and puzzle game inside a retro computer. It will be available for PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

Welcome to your first microcomputer!

It’s 1984, at the dawn of the personal computer revolution, and you, Lynn, are one of the lucky few with a personal computer of your own.

Log on night after night to uncover a story of internet exploits, Bulletin Board Systems, unexpected friendships, and a chaotic crew of 80s hackers.

Solve 2D grid-based puzzles to piece together the mystery behind the strange, sentient software you’re reluctantly becoming friends with. Unlock her memories and follow her through a past of love and loss.

The system is waiting. Are you ready to log in?

Key Features

• Explore a retro 1980s computer world.
• Follow a josei yuri romance and mystery.
• Solve clever grid-based puzzle challenges.
• Meet a stylish cast of hot evil women in suits.
• Hack into files and uncover hidden memories.
• Create and share your own puzzle levels and solutions.

Characters

• Simra Mukai (she / her) – Programmer. Cold and exacting ideals. Blacklisted but offered a rare second chance.
• Nell Laurel (they / them) – Neurobiologist. Sunny optimist. Pursuing a dream while living under the shadow of their parents.
• Amara Mohanty (she / her) – Director. Professional and calculating. She has little time for slackers or screw-ups, but her one soft spot is Nell.

Watch the announcement trailer below.

Announce Trailer