Don't Look Back

The iOS port had initially been rejected by Apple due to its marketing material stating that "There are no in-app purchases or any of that nonsense". Journalists praised Don't Look Back overall, in particular its presentation. Jim Rossignol of Rock, Paper, Shotgun described Don't Look Back as "simplistic, but very tricky", adding "It's really well done". Indie game developer Derek Yu stated it is a moody game similar to Seiklus but "more focused and challenging", and that it is rewarding to play for fans of the genre. Tim Rose of IndieGames.com said the game is "simply quite brilliant" and "great platforming fun that deserves to be played". Madeline Blondeau of Paste magazine complimented the game's minimalist aesthetic, stating that it allowed for open interpretation that invoked personal feeling in players. The staff of online video game magazine The Escapist found the game addictive, "a perfect example of doing more with less", and stated it possesses a "wonderfully haunting aesthetic". In a positive examination of Don't Look Back, game designer Emily Short (writing for Gamasutra) described the game as "not a masterpiece", but she noted that it illustrates "the methods by which a masterpiece will one day be written." She also pointed to the fact that the difficulty of the game elevated it in a way that was impossible for traditional accounts of the Orpheus myth (opera, sculpture, painting, and literature). Through the struggle the player identifies with Orpheus on a much deeper level. Blondeau offered a similar viewpoint about the difficulty adding to the game's experience, claiming that the mechanic of traversing through the underworld backwards represented a diegesis in its gameplay. She also averred that through its interweaving of gameplay and narrative, the game exalted to a "cogent and meditative reflection on love, loss, and the agonizing liminal space between both". The game was included on game journalist Michael Rose's 2014 book 250 Indie Games You Must Play, and has been credited with bringing Cavanagh into mainstream recognition.