Hundred Metres Back is a single-player indie simulation game set in the city of Kellsport during autumn and winter 1999. Players take on the role of a bomb disposal operator who handles suspicious items that appear in public spaces while everyone else stays at a safe distance. The experience centers on operating DRAY, a slow and heavy robot, from the confines of a police van equipped with joysticks, switches, and old CRT monitors.
Gameplay
The core loop follows a clear sequence for each call-out. A printer delivers the ticket with the location and any details noted by the caller. Players then steer the robot through evacuated areas using a grainy night-vision feed, where the radio signal can weaken over distance or behind obstacles. Once near the item, they position an X-ray panel with the claw, expose the image, and examine the developing scan line by line to identify components such as batteries, clocks, phones, switches, or more ambiguous objects.
Decisions follow identification. Players can aim a disruptor at a critical part, use the basket to carry the item away, or detonate it in place if no safer option exists. A radio report closes the job, with the printer producing a graded summary. Mistakes trigger a white screen followed by a CCTV replay of the outcome. The Long Walk option activates for items beyond robot reach, requiring the operator to don a suit and walk the distance while paying out a firing cable.
Everything in the game, from models and textures to sounds and music, is produced by the game's own code rather than external assets. Accessibility options include flash reduction, a camera shake slider, LED pattern adjustments, text-based sound cues, hold-to-fire toggles, and full key rebinding. Keyboard and mouse serve as the primary controls, with partial controller support available. Graphics quality adjusts automatically on first launch but can be set manually.
Game Modes
The campaign consists of 29 structured call-outs spread across four districts plus three final jobs on Millennium Night. Locations include an underground car park, a Victorian railway station, a rainy high street, and foggy docks, with the last tasks running against the clock toward midnight on New Year's Eve. Completion typically requires four to six hours on a first playthrough.
Night Shift provides an endless sequence of procedurally generated jobs with a three-strikes limit. Daily Call offers one shared generated job each day that players attempt once for a scored result. Fourteen robot upgrades become available over time, and a Casebook records every X-ray image encountered for later reference.
Setting and Atmosphere
The game places players inside a cramped van filled with flickering monitors and mechanical controls during late 1999. Districts change with weather and time of day, from rain-slicked streets to fog-bound docks. The procedural generation in extra modes keeps each shift distinct while the campaign delivers a fixed sequence of incidents. No one is ever harmed in the simulation because every area is evacuated before arrival, allowing focus on the technical process and the consequences of errors shown through replays.
Is It Worth Playing?
Hundred Metres Back suits players who enjoy deliberate, technical simulation experiences with a strong emphasis on observation, decision-making under limited information, and procedural variety. The campaign offers a contained narrative arc through its 29 jobs, while Night Shift and Daily Call extend play with repeatable generated content. Upgrades and the Casebook add progression and reference material for repeated attempts. The game runs on PC with adjustable graphics and accessibility features that support longer sessions. Those drawn to methodical single-player simulations centered on equipment operation and problem solving will find a focused experience here.
