Backbone

Tails Noir

Release Date: June 8, 2021

Adventure, noir, detective, 2D, Crime, dystopia, arcade elements, indie games, side-scroll, singleplayer

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Steam

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Adventure with elements of a sneaky and action game, in which we get to the retrofuturistic version of Vancouver inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. While playing in Backbone we play Howard Lotor's shed, which is a private detective who undertakes various tasks.

Story
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Backbone is an adventure game enriched with elements taken from stealth and action games. The title was developed by the independent studio EggNut. Its development was possible thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

Story

Backbone takes us on a journey into an alternative, retrofuturistic world dominated by anthropomorphic animals; society has been divided into layers, with monkeys in power. The story told in the game focuses on issues such as power, social corruption, and racial discrimination. During the game, we play as Howard Lotor the racoon - a private detective revealing the dark backstage of Vancouver, which is surrounded by a high wall that makes it impossible to leave its borders (which, however, does not constitute an obstacle for smugglers). The protagonist's relatively peaceful life is disturbed when he comes into possession of technology capable of demolishing the established order.

Mechanics

In Backbone the action is observed from the side. In the course of the game, we deal with the execution of various jobs. The game does not lead us by the hand, giving us freedom in the way we solve the cases. In the course of the game, we traverse the gloomy streets of Vancouver, collect evidence, interview witnesses in order to extract useful information from them, and solve environmental puzzles. From time to time, we also have to sneak into carefully guarded places, run away from chasing adversaries or even trail selected targets; , unlike most stealth games, in order not to be noticed, we must not only hide in the shadows but also mask our scent, for example by entering a trashcan. There is also the so-called Artefact, an ancient invention that provides the racoon with special skills; it can, for example, produce a bear's paw that attacks enemies.

Technical aspects

Backbone features pixel-art visuals, but thanks to the use of the Unreal Engine the developers managed to enrich it with modern effects of dynamic lighting. It is noteworthy that the devs have moved to the game the most characteristic places known from modern Vancouver. During the game we are accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack composed by Nikita Danshin, combining elements of jazz and electronic music.

Last updated on May 5, 2020

Videos and Screens

[1:01] Backbone console trailer

[1:23] Backbone trailer #2

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