Spine

Spine is a fast-paced action game, a cross between a shooter and a beat'em up inspired by Hong Kong action cinema and such movies as John Wick. It was developed by Nekki, known for Vector and Shadow Fight.

Plot

Spine is set in a cyberpunk world, in a city managed by the Tensor AI, which was meant to make it into a paradise. Though seemingly idyllic, the city is actually rotting from the inside, torn apart by conflicts between powerful factions. We play as Redline, a rebellious street artist trying to stand up to the oppressive system. She's not alone on her quest, being assisted by a sentient combat implant, the titular Spine.

Mechanics

Spine is a third-person game. Players will traverse various areas, ranging from city streets to building interiors. We can visit both the most beautiful parts of the futuristic city and its dirty nooks and crannies.

The primary gameplay mechanic is visually spectacular gun fu combat. Redline is a great melee combatant, beating the enemies senseless, disarming them and using their own guns against them. When backed into a corner, she can use nearby objects as improvised weapons. The player must stay moving to avoid enemy attacks and gunfire, countering their moves. Action cinema professionals supervised combat choreography and camera work, meaning each fight looks very impressive.

Technical aspects

Spine runs on the Unreal Engine 5, featuring extremely high-quality graphics. The character models, textures, lighting and animations are all very appealing - especially the protagonist's combat style, resembling a deadly dance.