Tails: The Backbone Preludes

Tails: The Backbone Preludes is a narrative adventure game developed by the independent studio EggNut. The game is a prequel to Backbone from 2021.

Plot

Tails: The Backbone Preludes is set many years before the events depicted in Backbone. The game takes place in an alternate, dystopian Vancouver, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. One of the four playable characters is the raccoon Howard Lotor, known from the original game. The other protagonists are Clarissa, a heiress to a huge fortune struggling under expectations set by her father, a scientist named Eli plagued by ethical doubts, as well as Renee, struggling with the lack of freedom in her life. Their ultimate fates in the face of upcoming change and its consequences ultimately depend on us and our choices.

Mechanics

The gameplay of Tails: The Backbone Preludes is shown from the side. The game is divided into "interactive vignettes", a series of smaller stages, over the course of which we successively control the playable characters. Throughout the game we traverse different locations, talk to their inhabitants and take part in random events. We also need to make important choices with varying consequences. The game was constructed in a way no playthrough would resemble a previous one. Exploring other story branches is encouraged by the built-in story tree, letting us trace all the choices we've made.

Technical aspects

Tails: The Backbone Preludes was created with the use of a colorful pixelart artstyle. The atmospheric jazz soundtrack was composed by Danshin. The game contains twice as many words as its predecessor.