Author: Rich Meister
Backbone’s greatest asset is the world it builds. The dreary city streets are made all the more melancholy by the characters that inhabit them. It’s a Noir story through and through, at least, until it isn’t. That’s the strangest thing Backbone does; every single moment feels deliberate and brilliant, and then these moments are undercut by a narrative twist that borders on the absurd.
Backbone (PC,[reviewed] PS$, Switch, Xbox One)
Developer: EggNut
Publisher: Raw Fury
Release Date: June 8, 2021
MSRP: $24.99
Backbone stars Howard Lotor, a raccoon private detective in a fictional Vancouver filled with anthropomorphic animals. Unfortunately, this version of Vancouver also happens to be part of a strict racial hierarchy. The Apes rule over the other animal citizens from the safety of science city, a sprawling rooftop community that gets them out of the dirt and grime and the ordinary folks like Howard.
Things start with Howard taking a pretty straightforward case, cheating husband spends his nights at a local club, and his wife needs proof. What our private dick finds when he arrives is a lot more than he bargained for, and he finds himself teaming up with a Fox by the name of Renee to expose corruption in science city.
Playing with race politics in games is tricky, but Backbone mostly nails it. Walking around Vancouver, you feel unjustly hated, and the other residents are down on their luck, mostly looking to keep their heads down and get through the day. Strangely, a story that feels so grounded in real-world issues chooses to push all that off the table for sci-fi tropes about halfway through.
I won’t spoil what the big twist is, and it isn’t even bad; it’s just not what Backobone seems to be selling up to that point, and the more exciting story is never resolved as a result.
Gameplay is primarily text-based; you’ll walk through different environments, occasionally sneaking past some guards or handling some simple puzzles, but the leading hook is gathering information. You talk to people of interest who will point you to the next locale or the next person who can help move the story along.
Visually Backbone is unbelievably striking. The HD bit graphics fill each character and every part of the city with character. Lights and smoke bounce off every pixel, and reflections shine off the puddle-filled roads. It sets a specific mode, and the background layers make the city feel truly bustling and lived in, even if you only see tiny slices of it.
Verdict: Backbone has a lot going for it. The writing is mostly excellent, and it strikes an amazing Noir tone until it decides to stop. The twist in the story feels abrupt. It isn’t terrible, but it is out of place, and the ending leaves you with more questions than answers in a way that isn’t necessarily satisfying.
Wait for a sale
[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer]