Popular media has been used to discuss any manner of difficult topics and I find some of my favorite pieces of media are those that try, in earnest, to tackle those topics. A game can help you relax after a hard day, improve your hand and eye coordination, give you a methodological challenge, or, in the case of Backbone, provide a challenging narrative that tugs at your conscious, your empathy. Backbone masquerades as a simple 2D adventure game with anthropomorphic characters and a stunning art style. However, the actual product delivered is so much more than that.
Backbone
Developer: Eggnut
Price: $25
Platforms: PC (Xbox Game Pass for PC, Windows 10 Store, Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store)
MonsterVine was provided with a PC code for review
Starting off like any good hard-boiled detective mystery, we join Howard Lotor, private dick, as he cleans up his office/apartment to accommodate a new potential client. The client wants proof of her husband’s infidelity, a task which any PI should be able to accomplish without issue. As Howard accumulates information on his mark he finds that the target hangs out at The Bite, a popular yet exclusive nightclub in town, owned by the elusive Clarissa Bloodworth. Recently taking over the family business of crime, Clarissa Bloodworth isn’t someone Howard wants to cross but with his mark in her club, he doesn’t have much of a choice.
Backbone gets to the point quickly. World-building and exposition are done exceedingly well through character interactions and Howard’s thoughts presented to the player. The City, as the current location is referred to, has a problem with classism, wealth inequality, and drug abuse. Similar to our world, these things affect the characters who then transfer their pain onto our protagonist as he tries to solve a bigger mystery than the one presented in the beginning. A simple tracking mission turns into murder, murder, and possibly something much more devious.
The primary method to solving this mystery, like any good mystery, is sneaking around and talking to people who have trouble giving up answers. Conversations being a primary focal point for the game they stand out as extraordinary. The writer for Backbone really captured the feel of a real conversation between two people. It’s amazing how often this is done wrong and I’m confident if Backbone was fully voiced I wouldn’t be complimenting it that much. The conversations flow like streams leading into a lake of hellfire but the ride is so fun the destination doesn’t matter.
Though conversations were the focal point there were several times I had to sneak around the 2D environment to get to my destination. Howard merely crouches and walks around. When crouched you’re able to hide behind layers that exist between Howard and anyone who would see him. Once seen, you’re able to try to get away but simply hiding again will not save you. Luckily, Backbone saves regularly, and being sent back after being caught didn’t cost me much time. Hiding is an interesting piece of this game as it only comes into use two or maybe three times but I’m not sure it’d be a good detective game without it.
Conversation isn’t the only thing that separates Backbone from its contemporaries, the stellar art style that provides the set pieces Howard finds himself in are astoundingly beautiful. Howard’s journey takes you around The City and each set piece is just as gorgeous as the last. At one point Howard visits West End and the parallax cityscape behind it gave a sense of scale I really enjoyed. Presented at just the right time, my visit to West End made the entire mystery seem bigger the further I got into the game, and every set piece helped increase that sense of scale.
Though I ran into the occasional bug, I’ve been assured by the team at Raw Fury that a polish patch is in the works. The bugs I ran into were simple bugs relating to either having to hit the ‘use’ button multiple times (or delayed response from the game) and at one point having multiple Howards in the room at the same time, but all resolved soon after, and on their own without any work on my end.
My biggest gripe with Backbone would be the lack of sound in certain areas. I think this is meant to enhance the gravity of the conversations being had but instead, it pulled me out of the game. There are scenes where you’re in an apartment and you can hear the apartment neighbors the whole time banging around and moving things, this is perfect. There are also some scenes where sound is just non-existent and it pulled me out of the moment. This was a bummer for the few scenes it happened in and was only really noticeable because the sound design is quite good otherwise.
The Final Word
From beginning to end I was hooked on Backbone. A fabulous narrative piece that doesn’t waste your time and is at least somewhat thought-provoking, Backbone dominated my weekend.
MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
