Backbone

"Backbone is a result of an engaging story and interesting characters, with incredibly detailed pixel art as a bonus."

"Once again, I&s;ll reinforce the praise I made to the game&s;s art direction, one of its most powerful aspects. Other than that, the nonsensical script and the abandonment of gameplay elements that could be put to much better use make …"

"Backbone starts off strong with an interesting premise and setting and tops off everything with great visuals. What starts as an intriguing detective story quickly loses its appeal, as it doesn&s;t scratch more than the surface of its potential with …"

"Promising and lovely, Backbone can&s;t live up to its stellar early chapters, but there&s;s still a worthwhile experience contained within."

"Backbone gets off to a great start and it definitely has a lot to say. Great visuals and a stunning soundtrack made me want to give it the benefit of the doubt, to ignore its issues. As it goes on …"

"Backbone had the potential to fill a bit of a void for a noir style game, but it comes up short. It opens with a strong prologue, but the story that follows tries to hit too many different themes meaning …"

"With amazing art and music, Backbone has a killer introduction and a great vibe. Unfortunately, due to a dreadful turn in the narrative and underdeveloped gameplay, this is a classic case of style over substance."

"Backbone presents the player with an intriguinging world, populated by interesting characters that drive it&s;s often depressing and strange story home to what feels like an eventually inevitable conclusion. It&s;s just a pity that the minute-to-minute gameplay is not only …"

"I walked away from Backbone puzzled about the ending, and in truth, I was a little disappointed. The game kind of squandered the excellent setup it spent hours developing, but because the setup is so good, I don’t feel totally …"

"One small step for noir, one giant misstep from Backbone"

"I am disappointed by the mixed feelings I get from Backbone. It is absolutely worth a look solely on the merits of its audiovisual presentation, but its attempt to offer commentary or insight into the topics its narrative broaches repeatedly …"

"Is Backbone worth a look? Yes, particularly if the idea of playing as an anthropomorphic animal appeals to you. There are times when it’ll have you on tenterhooks and there are several characters that are strong enough to stand out. …"

"Backbone features a compelling story and a well-realised post-noir dystopia, with engaging characters and some smart gameplay."

"The game also delivers on its tonal shift and twist and does things that a simple noir detective story could not. Backbone understands the value of good writing and works hard to make words matter. The development team has already …"

"Backbone bites off far more than it can chew, with a completely out of nowhere twist in the third act, disregard of your choices, and a lack of resolution to any of its plot threads. While the promising story and …"

"Backbone sells itself as a new kind of point-and-click adventure that includes dialogue choices and some light stealth mechanics. It does technically have these, but whether they help Backbone stand out over traditional games in the genre is a matter …"

"The main reason it’s hard to recommend Backbone is that so much is left unanswered. I truly hope there will be more games in the franchise, because the world building and character development are outstanding. If they could bring back …"

"Backbone does both, striking a balance between nostalgic and new, breathing another breath of life into the genre with its gritty, sad grin. This 2D, sidescrolling, pixel-art noir is a short but solid adventure mystery with stunning visuals and meaningful …"

"Backbone offers beautiful graphics and evocative music, though it takes some shocking swerves as the plot progresses."

"Howard&s;s journey ends far, far away from where it began and each step continuously develops the emotional investment for everyone in this world. While there are minor mechanical issues such as the "interact" input not always being immediately responsive, each …"

"Between the clever mechanics, the compelling narrative, and the gorgeous pixel art, there’s a real fire lit beneath you from the very start. If you’re looking for a detective story with glistening fangs, glittering eyes, and sharpened hooks, Backbone will …"

"While the game isn’t as grand as I initially thought from the first act, the story is one that’s well worth seeing through. The characters you meet are interesting, the world is gorgeous, and the ideas are certainly relevant to …"

"Can you solve the cities darkest secret? Backbone is a tense post-noir adventure game that takes place in a dystopian Vancouver, BC. Follow local raccoon and private investigator Howard Lotor as he stumbles into a world full of deceit, murder, …"

"Even if it&s;s brief and falters during the third act, there&s;s no denying that Backbone is a truly gorgeous and captivating adventure, with an engrossing world that you&s;ll want to see even more of."

"If you&s;ve come to expectation by playing Prologue, you&s;ll be disappointed. A more linear, puzzled and different environment awaits you, especially in the second half."

"While its simplistic gameplay and lack of closure hold it back from greatness, Backbone still delivers a compelling experience thanks to its deep worldbuilding, well-realized characters, and gorgeous pixel art."

"The narrative flourishes of Backbone are wildly ambitious, and the tonal shifts will butt up hard against expectations set by the opening hours’ clear love for noir-narrative and tropes. It’s a game obsessed with change and transformation, and in a …"

"Excellent visuals and a great soundtrack. But in terms of gameplay it doesn&s;t deliver what it promises, while the story, although it starts with all the makings of something at least decent, loses its steam completely from the middle onwards."

"Backbone is an interactive narrative-based adventure with some underused classic point-and-click gameplay elements mixed with choice possibilities that don&s;t always represent real cause-and-effect options, but bring in its artistic style and well-written text its best qualities."

"Backbone starts as a stylish, atmospheric noir adventure with gorgeous pixel art, but its shallow gameplay and abrupt, baffling story shift derail the experience. Despite strong visuals and mood, the second half collapses so completely that the whole game ends …"

"Uncover a grim conspiracy and sweet-talk snooty bears in this genre-hopping indie game"

"With its gorgeous aesthetic and intriguing plot, Backbone has a lot going for it but suffers from pacing and execution issues."

"Weird, unique and brilliantly designed, Backbone is a game like no other in 2021. The narrative is both mysterious and absorbing, the characters and dialogue are fun and it never overstays its welcome. I wish I was given a little …"

"We were enjoying the lowlife-detective-gets-in-way-over-his-head storyline, but it takes another turn later on into something decidedly more obscure. The final hour or two throw the whole story for a loop, and to make things worse, it feels as though none …"

"Backbone is full of potential for greatness and makes a terrific first impression. With its compelling lead and supporting cast, and a fascinating setting full of tantalising lore and mysteries to solve, I spent most of my experience excited to …"

"Backbone&s;s sumptuous pixel art and promising narrative threads are undermined by flat gameplay and a non sequitur of a final act."

"As a whole, Backbone is stylish but not exceptional. It’s a good time with an enjoyable story, but otherwise it’s just kind of routine. The visual style is great, but it’s offset by uneven audio design. There’s definitely a lot …"