In Backbone, a post-noir role-playing investigative experience, you take on the character of private eye Howard Lotor, a raccoon, and explore a dystopian Vancouver, British Columbia, which is exquisitely depicted in high-quality pixel graphics. After years of menial cases, lonely nights, and barely making ends meet, Howard Lotor is suddenly thrust into a position unlike any other. What appears to be a minor case gradually develops into something more sinister, putting Howard against the City's harsh, ingrained power structures.

The gothic position gameplay Backbone was created by EggNut and released by Raw Fury. It was published in June 2021 for Microsoft Windows, October 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and in February 2022 for Nintendo Switch. Tails: The Backbone Preludes, a precursor, is slated for release on Windows in 2023.

Gameplay

The action of Backbone is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional point-and-click experience, including stealth, exploration, and intricate dialogues influenced by vintage CRPGs.

Being Howard, You Will:

• Develop deep connections with a wide range of people searching for the truth.
• Discover Vancouver's thriving and deteriorating neighbourhoods before it becomes fenced off.
• Find hints and gather proof.
• Crack codes and sneak around.
• Become a raccoon.

Plot

 Backbone revolves around Howard Lotor, a raccoon who works as a private detective in a dystopian version of Vancouver, Canada, ruled by anthropomorphized creatures.

Attractions Key Aspect

• Backbone's Vancouver is a terrifying place, gloomy and miserable but not wholly devoid of optimism. It's a story about a cold and nihilistic world with authentic connections and a damaged but unbreakable desire to make a difference. Everyone wants to improve the world, but not necessarily for the better.
• Impressive graphics - The huge City comes to life thanks to a stunning blend of high-resolution pixel art and 3D effects such as adaptive lighting, pouring rain, volumetric fog, and neon lights.
• Expressionistic and memorable music - Danshin and Arooj Aftab's innovative soundtrack is beautifully produced to create a dramatic, atmospheric, and jaw-dropping experience. You've never heard dystopian gloom jazz like this before.

The Game received the Grand Prix, Best PC Game, and Best Art awards at the DevGAMM Unreal Engine competition in Minsk, Belarus, and the Best Indie Game Award at the Strasbourg European Film Festival in France. Despite its moodiness, Backbone's voyage through dystopian Vancouver brings you to some magnificent vistas, lovingly crafted in attractive pixel graphics. Running up Glanville's main Street, rain speckling the display as neon reflections dance in sidewalk puddles, you can gaze into the windows of the flats stacked above the stores and offices, observing the animals within eating or smoke, silhouetted against the flickering light of their TV screens.