Raw Fury will publish EggNut-developed detective noir adventure game Backbone for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam in early 2021, the company announced.
A free demo titled Backbone: Prologue, which follows protagonist Howard Lotor through the first act of the game, is available now via Steam.
Here is an overview of Backbone, via Raw Fury:
About
Backbone is a noir-inspired detective adventure. Step into the shoes of anthropomorphic raccoon and private eye, Howard Lotor, and explore the beautifully rendered 2.5D pixel art environments of dystopian Vancouver.
Howard Lotor is smart, self-assured and set in his ways. Caught in the tedium of day-to-day life, he’s resigned to the abuses of the authoritative regime in power and compliant with the systemic inequality that permeates society. But a string of cases that grow progressively more outlandish will put his worldview to the test.
Backbone‘s gameplay is a new take on point-and-click adventure, featuring stealth, exploration, and extensive branching dialogues inspired by classic CRPGs. As Howard, you must traverse the diverse districts of a now walled-off Vancouver, sniff out clues, collect evidence, interrogate witnesses, and choose which leads to follow.
Inspired by film noir, Backbone will submerge you into its dark dystopian atmosphere. Every animation in the game is handcrafted frame by frame, and environments are modeled after real streets of Vancouver, BC. The breathtaking combination of high resolution pixel art and 3D effects like dynamic lighting, pouring rain, volumetric fog and neon lights bring the sprawling city to life. Original doom jazz soundtrack will keep you on the edge with the enveloping veil of bebop and cinematic soundscapes, where every sound tells a story.
Key Features
- Backbone is a dark story set in dystopian anthropomorphic animal society, where social class is dictated by species.
- As a detective, sniff out clues and evidence, interrogate witnesses, solve stealth puzzles, and choose which leads to follow.
- Stunning combination of high resolution pixel art and Unreal Engine tools like volumetric lighting, particle effects and custom materials.
- Non-linear conversations with a diverse cast of characters inspired by old school CRPGs.
Other Details
- Technologies: Unreal Engine 4, Not Yet Dialogue Plugin
- Game Size: Six-to-eight hours
- Languages: English, Russian, Chinese
- Gameplay: Cinematic detective adventure with stealth, puzzles and branching dialogues
- Inspiration: Vancouver, film noir, modern dystopian political regimes
- Main themes: power, systemic discrimination, mortality
Watch a new trailer below.