Backbone: Prologue is a game demo of an upcoming noir-inspired detective adventure from Canadian developer EggNut, where you get to play as a highly relatable raccoon in a trench coat. Step into the shoes of Howard Lotor – anthropomorphic raccoon and private eye – 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. Most of the cases he works on are unremarkable domestic disputes. Odette Green’s case probably won’t be any different.
Backbone‘s gameplay is a new take on point-and-click adventures, featuring stealth, exploration, extensive branching dialogues and non-linear conversations with a diverse cast of characters, all inspired by classic CRPGs. As Howard, you must traverse the different 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 modelled after real streets of Vancouver, BC. The 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. An 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.
The PC-only FREE demo Backbone: Prologue is currently available to play via Steam, with the full game to be playable on Windows, Mac, Linux, PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. You can also wishlist the forthcoming game, to be released in 2020, on Steam.
Visit the EggNut studios’ website to discover more about the game, and subscribe to receive the latest updates.