Review of Backbone by shanethewolf

I was very excited to get my hands on this having seen early previews and screenshots. It really is one of the most visually stunning games I’ve seen, combining detailed pixel art with parallax scrolling and modern lighting. Every screen is a work of art and the environments feel so alive.

My first disappointment was finding it had no voice acting and the lacklustre sound effects and music fail to complement the immersive visual atmosphere.

My second and biggest disappointment was the gameplay. This is not your classic point and click adventure. It requires barely any thinking or puzzle solving and feels like you’re just going through the motions, going from one place to another, running through dialog options until it opens the next section.

With no consequences behind your actions, Backbone doesn’t play like an interactive movie, nor does it play like a game. It’s just barely more than a walking simulator.

It’s such a shame to see so much effort and talent going into the graphics and environments, and so little care going into the game play, story or sound.

As awed as I was by the visuals I found myself getting very bored. At times the plot showed some potential, but the lack of choice or consequences left it feeling flat.

Read the review »

Time Played: 2-5 hours
Difficulty: Very Easy