A Brilliant Stage and a Breathtaking Noir
The First Byte Podcast
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Have you ever lept into a piece of entertainment only to be taken aback by how essential and precise it seems to be hitting every note that it needs to?
There is this wash. When a film or game or song or theatrical performance hits all of the right notes. It usually happens pretty early on, and it almost guarantees that you will be hooked for whatever the remaining duration of this thing is.
It can be argued that this window. This introduction can be easier, or perhaps harder for mediums like video games, and depending on who you ask. Regardless of the level of difficulty, it is never the less magical when everything just clicks.
Mediums such as Video Games, simply have access to all of or most of the senses, allowing them to further implement their designs and plans.
Engrossing, the tendrils of art in its best form -- which can be described as vaguely Any art that “does it for you” -- is something that can live with you for long periods of time. Especially when it is something like a Video Game in which you are asked to spend a lot of time with said art.
Cut to, what feels like years ago at this point, and developers EggNut announce fundraising campaigns for their detective noir game set in an alternative universe Vancouver, British Columbia, populated by anthropomorphic animals.
Finally, after a vast spance of longing, Backbone was released on PC this week, and while I could have pulled back on the reigns of excitement prior to leaping in, I didn’t, and yet it still lived up to my desires and expectations. And blew them away in many cases.
You are … going to have to take a lot of what I say in the following editorial podcast with a large grain of salt. I am, for one, incredibly indebted to the noir and detective world. From formative fiction to media of all kinds, this genre of storytelling has long since been a major part of my upbringing. It’s Jazz. In all forms. And something beautiful that only pretends to play by the rules, whether it be the written word, actual music, or setting, Jazz is an ideation that I am bound to.
The narrative of Backbone rivals that of my favorites from Harlan Coben, Jim Butcher, Natsuo Kirino, Megan Abbott, Raymond Chandler, The Coen Brothers, and oozes just enough of a Hunter S Thompson topped by Wes Anderson flavor to keep me feverishly salivating.
In addition, I would consider Vancouver, Canada as my “hometown” even though I have spent plenty of time away from it. Backbone being set in an alternative universe, a dystopian version of my hometown means that the beauty and wonder in the scenery explode off the screen in my case. Every nook and cranny of this game catches one’s eye, and I simply come to the table with a bit more familiarity with the source material.
“We change. But we change nothing.”
Existentialism and conversations about ideology and socialism are the more overwhelming and far-reaching topics that truly get my blood pumping and birth a jitter in my hands. I am passionate about judgment, especially in the sense of our leadership and social behavior. In tandem, an expression of artistic desire, whether in forms that I understand or not, is always something I will give a moment of my time.
“We change. But we change nothing.” is a line of dialog in Backbone, and it nearly perfectly exemplifies the journey we go through as Private Investigator, and down-bad Racoon, Howard Lotor.
Fantastically, there is a story and cast of characters in this adventurous and cantankerous take on the point-and-click genre of gaming that astronomically impacts the player.
Almost immediately, in the first chapter of the game -- brushed with noir-like chapter titles and oppressive fonts -- your small-time informational slouth of a character finds himself neck-deep in something much larger, much darker.
When I was in Uni, I studied new media and web design. This factoid is semi-irrelevant here, but part of my studies included how to create a Parallax website, or image, or video, and ever since then I am always blown away by real artists’ attempts to make a parallax construction function in an absolutely gorgeous way.
This may seem like an ironically simple thing to say in a review or impressions script about a video game, but running side to side in Backbone is delightful. The impact the setting and in-game art have on the experience of playing through this story-based game is beyond the quality seen in the majority of this industry.
There is a level of care put into the look and feel of this game that breeds obsession. I have spent more time standing still within Backbone, clocking every detail in a frame, than I have actually playing through the story. At an average of twenty screenshots a minute, I can safely say that setting is equal to, if not the most important member of this cast.
It is also no surprise that theoretical dystopians, political regimes, racial (or species-based) inequality hits home pretty strongly during our current North American social climate.
Seriously though, where, when, and how this game is set and then visually actualized, might be one of the greatest artistic achievements ever to grace my desk.
“All we ever wanted to do is show a little mirror of our souls and hope that in it, you can recognize yours,” wrote co-founders of EggNutt. “Do all the beautiful things you are moved to do when you encounter something that makes you feel. It is why we made this game.”
That is just part of an appreciation letter penned by the two co-founders of the studio behind Backbone.
Is it wrong that the sentiments they share regarding their own artistic efforts further my adoration for any and all of the people involved in making this game? Had the art, or the story, or the journey not struck such a chord with me, would any of that (integrity and intention behind the creation) mean anything in the end?
Doesn’t matter I suppose.
Creatives made a piece of art and adventure, I partook and thoroughly fell in love with it, and then they share that they possess many of the same ideals regarding said art that I do, which could spell that I am possibly too much their target audience.
But I do not believe that Backbone is playing to a niche audience. Sure, perhaps some of the many facets behind the entire package do not strike such a voluminous chord. That doesn’t mean that the rest of what is in this puzzle won’t work for you.
There is a lot of nuance in Backbone, something that few will see in totality. Something that few will experience in formality. Something that almost no one will be able to appreciate on every level. Which, in turn, makes it a true independent piece of art.
Should you experience this piece of art, propped up by its form of interaction? A beautifully constructed adventure detective noir game that painstakingly picks apart your perception of social classists and pedophilic elitism?
The answer is a long time coming. But it is an easy one. Yes.
From the moment I saw a teasing glimpse of what this game was going to look like, I wanted to dive in and gather in every flake of dust from start to finish. What EggNut delivered, is a truly exceptional experience from the moment the executable launches, and that music kicks in. Mentally, emotionally, and theoretically, Backbone is a dizzying example of firing on all cylinders to meticulously convey a story in all aspects.
Ask me in the Spring of 2022 which games of twenty-one I still hold onto as dear to me, and Backbone is going to have one of the longest-lasting impacts. Especially as you start to be swamped through your soul by the questions and ghosts of mortality.
Play this game and tell me you aren’t still thinking about it long after you’ve closed out of the application.
Backbone is currently available on all major PC game launchers and is set to come to Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo consoles later this year.
Sincerely,
Wyatt
Backbone
Release date: June 8, 2021
Platforms: PC (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch later in 2021)
Developers: EggNut
Publishers: Raw Fury
