Backbone / Tails Noir

You’re not special. You’re not a hero. Thrust into unfortunate circumstances, you find yourself with no other option than to unravel what might be your biggest case yet.

There is no choice. We change, but we change nothing. Get to work, detective.

ABOUT
Backbone is a post-noir narrative adventure. Become raccoon private eye Howard Lotor and explore dystopian Vancouver inhabited by animals as you uncover a deeply personal story of change and transformation.

Backbone is inspired by film noir, weird sci-fi, post-soviet aesthetics, modern political regimes, the works of Lynch and Kaufman, and existential philosophy of Sartre. It is a linear, cinematic narrative experience that subverts genre and challenges your perception of what it means to be a person.

GAMEPLAY

Backbone’s gameplay is focused on storytelling and emotional expression, featuring rich and elaborate dialogues inspired by old school CRPGs, as well as exploration of the lush environments. The end of all things is inevitable, but defining which version of Howard Lotor reaches the conclusion is up to you.

As Howard, you will:

• Make meaningful connections with a diverse cast of characters in pursuit of truth
• Shape and express your identity through dialogue choices – decide what kind of person you want to be
• Explore and experience both downtrodden and flourishing districts of a strange, yet familiar version of Vancouver
• Come to terms with the universal pain of existence and loss
• Be a raccoon