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Backbone — noir dystopian adventure

Created by EggNut

Backbone is a pixel art noir detective adventure. Step into the shoes of Howard Lotor, a raccoon private eye. Interrogate witnesses through branching dialogues inspired by classic CRPGs, sneak through diverse districts of a now walled-off dystopian Vancouver, sniff out clues, and choose which leads to follow.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Backer Poll: new reward tier The Private Eye
almost 6 years ago – Sat, May 05, 2018 at 05:20:33 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Meet the team behind Backbone!
almost 6 years ago – Sat, May 05, 2018 at 05:20:31 AM

Dear friends,

We’re 40% funded! Thank you so much! Let’s try and reach the goal together, so we can open new amazing stretch goals. We personally can’t wait to see Backbone on Switch! Please share the project with your friends, so more people could learn about Backbone, also known as «Blade Runner for furries» (our media coverage is the best, thank you).

We have a special update today. We asked every member of EggNut to talk about themselves and their favorite video games. Hopefully, that will help you learn more about people behind Backbone. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments, and we will personally answer them!

Toma Klepinina. Environment Artist. Location - Everywhere.
Toma Klepinina. Environment Artist. Location - Everywhere.

I like to draw things. My first favorite video game series is Warcraft - I spent hours looking at environments and all the little details as a child, and it defined me as an artist. Before EggNut, I've been a freelance artist. I also love opossums and hate living in one place for longer than a month, that’s why I’m constantly on the road. You can find my art here - https://www.instagram.com/tomathespook/

Kirill Simonenko. Animation Artist. Location - Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Kirill Simonenko. Animation Artist. Location - Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

I like to animate things. Sometimes I work with technical stuff like normal maps and textures, and draw objects like garbage bins and cars. Before EggNut I used to be a graphic designer, but I always wanted to create pixel art. My favorite games are The Legend of Zelda and Metroid series, and I loved Ori and the Blind Forest to pieces!

Aleksandra Korabelnikova. Project manager & Community friend. Location - Tomsk, Russia.
Aleksandra Korabelnikova. Project manager & Community friend. Location - Tomsk, Russia.

My job is to feed the team with tasks, create project deadlines and roadmaps, and tell our community about the game. I also write the story for Backbone. So, in short, my job is possibly the best job in the universe. Before EggNut, I used to manage IT projects and lead international sales team. I love Planescape: Torment, and old Sierra and Lucas Arts adventures, because stories can change the nature of man.

Nikita Danshin. Developer, composer, game designer. Location - Vancouver, Canada.
Nikita Danshin. Developer, composer, game designer. Location - Vancouver, Canada.

I do all the fun work in UE4, create the soundscape of dystopian Vancouver, and infect the team with insomnia. By day I’m a communications engineer in a local IT company, and by night I design Backbone and build the team culture in EggNut. I love Undertale for unbelievably great narrative, Last of Us for hours of crying, and Fallout for my happy childhood. You can find my weird cheap movie cosplay project here - https://www.instagram.com/thisisfamilybusiness/

Maria Danshin. Art Director. Location - Vancouver, Canada.
Maria Danshin. Art Director. Location - Vancouver, Canada.

I’m responsible for the visual style of Backbone - creating the dystopian retro futuristic landscape through scene composition, arranging objects and sources of light, and directing NPC behavior. Every day I’m strolling through Vancouver to find new amazing buildings and streets and nooks to put in our game. I’m not a gamer, because I’ve been sewing and crafting through all my childhood, but I’m so happy to be a part of this industry because of the creative freedom. You can find my creepy art dolls here - https://www.instagram.com/danshindolls 

Kristina Dashevskaya. Senior Artist. Location - Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Kristina Dashevskaya. Senior Artist. Location - Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

My full-time job is a graphic designer in an agency. I love illustration, people, and my three cats. I’ve been drawing and painting as long as I can remember, and playing video games for even longer. This is my first experience in game development and pixel art, but I’ve fallen in love with Backbone from the first sight! I’m working on concept art, characters (for example, Howard Lotor) and small details for the game environments. My favorite games are The Elder Scrolls series, Divinity: Original Sin and Diablo. My dream is to forget The Witcher 3 so I can play it again. You can find my art and cats here - https://www.instagram.com/piperuperu/

DRM-free Backbone is happening
almost 6 years ago – Tue, May 01, 2018 at 08:08:23 AM

Dear friends,

We heard your feedback and we will provide a DRM-free version of Backbone either through GOG or Humble Bundle. We sent applications to both of these platforms, and we will keep you in the loop. If this doesn't work out, we'll create a Direct Download from our website. You will always have a choice whether to use Steam DRM for all your Win, Mac and Linux playing, or DRM-free version for day 1. 

There is a Backbone Wishlist Vote at GOG.com. If we get more votes - the process of putting up Backbone in the shop will be easier. Please vote here -  https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/backbone

To other news - we're more than 25% funded. We are deeply grateful to every and each one of you for supporting our dream. Please continue sharing Backbone with your contact list on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and other communities. This will get Backbone to the funding goal faster, which opens up new amazing stretch goals for everyone - whether you back Backbone now or get it when it's out. Thank you so much!

And this is how humans who work on Backbone looked, when we pressed that Launch Campaign button 3 days ago. EggNut Discord server is our second home, because we all live in distant countries (Canada, Russia, Korea), and constant, everyday communication is a must. Launching this project with a team like this is truly a dream come true. Thank you. 

Let us know if you have any questions about the campaign and the game - we'll do our best to provide answers right away! 

Love, EggNut.

1st day is over - 20% funded, Early Bird gone! FAQ is here
almost 6 years ago – Sun, Apr 29, 2018 at 09:32:05 AM

Dear friends, we thank every and each one of you for supporting our dream. Thank you so much! We are overwhelmed by your love and support already, and it's only been ONE DAY! 28 more to come, what a journey it's going to be.

Early Bird tier for the game is already gone (WOW)! But there are plenty of other awesome limited tiers still available - you can create your own character in Backbone, put your name on a bar sign, and get limited hand-crafted rewards. Let us know what you think about the tiers so far, and if there are any other rewards you're looking for!

We have updated our project page with FAQ, posting it here for your convenience. Let us know if there are any answers lacking!

That's it for now, but we'll be back soon with updates about the team, Backbone gameplay, setting and story and many things more! 4 months of preparation and finally launching a Kickstarter campaign is the best, exciting, exhausting, thrilling and magical experience we've ever had in our lives. Don't forget to share Backbone with your friends - it really helps to achieve our goal faster and open up awesome stretch goals!

Thank you so much.

Love, Eggnut team.