words cannot express my disappointment and simultaneously my complete awe towards this game i have no idea how to convey what I feel about this altogether buy a letter

so somehow im a big fan of blacksad SHOCKER that a media who has furries and also has my boo my baby my sweet little husband my absolutely hot as shit hung gorgeous polite dominant sexy smirnov is one of my favorite things in the world so it came to NO SURPRISE . AT ALL that as soon AS I got to know that this game was a furry noir tale I had no other possibility if not to play it for better of for worse

backbone is the name I got to know this shit with and I will call it that way till the end of my days i don't care the developers decided to change the name or got copyright struck by someone or something of a greater force I have no idea what happened but its their fault anyway backbone was a SICK name and way more thematically coherent to the matter and twists specifically of the game so this is what the name of the game is I have no idea what tails noir is kisses

you're introduced to the main character of the game which is a pussy ass smelly dirty poor private investigator who also happens to live in a dystopia futuristic kind of vancouver and after getting a case about some missing people youre gonna uncover the secrets that lay below this wicked society

bomb premise amirite ? that's basically the premise of every single noir flavoured media in existence but always has a way to get me going theres a mystery and someone grieving for this mystery and youre out there trying to solve the mystery the end

so it's a secret to no-one how this game is gonna develop = investigative based text adventure with lots of talking and less action basically the blacksad game but I actually managed to finish this one without getting either too bored or too horny

what's interesting though is that it actually has a lot of freedom in the text based part where you're free to choose from a wide array of choices that don't really entertain any different story paths but it's just for personal sake: do you want lotor to be a cunty bitchass or a rude hobo or pretend to be an actually good investigator ? as I said the game doesn't reward you for choices but it was always pretty fun to go through like 5 different choices and choosing the most deranged unhinged disgusting responses to literally childs so there's that

while there's some simile action elements they won't ask you anything else than some sneaking around and touching items everywhere so for me it was kind of hit and miss BUT I hate stealth so it was definitely a good thing that they included these segments to be the most automated stuff in the world thank you

the story is pretty simple and I wont get into too much detail for now because trust me it gets into weird territory real fast this game is short so yknow its gonna happen sooner than you expect

from a narrative standpoint I liked the textbased part and the writing was competent or funny or weird most of the time I still have some kind of issues with how most of the characters are similarly written and they kind of mish mash together maybe excluding the fox girl the madame and the driver but everyone else is gonna disappear from my mind in tops 1 week so there's that

point of argue is the fact that they paint this beautiful backdrop of a city with some great worldbuilding elements (e.g. the wall) but seldom do they really get into lore territory or actually put into writing most of the stuff youre just gonna hear mentioned or see in the backgrounds whatsoever so THAT was probably something I wanted more depth poured infodumps are a big nono but at least I want to know why things are like this

so umh that being said the most gorgeous element of the game and possibly the best part of it all is definitely the art direction I kid you not every single frame of the game could be framed and hung in an art museum and nobody would know a thing literally JADROPPING level of pixel art both in the characters character designs and animations AND in the hyper detailed massive backgrounds and structures I had a blast just running in these streets BECAUSE of this shit sure as i said the entire gameplay loop isnt the tightest experience ive ever had in my life but just walking around in this world was a blast

the pixel art is particularly great and the disco elysium type of textbox was kind of neat but what i felt was really lacking was the fact that the characters (even the main ones) dont have character portraits which made them pretty less recognizable or interesting to look at than they wouldve if they had added some kind of little portrait to the side sure this is just me nitpicking but i would die to see the arts of some of the hotties in this game theres a lot of hunks up my alley and i had no idea how they looked like apart from those spriteworks

so yeah idk thats just something i was thinking of

that to say that the art direction is probably the best thing that came out of the entire game and still feels the most coherent stuff all the way through

lets talk SPOILERS shall we

so apart from the fact that the investigative phases were weirdly paced sometimes everything happened all at ones and sometimes nothing happens for like a hour but i digress most of the game is gonna play out in this investigative type of matter like discover the first secret and then investigate another area to get another secret and then another area for a plot twist then some gunplay then some blackmail then some femme fatale then this then that it checks all the boxes in the noir bingo and THEN all of the sudden it just gets into sci fi territory which is both controversial and bold at the same time

the game just starts crumbling on itself from here not because it actually gets bad (i liked the sci fi part of the game even though it was never really explained or really expanded upon and ended way to early for any sort of development or emotional punch to work but whatever) but because it starts deconstructing every single preconception you couldve had at the beginning of the game for how the story was gonna play out , did they manage to make it some sort of cathartic story line ? not really but it was interesting to see them take such a fucking bold decision all of the sudden and while they also stated that the game was rushed and the story was left somehow unfinished or whatever the fuck they meant in that PDF file i didnt particularly hate this change of pace and realistically i was having so much fun with exploring this huge huge plot twist and story diversion

all in all the emotional finale didnt stick with me either because i just didnt end up vibing with lotor at all during the games runtime or because i just generally feel like most of the characters were underdeveloped in many different ways even though the writing is pretty competent most of the time but what i mean is 3 months from now i will remember absolutely fucking nothing about the characters in this game apart from their general outline and role in the story . so theres that

for as much as a flawed experience this is i definitely was NOT expecting this soundtrack to be so gorgeously composed theres a lot of slutty jazz lounge types of tracks alternating with some moody ambience or nerve wrecking (thus good) industrial beats and unexpectedly enough voice tracks too this game has it all and they really aided the sense of immersion and overall aesthetic the game was going for

a pity i didnt end up liking this more it had everything to make a damn good impression on me narrative driven blacksad-like noir investigative storyline and type of gameplay impressive score and art direction with ONLY furries roaming through the cities this had EVERYTHING but i can say i still took something from this nonetheless

curious to see what they got in store for the BACKBONE and i repeat BACKBONE prequel so maybe i will dabble into this weird world once again but for now i can only leave with words of wisdom from lotors fridge: Call mom.

forgot a crucial detail: lotor looks like he got dick cheese

When people will ask me of the definition of "wasted potential" I'm gonna show them this game.

A build up that was thrown in the trash for a dumb and unnecessary plot point, leading to an abrupt and unclear ending. The beginning had me so hooked that I decided to call off most of my day's chores so I can see this to the end. I'd rather a hundred times now that I had cleaned around the house than to just waste my precious time for something that had all rights to become a really interesting detective, fury-based videogame with a nice storyline.

I wouldn't recommend playing it. Just watch it on YouTube or something. It's visually appealing but forcing myself to see the end of this story just saddens me.

i had a lot of fun with this one! even played it back when it was called backbone. i was like “oh this is a fun mystery with this animal detective guy. gritty noir style. love the aesthetics! i’m doing such cool things!” and then the horrors hit. And then the horrors hit harder. the twists are executed so well and there are SO many of them. the ending scenes in acts 1 and 3 made my jaw drop to the floor so hard that i still feel their impacts today.

people criticize the ending - which is fair, it is confusing and unfulfilling - but i didn’t mind since it was clearly setting up to the continuation of the story. i should play the backbone preludes i hope it’s as good if not better!!!!

Acho que a única coisa que posso dizer de Tails Noir é que ele é um jogo triste.

Não é ruim (na verdade está bem longe de ser), o jogo possui um universo muito interessante, bons personagens, o enredo é intrigante, o jogo é muito bonito e a trilha sonora é espetacular.
Mas, infelizmente tudo parece tão incompleto, como se fosse apenas um prólogo. A sensação que tive ao jogar Tails Noir é a mesma de ver um episódio piloto muito bom de uma série que você já sabe que foi cancelada.

No fim só resta imaginar o que poderia ser e se contentar com a tristeza de tamanho potencial jogado fora.

highly recommended if you want:

- Beautiful pixel art
- A really good soundtrack that fits and enhances the mood and emotion of every scene
- Interactive fiction/Point and clicks
- Detective Noirs that aren't afraid to break the mold and keep you surprised
- To see a side of Vancouver brought to life that doesn't get shown in media often

Went into Backbone fully aware of the mixed reception this game has regarding its second half, and came out at the end both with my expectations completely exceeded and also really kind of upset and confused by the amount of negativity this game has received.

The way I've seen this game talked about, I was expecting a rushed Xenogears style ending, but instead was met with an incredibly thoughtful change of pace in the second half that challenges the player and makes them confront what they thought they knew - both about the details of the story and the game itself. It's not a whodunnit detective game that neatly wraps up its case, but instead a story about grey morals, power struggles, people with the same big picture goals getting caught up in the details and turning against one another. It's much more NieR than it is Ace Attorney.

Another thing to keep in mind is that's it's more a piece of interactive fiction than it is a multiple-paths detective adventure - most conversations will end with the same ultimate result, but it's not the path choice that's important, rather who you want your character to be. You can be an asshole to everyone you meet with little to no consequence, but be ready to have that energy returned to you. Or you can instead learn about the people you encounter by being empathetic and understanding, often making for some of the most well written and impactful moments in the game. This approach lacks the gameplay depth some other detective games may have but it still works here; just go in with the mindset that you don't control the outcome of the story, you're just a passenger along for the ride.

Backbone doesn't wrap itself up neatly. It leaves you with questions, half-truths and unsolved mysteries. But it also leaves you with characters that have changed significantly by the end and a much different perspective on the city than you had in the first act. It leaves you with a dissatisfied futility, but that was always the point in the first place. The best mysteries keep you guessing and intrigued long after they're over. Backbone is no exception.

If you're looking for a good noir detective game with antropomorphic animals play something like Chicken Police. This is essentially a glorified visual novel which just happens to have a detective as the main character.

(minor spoilers)

It's also not really a mystery game either. While the main character is presented with a case to solve, it never really does get solved in a fulfilling fashion. I didn't mind that at all but I can defiinitely see why people are disappointed by the final chapter of the game. I would even say it does feel a bit underbaked when compared to the rest of the game. However, I do not believe it is a reason to just disregard the game as a whole. The story takes a turn in Chapter 3 (out of five), so by the time it reaches conclusion the player should already embrace that the conclusion might not be what they initially anticipated.

A lot of the criticism also comes from the fact that the relationship between Howard (the main character) and Renee (side character) which begins to form at the end chapter 1 just kind of stops existing after chapter 3. Funnily enough the writers of the game kind of dug themselves into a hole in that aspect. Some of the dialogue options seem to assume that you will like Renee right after the first conversation with her (there is even an achievement for "trusting her right away") and the character is definitely written in a way to make it the case for many of the players. Howard frequently mentions her in his thoughts as well, which sort of gives the impression the writers REALLY want you to connect with that characters for ultimately little to no payoff. I personally didn't fall for it, as aside from a common goal I didn't really see a reason to fully trust her, which I guess influenced my view of the entire game as well.

(major spoilers)

From all the chapters in the game, the first two are the least memorable to me. Aside from the plot twist at the end of the first one and maybe the conversation with Florence in the second one there isn't really anything all that interesting in there. Then the hypnotysing final sequence of chapter 3 happens (and unfortunately ends with Anatoly getting killed off for some shit-tier shock value), followed by a transition to the best location in the game, filled with characters who actually form some kind of community instead of randos on the street or the same newspaper salesman reused for a "comedic" effect. It actually felt like I should get to know these guys, because maybe I'll have to stay there for a while. That of course doesn't happen, but hey - that's life. You can't stay on the playground forever and your parents don't really care if you'll not see the kids you were playing with for the rest of your life. The same exact rethoric can be applied to Renee, except the player actually witnesses the choices she has to make afterwards. Which takes me back to what I said earlier - I think the negative voices come mosty from people who feel cheated by the story - by Howard's death, by Renee's choice to work with Clarissa, by the close to non-existing resolution of the case. And again - it's fine if they do. But I do believe that it's worth acknowledging that the creators of the game made a gamble. They took a concept that basically writes itself and decided to experiment with it. Not only with the story itself, but also with the way it's told. Maybe the quality is not fully up there, maybe the script could use some tweaks here and there, but I will take this story over another generic noir mumbo-jumbo any day of the week.

Also the pixelart in this game is gorgeous. The water reflections, the sun setting down - just beautiful stuff.

i’ve wanted to play this game for a while, and yesterday i decided to start it.

the game is quite short so only will take around a few hours to complete the story, i had so much fun playing it.

the pixel artstyle is something i’m not used to with games but god it was amazing, everything was so well done and pretty, the music was great, i’ve never stopped and appreciated a games soundtrack until now, the characters were interesting and either easily likeable or dislikable, the plot was dark and interesting.

i was so invested in this game, to the point where i was eating my panini mid gameplay. THEN IT GOT TO THE END.

how come the game abruptly ended whilst i was midway through my ham and cheese panini? i was devastated and was so surprised it just ended there?? i was so disappointed because i was loving the game so badly.

For the first couple of hours its an intriguing, enjoyable, if fairly standard detective story, more a Noir visual novel than a game. And that's fine, I love Noir films. But then the big twist happens and im just like "......uhhhhh ok then......" and the entire story just kind of collapses into a steaming pile of WTF is happening right now??? Huge tonal twist that ruined the entire experience for me, and felt so disjointed and unconnected from the first two thirds of the game. It felt like they ran out of time or money, and just had to tack on this weird rushed confusing and really unsatisfying ending. So unsatisfying, like all the plot threads that have been built up to are just disregarded or brushed past, its unbelievable.

Plus its super short, like between 2-3 hours. So yeah, its way too short and has a really out of nowhere crazy-ass twist that completely ruins the rest of the game and leaves you watching the credits roll and saying to yourself "is that it? are you fucking serious bro?"

I played the free prologue-demo years ago and I was hyped ever since, the premise was great, as was the art, dialogue and music. It had all the makings of an incredible indie game. I love point and click - detective puzzle games, and at the prologue this seemed like it would be that, but a bit more narrative focused.

Unfortunately, there was ONE single puzzle the whole game, at the prologue. So it's definitely not a point and click. That would be okay, if the story compensated the lack of gameplay, which is not the case.

The premise built a great start for an interesting, intriguing and suspenseful detective noir story, but it never reaches it's full potential. The plot points are quickly moved on, nothing is ever elaborated on and there isn't enough suspense or intrigue to make me care about what's going to happen to the characters. Which are not bad by their own means.

The world building also had potential but never really creates a clear image of this universe, everything is lacking detail. I actually only figured this was a post apocalyptic world half way through the game, because it certainly doesn't feel like one.

It tries to be kind of like Disco Elysium, but it never reaches the same level. That game had incredible writing, managing to be intriguing, mysterious, not giving everything away while also being satisfying. I don't mind not having answers, hell I love David Lynch, but there's gotta be something more when there's no conclusions. Especially when the runtime is so short.

Backbone never reaches satisfying conclusions, and it doesn't have something else to back it up, be it suspense, thought-provoking ideas and dialogue or a great plot.

With all that said, I still think this is a beautiful looking game, with great atmosphere and incredible music and I appreciate the efforts of the developers. I'm sure next time they're going to nail it! As they would with Backbone, had it a bit more runtime.

Tails Noir decepciona porque ele faz muito, ele é muito acima da média quando se fala de jogo indie, de um nicho tão específico como investigação, e o pior de tudo, ele começa tão bem, o começo do jogo é excelente, todo o primeiro capítulo na verdade brilha e promete um jogo memorável pra você, porém os outros capítulos não foram tão divertidos assim de simplesmente jogar. Eu realmente não me incomodo tanto com o fato do jogo ser meio que uma visual novel e não ter muitas mecânicas, mas a maneira que a história se desenvolve... isso sim me incomodou. Isso porque o enredo é muito promissor, a ambientação, as críticas sociais fazendo paralelos com o nosso mundo, o lance da muralha, a hierarquia com os macacos e os conflitos de cada personagem, tudo isso tá lá! Mas o jogo só não arranha isso. A história parece que esquece o que ela mesma tava tentando contar e termina literalmente sem fechar nenhum de seus plots, e isso, isso é péssimo, quase imperdoável.
Mas eu quero ser razoável e deixar bem claro que esse jogo me entreteu por boa parte dele, até quando o rumo da história muda drasticamente no capítulo 3, EU GOSTEI!! INCLUSIVE foi uma das partes que mais gostei, mas no final, do que adiantou? Do que adiantou todos aqueles textos intermináveis que eu li? Eu nem sequer fiquei sabendo o que realmente tava rolando por baixo dos panos.
Sla, o jogo deixa eu gosto amargo na boca porque o potencial dele era absurdo, ambientação noir é excelente, as músicas são sensacionais, o gráfico pixelado é simplesmente o melhor pixelart que eu já vi. Mas nada disso serve de nada se a história não condiz com todo esse esforço.

LINDO DEMAIS, porém, um puta potencial desperdiçado, a premissa é maravilhosa, infelizmente o jogo foi mal aproveitado, tinha potencial para ser um dos maiores noirs indie, muita coisa que n fecha, muita coisa nao explicada, e o final termina meio morno demais, nao sabemos oq acontece com renee, clarice. Mas acho que uma continuaçao faria muito sentido, se nao thouver, um puta dum potencial desperdiçado msm. obs* joguei umas 4h a mais só p conseguir a conquista dos livros bugada, (se eu n conseguisse ela, minha avaliaçao seria menos ainda)