The new single-player action video game SPINE has premiered its trailer and the entire John Wick trilogy is instantly compared to it in terms of its combat which is heavily influenced by the film’s style, and gun-fu being one of the factors. The game is made by a relatively small independent studio and it will feature a female character who will guide the player through a storyline set in a cyberpunk universe. The female protagonist and the expected playing style have caused several debates in addition to the anticipation for high-octane action.
The internet has once more reacted in an extraordinary way. A trailer of the game SPINE was released and the immediate reaction was… a complete mood. The developers claim that it is very much influenced by the John Wick trilogy, which is a courageous move. Comparisons are open my friend! The footage features a female character presumably named Redline performing with great skill and athleticism. The combination of Gunplay and martial arts with throwing the baddies around is all there. The aesthetics are all neon-lit cyberpunk which is quite impressive. But the tweets announcing that… the reactions were like, whoa, what a ride!
From the outset, a hype team was present, for instance, the user Pavi, who only says, “Looks cool, love the cyberpunk aesthetic,” and adds a fist bump emoji. That was very simple and yet very friendly. BakaFly mentions the developers have been talking about unlockable costumes which is always a little present that enhances the players’ mood. Then, there is _palmitu who claims to have been following the development for two years already and calls it “amazing to see the care and devotion.” They even express a doubt or so and an even bet that the real AAA John Wick game will never get the same amount of marketing. That’s a true fan right there.
But then, oh boy, the fun really begins with the other aspect of the story which is noisy. The controversial issue of the female character became the central point of discussion in no time. User RenTheLast said “Another girl boss game to skip” while EKOR confessed: “I don’t play games with female protagonists” which only strengthened the adverse atmosphere created by the others. Socrates the Chad termed it “peak absurdity” that a “5’5″ 120lb girl is able to take out a whole army of dudes.” One might argue, that the John Wick-style heroine is just if she fights in women’s category otherwise as Smajistix put it, it is madness.
Hold on; I need to inhale and regroup. Yes, the gameplay. Because during the… how to put it, ‘character analysis’… there are some arguments against the game plays. Or at least, how it seems it plays from the trailer. Yakuvrael thought the moves looked “a little floaty” and lacking in punch, mentioning in particular a backflip that looks “odd.” Dochex had a like-minded opinion saying the “movement looks off” and likened the enemy behavior to NPCs waiting in line to get beaten up, like in some Cyberpunk 2077 mini-game. Q2yogurt reiterated that, pointing out that even in a crowd of enemies one can see the ones just waiting to fight one-on-one. These are real concerns for a fighting game! If the impact of the hits is not felt, then the whole John Wick dream, no matter who holds the gun, will just not be there.
Some people wanted to provide the background. Cosmael entered the discussion and said that the creators also made a comic and the heroine is “basically augmented,” which is the reason for the title of the game, SPINE. The name is not just random; it hints at some kind of cybernetic or bio-augmentation-related stuff going on. That’s a crucial point! However, that explanation itself led to a peculiar side-discussion about whether it was implied that they were involved with the game or not. Funny, Internet.
There were numerous analogies made. Mspl1084 confessed it brought to their mind Sifu which is a huge compliment in the stylish combat genre. DukePiggy got Control vibes from the visuals. And a lot of people, like sammaelsama, just denounced it as unoriginal “girlbossy” storytelling, foreseeing a cliché plot about a rebellious artist saving a sibling. Meanwhile, ClownShoesZomg was like, “That does look cool. I like the gun fu… Will be keeping an eye on this.” See? A normal, balanced reaction! They really do exist!
It’s a crazy split screen. Gamers on one side are thrilled that an indie developer is taking a risk with a specific, cool action style in a cool environment. On the other hand, a vocal faction is completely writing it off because of the protagonist’s gender without even analyzing the subtle differences in gameplay that others are highlighting. And lurking in the background are discussions about platforms like Xbox and PlayStation.
