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Tails: The Backbone Preludes is worth considering if you want a character-led, text-heavy adventure built around branching dialogue and replaying scenes—not a mystery game driven mainly by investigation and puzzles. Its four interwoven stories revisit the world of Tails Noir through formative moments in the lives of Howard, Clarissa, Renee, and Eli. Review signals differ by source: Steam’s user reviews are strongly positive in the snapshot below, while Epic’s OpenCritic widget reports a more mixed critical picture.
What is Tails: The Backbone Preludes?
Developed by Eggnut and published by Raw Fury, Tails: The Backbone Preludes is a single-player narrative adventure and a prequel to Tails Noir, the game first released as Backbone. The store-listed release date is February 2, 2023. It takes place years earlier in a dystopian Vancouver inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, and tells four connected stories through interactive vignettes.
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BACKBONE One PlayStation Edition Gaming Bundle – Mobile Gaming Controller for iPhone (Lightning)... | $104.11 | Buy on Amazon |
Four perspectives, four personal conflicts
- Howard, a photography major, navigates college life with his roommate Larry.
- Clarissa, an heiress, struggles to earn her father’s approval.
- Renee confronts a lack of agency in her life.
- Eli, a scientist, questions whether his work serves the greater good.
The premise and character summaries come from the Steam listing and Epic Games Store listing.
What do the reviews say?
There is no single review score that captures the reception: Steam’s figure is a user-review snapshot, while the figures Epic displays come from OpenCritic’s critic data. They measure different groups and should not be combined.
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| Source and measure | Displayed figure | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Steam user reviews | 93% positive from 273 reviews; Steam snapshot accessed October 8, 2026 | All-time user-review figure at that access date; it can change as reviews arrive. |
| OpenCritic, surfaced on Epic Games Store | 62% Critics Recommend; accessed October 8, 2026 | Critic recommendation share, distinct from Steam’s user rating. |
| OpenCritic, surfaced on Epic Games Store | 73 top-critic average; accessed October 8, 2026 | A separate critic aggregate; Epic labels the rating “Fair.” |
The Steam snapshot and developer-provided game information appear on the Steam store page; the OpenCritic widget is displayed on the Epic listing. Both are dated snapshots, not permanent scores.
What individual review excerpts emphasize
Epic surfaces a GBAtemp review by Prans Dunn that gives the game 7.8/10 and describes it as an engaging, replayable experience that improves on the Backbone formula. It also surfaces TechRaptor’s Samuel Guglielmo at 7.5/10: that review sees gameplay as a step back, while finding that the characters, stories, and presentation make up ground. These are two publication-level assessments, not a universal critical consensus; both excerpts are shown on the Epic Games Store listing.
Is it more visual novel than detective game?
Its strongest stated emphasis is narrative: character traits, branching dialogue, randomized events, replay paths, and a tree that tracks choices. That makes it a better fit for someone who enjoys reading, revisiting scenes, and seeing how dialogue choices shape a character’s route than for someone seeking sustained detective work or puzzle-solving. The available review excerpts also point to a trade-off between the writing and presentation on one side and the amount or feel of gameplay on the other.
PC Gamer’s Imogen Mellor preview, published October 7, 2022 and based on a pre-release demo, praised the pixel-art visuals and atmospheric music, found Renee’s section the most detective-like, and was cautious about whether the full game would deliver on its setup. That is demo-era context, not a review of the released game; see PC Gamer’s preview.
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How does it compare with Backbone and Tails Noir?
Tails: The Backbone Preludes is a prequel, not a retelling of Tails Noir. Its four-character structure gives the setting room for personal histories and different kinds of conflict. When deciding between them, consider what you want from the play experience: the prequel’s listings foreground branching dialogue and replaying routes, while the review excerpts make gameplay density a point of disagreement. The available sources do not provide a direct, measured comparison of puzzle counts or playtime, so those should not be treated as established differences.
Steam says the prequel has twice the word count of Tails Noir. That is a store/developer claim rather than an independently verified measurement, and it is best understood as a signal that reading is a substantial part of the experience—not as a guarantee of a particular runtime. The claim appears on the Steam listing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the setting and presentation suit you?
The publisher describes high-resolution pixel art, a Vancouver influenced by art deco and post-Soviet architecture, and a soundtrack by Danshin described as “noir doom jazz.” Those are the listing’s descriptions rather than independent technical assessments. PC Gamer’s demo preview separately praised the pixel-art look and atmospheric music, though that impression came before the full release.
Platforms, editions, and PC requirements
The reviewed listings show a digital Windows release. Epic lists a base game and a Deluxe Edition that includes the official soundtrack; Steam lists the soundtrack separately as digital add-on content. These listings do not establish a boxed or other physical edition. Availability and edition details can change, so check the live Epic listing or Steam page.
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 | Not stated on the Epic listing |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-7400 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GTX 1050 Ti-class graphics | GTX 1070 or AMD Radeon |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 2 GB | 2 GB |
These are the PC requirements shown by Epic, not independent performance testing. The recommended graphics entry names “AMD Radeon” without a specific model. Confirm the current figures on the Epic system-requirements listing before purchase.
Is it suitable for children?
No: the developers’ Steam notice says the game is not recommended for children and lists strong language, abuse, violence, systemic racism and sexism, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and death. Epic separately displays a Mature 17+ rating with descriptors for blood, strong language, suggestive themes, and violence. The two listings do not use identical wording; review both notices if a particular theme is a concern. See the Steam content notice and the Epic rating information.
Quick Recap
Who should play it?
- Consider it if character-focused stories, dialogue choices, atmospheric pixel art, and revisiting branches are your main draws.
- Be cautious if you want a tightly paced detective game with a strong emphasis on investigation and puzzles; the game’s own framing centers on narrative choices, and critics differ on the strength of its gameplay.
- Check the content warnings first if abuse, discrimination, substance abuse, depression, violence, or death may be difficult for you or the person you are choosing for.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
