Griptape Backbone

About

Griptape Backbone is a single player open world sport game. It was developed by StevenHarmonGames and was released on May 5, 2017. It received very positive reviews from players.

A relaxing meditative and Zen like first person vaporwave skateboarding game. An interactive mixtape.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 459 reviews

music44 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

The game features stunning vaporwave aesthetics and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
It's a relaxing and enjoyable game that allows players to explore a unique world while performing tricks on a skateboard.
Despite its simplicity, the game offers a surprisingly deep and introspective experience, making it a memorable journey.

The controls are often frustrating and unresponsive, making gameplay feel awkward and difficult at times.
There is no save feature, which can lead to tedious gameplay as players must complete the game in one sitting.
The game can be buggy, with issues like jittery camera movements and glitches that detract from the overall experience.

music
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
41%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, featuring a curated selection of vaporwave tracks that enhance the overall aesthetic and gameplay experience. Many players find the soundtrack to be a standout feature, contributing to a chill atmosphere that allows for easy escapism. While some critiques mention gameplay issues, the consensus is that the music significantly elevates the game's appeal, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
- “The gameplay experience is so relaxing from the music to the visuals, and there is actually a story for you to interpret - and a touching one at that.”
- “The combination of the music and the ambiance of the environment is just straight up peaceful.”
- “The soundtrack really glues this masterpiece together, with two seemingly unrelated topics coming together to create such an amazing concept.”
- “Unrelated objects scatter the landscape without any sense of cohesion, fake-deep quotes are thrown in front of you everywhere you go, and all of this is to a carefully curated soundtrack of the most vaporwave-y music ever made.”
- “The gameplay, the music, the graphics, and the story are all close to being good, but all of them fall short, and come together to make a frustrating and not very fun experience.”
- “There is nothing wrong with the soundtrack, I just think that it could be better.”
graphics
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
62%
4%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant vaporwave aesthetic, creating a visually appealing and nostalgic experience that enhances the overall atmosphere. While many players appreciate the unique art style and relaxing visuals, some criticize the technical execution, noting issues with clunky controls and a lack of customization options. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered its strongest feature, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre despite its gameplay shortcomings.
- “The aesthetics are excellent and the music is great.”
- “The entire theme and just the general aesthetic of this game is wonderfully made.”
- “It is a work of art with an amazing soundtrack, visuals you won't believe, and a chill vibe and vaporwave aesthetic that even the simplest of minds can appreciate and love.”
- “The technical implementation almost gets a pass, thanks to Unity, you've got 4K resolution support, but there's no graphics tweaks or control tweaks, so you're powerless to try to improve the visual quality of the game or customize the controls to your preferences, so that's a fail.”
- “Many of the textures have some sort of shader or effect applied which makes them warp and shift around, which is somewhat disorienting and doesn't add anything to the visuals.”
- “The overall aesthetic is messy and lazy and oftentimes legally dubious.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
45%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by a relaxing atmosphere, smooth mechanics, and a unique aesthetic, complemented by a great soundtrack. However, many players report frustrating control issues and technical glitches that detract from the overall experience, making it feel jarring at times. While the game has potential and offers enjoyable moments, it often falls short due to its inconsistent mechanics and lack of engaging objectives.
- “The gameplay experience is so relaxing from the music to the visuals, and there is actually a story for you to interpret - and a touching one at that.”
- “The theme is interesting, the mechanics are smooth, and the game is fun.”
- “The combination of the smooth, wavy music and the smooth mouse-only gameplay just made this game a dream to play.”
- “Oh and what everybody else already said: controls are terrible, therefore the whole gameplay becomes like bugged ice skating in low gravity.”
- “Meaning that essential game mechanics, such as choosing the correct trick or skipping a song, simply don't work reliably.”
- “The gameplay, the music, the graphics, and the story are all close to being good, but all of them fall short, and come together to make a frustrating and not very fun experience.”
story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
65%
13%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its emotional depth and interpretive nature, while others find it either too obvious or poorly integrated into the gameplay. While there are hints and pieces of narrative scattered throughout, many reviewers feel that the storytelling is either underdeveloped or overshadowed by gameplay mechanics, leading to a frustrating experience for those seeking a cohesive plot. Overall, the story's effectiveness seems to depend heavily on player expectations and engagement.
- “The gameplay experience is so relaxing from the music to the visuals, and there is actually a story for you to interpret - and a touching one at that.”
- “It's fun in the sense that you're indirectly given a story to follow, tidbits and pieces scattered about to help you understand what really is going on, and that's fun.”
- “The inclusion of the programs in the menu gives the main character a completely relatable backstory and also sends a message about how you cannot run away from your problems forever.”
- “The primary issue with this is that if you're not expecting a story, it would likely just seem like gibberish to you, but if you are expecting a story, it is way too obvious and literally spoiled by the loading screen before the game even starts.”
- “Not only that, but there are no further hints after that furthering it (or if there are any, they are very, very well hidden)-- so the game either expects you to figure out its story solely before playing it, or not figure anything out at all.”
- “There isn't much of a story to the game from what I can tell.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of intentional silliness and deeper themes, often eliciting laughter through absurdity and relatable skate culture references. While some players find the humor to be hit-or-miss, with a reliance on memes and quirky events, many appreciate its ability to balance lightheartedness with more serious undertones. Overall, the game is seen as entertaining and creatively engaging, with a variety of funny moments and easter eggs.
- “The humor might also seem a little on the nose at first because a teenager made this game, but that's just a diversion from the deeper themes you'll find if you look closer.”
- “I probably shouldn't recommend this game but it's dumb funny, relaxing, and makes you slightly creative, so thumbs up :)”
- “I really don't know what to say about this game; it's hilarious whilst having a serious undertone, it made me think whilst simultaneously allowing me to be submerged into it, it's bittersweet and deep and a whole bunch of other adjectives I cannot conceive at the moment.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players report that the game has notable stability issues, including bugs and glitches that affect controls and gameplay. However, many feel that these problems do not significantly detract from the overall experience, with some even finding the challenges posed by the bugs to be part of the game's charm. Despite the stability concerns, the game's aesthetic and rewarding gameplay have garnered positive feedback.
- “Controls are buggy.”
- “It also doesn't help that I encountered a few bugs/glitches during my playthrough.”
- “This game is tough to control, has buggy motion, and an incredibly short render distance.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally impactful, highlighting its relaxing gameplay, touching story, and evocative visuals and music. Many express that it elicits strong feelings, with specific moments, like the tribute to Harambe, resonating deeply and prompting tears. Overall, it is described as a heartwarming experience that effectively engages players' emotions.
- “The gameplay experience is so relaxing, from the music to the visuals, and there is actually a story for you to interpret - and a touching one at that.”
- “The shrine and monologue in honor of Harambe makes me shed a tear every single time.”
- “This game made me feel emotions I shouldn't.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is praised for its highly atmospheric environment, combining engaging graphical styles with a unique purgatory and hospital setting that enhances the overall experience. The simple yet enjoyable skating mechanics contribute to a sense of fluid movement, making it a captivating experience for players.
- “It's extremely atmospheric, and the skating mechanics are simple but fun.”
- “I was very excited to play this game—the graphical style and atmosphere, the skateboarding gameplay, and the fact that it seemed to be one of those very rare games built completely around movement—it seemed like the perfect thing to tide me over until Perfect Stride came out, a similar game that has been in development for a few years now.”
- “The whole purgatory realm combined with the hospital atmosphere during loading makes death seem a lot less scary.”
- “I was very excited to play this game-- the graphical style and atmosphere, the skateboarding gameplay, the fact that it seemed to be one of those very rare games built completely around movement-- it seemed like the perfect thing to tie me over until Perfect Stride came out, a similar game which has been in development for a few years now.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to performance issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “Not optimized very well.”
- “The game suffers from significant performance issues.”
- “Loading times are excessively long, making the experience frustrating.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and challenging, particularly due to the lack of a save feature, which complicates the process of collecting the required 1000 cups to complete the game. Many feel that a second life is necessary to manage the extensive grinding involved.
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “There isn't a way to save your progress, which makes completing the game very hard and tedious considering you have to collect 1000 cups to beat the game.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its exceptional replayability, setting a high standard that indie developers aspire to reach.
- “Indie devs could only ever hope to achieve the replayability of this game.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization model is viewed positively, as it is perceived not as a cash grab but rather as a genuine effort to provide value to players.