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Griptape Backbone

94%Game Brain Score
music, graphics
story, stability
94% User Score Based on 443 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindowsLinuxLinuxMac OSMac OS
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About

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

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot
Griptape Backbone screenshot

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 443 reviews
music44 positive mentions
stability8 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique and relaxing experience with a strong vaporwave aesthetic and a great soundtrack.
  • Exploring the open world and collecting items is enjoyable, providing a sense of nostalgia and tranquility.
  • Despite its flaws, the game has a heartwarming message about life and existentialism that resonates with players.
  • The controls are often frustrating and unresponsive, making gameplay feel awkward and difficult.
  • There is no save feature, which can lead to tedious gameplay as players must complete the game in one sitting.
  • The visuals, while aesthetically pleasing, can be glitchy and disorienting, detracting from the overall experience.
  • music
    79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its chill, vaporwave aesthetic, featuring tracks from well-known artists in the genre, which enhances the overall relaxing experience. Many players find the soundtrack to be a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's ambiance and making it a perfect backdrop for unwinding. While some critiques mention gameplay issues, the consensus is that the music elevates the game, making it enjoyable and worth playing.

    • “The combination of the music and the ambiance of the environment is just straight up peaceful.”
    • “The music, of course, really adds to the wondrous tone of the game, but the world itself is pretty cool, and the many secrets are clever and interesting.”
    • “It's a really cool game and gotta love the soundtrack!”
    • “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.”
    • “Also, when I crashed into the statue of Sisyphus, the game made a horrifically loud sound, one way louder than the music or any other sound effects or the volume I had on my PC.”
  • graphics
    69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are heavily influenced by vaporwave aesthetics, featuring a unique and visually appealing style that many players find nostalgic and immersive. While the overall aesthetic is praised for its coolness and chill vibe, some users note technical shortcomings, such as lack of customization options and occasional awkwardness in visual execution. Despite these issues, the game's visuals and soundtrack create an engaging atmosphere that resonates well with fans of the genre.

    • “The aesthetics are really cool, and I highly recommend this game.”
    • “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 enjoy.”
    • “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
    35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by smooth movement mechanics and an atmospheric experience, enhanced by a great soundtrack, but it suffers from inconsistent controls and technical issues that can detract from enjoyment. While some players find the skating mechanics fun and the exploration engaging, others criticize the lack of meaningful objectives and the overall jarring feel of the gameplay. Despite its aesthetic appeal, many reviewers feel that the game could benefit from significant improvements to its core mechanics.

    • “The gameplay is also very smooth and natural.”
    • “Cool movement mechanics that can be tricky to master but are satisfying when done so.”
    • “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
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its indirect narrative and scattered hints, while others criticize it for being either too obvious or lacking depth. Many feel that the storytelling is not effectively integrated into the gameplay, leading to confusion or frustration, and some believe it fails to deliver a compelling experience compared to other titles in the genre. Overall, the story seems to be an afterthought, with limited engagement and clarity for players.

    • “Honestly, this is probably the best vaporwave-related game on Steam, and it has an actual story unlike others, so I'm giving it a thumbs up because I can't find words to describe this game.”
    • “It's fun in the sense that you're indirectly given a story to follow, with 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

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of silly, meme-inspired jokes and deeper themes, often eliciting laughter, cringe, and confusion. While some players find it entertaining and appreciate the cleverness behind the humor, others feel it may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game is noted for its lightheartedness and fun, with hidden effects and easter eggs adding to the comedic experience.

    • “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

    Overall, players report that the game has notable stability issues, including glitches and buggy controls, which can detract from the experience. However, many feel that these problems do not significantly diminish the game's enjoyment, with some even finding the challenges posed by the bugs to be part of the fun. Despite the technical shortcomings, the game's aesthetic and rewarding gameplay are frequently praised.

    • “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.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive graphical style and engaging environments, effectively blending elements like a purgatory realm and a hospital setting to create a unique experience. The simple yet enjoyable skating mechanics further enhance the overall ambiance, making it a standout title for players seeking a movement-focused gameplay experience.

    • “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.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is described as a heartwarming experience that evokes unexpected emotions, making it a compelling way to spend around 50 minutes. Players appreciate its ability to elicit feelings that resonate deeply, enhancing the overall emotional impact.

    • “Heartwarming simple game, a great way to pass 50 minutes or so.”
    • “This game made me feel emotions I didn't expect.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and challenging, particularly due to the lack of a save feature and the requirement to collect 1000 cups to complete it, which can lead to frustration and the need for multiple attempts.

    • “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 1,000 cups to beat the game.”
  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received criticism, with users noting that it is not well-optimized, leading to performance issues.

    • “Not optimized very well.”
    • “The game suffers from significant performance issues.”
    • “There are frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy is viewed positively, as it is perceived not as a cash grab but rather as a genuine effort to enhance the gaming experience on Steam.

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