Spine's wild "Gun-Fu" combat comes with incredible hardcore mode
I got to see a demo of Spine at Gamescom, and I'm fully on board with its gun-fu premise. Here's what I saw, and why its implementation of a hardcore mode feels so special.
Lloyd Coombes
28th Aug 2024 13:00
Images via Nekki
If you’ve ever watched the likes of John Wick, Equilibrium, or The Matrix and thought “I could do that”, then it turns out you’re not alone. Developer Nekki is working on Spine, a ‘gun fu’, martial arts extravaganza that sees a street artist take on a citywide corporation in an effort to rescue her brother.
None of the plot setup is particularly novel, admittedly, but it’s a great excuse to slap Redline with a Spine implant and have her punch, kick, and shoot her way through action scenes inspired by iconic movie scenes. Nekki tells me there are a whole host of wild sequences, including a battle atop a moving train, but for now, I got to see a hands-off demo that demonstrates the hand-to-hand and gun-to-hand combat fundamentals. Still, the team tells me fans can expect an “almanac of action movies”.
I know Gun Fu
If you’re a little behind, don’t worry - you won’t find Gun Fu classes in your local area. It’s a fictional martial art popularized by movies, typified by quick hits and dispatching enemies with lethal gunshots in close quarters.
Spine ties this into the titular implant, letting Redline see an enemy's moves in advance, while also giving her rapid reflexes. While she can resort to shooting enemies, the ammo economy is tuned to keep you thinking on your feet and constantly pushing toward opponents. This results in violent finishers, like snapping an opponent’s arm and then having them shoot themselves in the head, or acrobatic flips that end with, well, more headshots.
What struck me, even in this hands-off demo, is just how good Spine looks at this stage. NPCs scatter when the shooting starts, animations are motion-captured for authenticity, and the background tells the tale of a battle in a way I’ve not seen since John Woo’s Stranglehold on the Xbox 360 - street market items are blown apart by gunshots, bullet holes adorn the walls, and Redline can spray paint her own artwork as a reminder of just what caused the devastation.
That ties into the world around you feeling like a weapon, too. You can smash enemies into railings, send them flying over balconies, or use items in the environment to deal damage (including a huge fish).
Bullet Time
A second demo section saw Redline tangle with another Spine-equipped character, this time leading to much less of a power fantasy and more of a constant back and forth in a darkened hallway covered in spider-like robots.
Aside from being clear, the game will lean into its cyberpunk setting, Spine’s second demo section highlighted more of its destructible environments as columns smash and splinter like The Matrix’s infamous lobby scene, while Redline and her opponent engage in a bullet ballet for the ages.
It’s definitely looking like a step up in terms of difficulty, and I asked Nekki if they’d consider a hardcore mode. Thankfully, the team has managed to implement something even cooler for those looking to earn a “no hit” playthrough: Redline can start the game with a pair of sunglasses, and once she gets hit once, will lose them. The challenge, therefore, will be to get through the entire game while keeping the shades on.
It’s a neat idea that leans into the inherent coolness of the genre it’s so heavily inspired by, and I can’t wait to see how streamers approach the challenge.
Final Thoughts
Spine was a game flying under my radar for a little while, but I’m now desperate to hear more about it. While much of our demo was combat-focused I’m intrigued to see more of the parkour and how flexible its combat mechanics will be for different play styles.
No release date has been announced yet for Spine, but you can wishlist it on Steam right now. For more from Gamescom, check out our preview of Monster Hunter Wilds.
About The Author
Lloyd Coombes
Lloyd is GGRecon's Editor-in-Chief, having previously worked at Dexerto and Gfinity, and occasionally appears in The Daily Star newspaper. A big fan of loot-based games including Destiny 2 and Diablo 4, when he's not working you'll find him at the gym or trying to play Magic The Gathering.
