Spine looks like the John Wick game we’ve all been waiting for

There are plenty of movies that are perfect for a game adaptation, but one makes a lot more sense than the rest: John Wick. Ever since the first film came out in 2014, fans have been begging to immerse themselves in the brutal world of Derek Kolstad’s masterpiece, but those cries have fallen on deaf ears.

Although Lionsgate hinted last year that a triple-A John Wick game was in the works, there’s no telling if or when that project will come to fruition. If, like me, you can’t wait that long to get started with the gun-fu, developer Nekki has the next best thing with its upcoming 3D action brawler Spine.

As a huge fan of stylish action games like Sifu, Midnight Fight Express and Absolver (kudos to Sloclap for keeping the genre alive), I was immediately drawn to Spine for its gun-fu concept alone. It’s just a shame that the reveal trailer was completely computer-generated and incredibly slow, which didn’t really convey its fast-paced and brutal intentions.

Having had the chance to see a hands-off demo of Spine at Gamescom last week, I’m happy to report that the initial showing was a flop. Although the version of the game I previewed was so early in development that it had text-to-speech rather than voice acting, I was still impressed by the brutal, weapon-focused combat and stylish pop-punk world.

John Wick and John Woo – A tale of two Johns

The section of Spine that I watched occurred a few hours into the game, when street performer and gun-toting protagonist Redline has begun her journey to rescue her brother and is already familiar with the titular Spine implant, which grants her gun-fu abilities that would make John Wick blush.

Although it was a little difficult to get a good feel for the characters since the game is still in such early stages of development, the relationship between Redline and Spine has been compared to a buddy cop movie, with the two constantly bickering and joking with each other throughout the game. You could compare it to Ratchet & Clank, but with real guns instead of disco gloves.

This approach combined with a neon pop-punk aesthetic gives Spine a more lighthearted tone than I was expecting after the relatively dry and action-packed reveal trailer. Considering the main inspirations are John Woo and John Wick, it’s encouraging to see Nekki put his own spin on things and aim for more than just bullets, punches, and blood.

Batman Arkham Gun-Fu

There’s plenty of that too. While I was happy that Spine has its own style, what really interested me was its main selling point – gun-fu combat. After being disappointed by the pacing and lack of impact of the reveal trailer, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Spine takes a lot of cues from the Batman Arkham games and their signature freeflow style.

When Redline is close to her enemies, she uses her signature handguns as pistol melee weapons, but she can also use them as actual firearms if someone is too far away. The combination of long-range and up-close attacks is almost rhythmic in execution, especially when combined with groan-inducing executions and a unique spray paint attack that blinds nearby soldiers and leaves them vulnerable to combos.

The handguns aren’t the only firearms players can use. The highlight of the preview was when Redline mercilessly executed an enemy armed with a shotgun and appropriated the bomb as a temporary weapon. I only got to see the shotgun in action a little, but it seems to offer a completely different movement sequence than the handguns, adding even more spice to the already impressive-looking combat.

While I was very impressed with what I saw of Spine, I still have some reservations as I haven’t been able to play it myself. The gun-fu looks fast, stylish and satisfying, but what really matters at the end of the day is how it feels. I’m not sure when I’ll find out for myself, but I’m at least a lot more confident about Spine than I was after the slow CGI reveal trailer.