My Solo RPG Journey: My Thoughts on SPINE
This ain't an overview or review, but some general thoughts on the highly creative game SPINE
Hello to all my imaginary readers and general gremlins. Today I am going to discuss some thoughts on the game SPINE, which I was lucky enough to receive a physical “beta” copy from the creator Asa Donald of Backwards Tabletop.
This is going to be a hard game for me to talk about because, frankly, I have not finished playing yet. I have started, mind you, but for reasons I will get into this is a hard game for me.
The general concept of SPINE seems simple on the surface: You are reading a book that is trying to steal your soul and switch places with you essentially. The game technically requires a physical copy as the intent is to literally write in and modify the book through your actions. It also has limited replayability, as you can only really play through a copy 3 times. Interestingly enough, the idea is that you play once or twice, then pass the book on to someone else. I intend to do just that and have 2 friends lined up point of fact for this.
The front half of the book is the actual text, while the back half contains all the narrative prompts in the form of Endnotes, and the 3 Clocks. As you play, you flip between the books text, the endnotes to see what you are required to do, and then adding to your clock which takes the form of a drawn portrait. It’s quite creative, really interesting, and something I have not seen before.
And completely beyond my intelligence.
This is not a complaint about the book, but I am too stupid for it. It reads like an academic collection of essays about the nature of souls and things, and my brain just cannot hack it. I managed to get through about 4 pages of text before I had to stop as it was literally giving me a headache.
This is entirely on me, mind you. It’s well written, and very cool, but I guess I just am not built for this kind of thing.
The idea here is that you read a page, and you see these little Endnote numbers. You then flip to the endnote section, find the number you want to read, and then perform whatever action this might require. Stuff like writing in the margins, underlining text, hell at one point one I chose had me poke a physical hole through a page, and another had me bend the spine back so the book tried to stay open. Shit like that. It’s very unique. And once you perform the actions of a specific Endnote, unless otherwise specified, you cross it out so the next person CANNOT follow that one.
But some of these prompts are mind boggling, with puzzles and logic problems that I just cannot comprehend. I am not the only one who had had this experience at least, so I know I am not alone.
This is a game for big-brained people, for those who want something absolutely unique and fascinating that can create a bespoke copy just for you and your friends.
I fully intend to keep trying but I have no idea when I will ever get through it fully. I still intend to send it my fellow creatives Hime and Neon Bird, but when will that happen? I have no fucking clue.
I heartily encourage everyone to at least check this out though. It may be the perfect game for you.
For me? It gives me headaches.
Till next time!
I think SPINE is one of the most creative additions to the scene I've seen in a long time. It is creepy, atmospheric, and down right puzzling. It reminds me of old computer games like The Seventh Guest or like Myst.
But those games were too smart for me then. When I tried to play them, I always left frustrated. I knew there were puzzles to solve... but my small brain couldn't figure out how to solve them. SPINE feels like that to me.
But my partner lived off of those games. He still has his Myst notebook from back when he was playing. It's detailed and full of weird little theories and notes. For the right sort of person, I think SPINE could quickly become a favorite game.