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Spine is John Wick crossed with Sifu, and it's as good as it sounds

Home> Features

Published 14:00 12 Jun 2025 GMT+1

Spine is John Wick crossed with Sifu, and it's as good as it sounds

One to keep an eye on

Sam Cawley

Sam Cawley

Spine is a little rough around the edges but the potential seems limitless.

Playing the latest demo at Summer Game Fest, the John Wick-inspired combat was flashy enough to hide the graphic and gameplay glitches. They weren't game-breaking, but camera issues made it difficult to see some of those gorgeous takedown animations.

That said it's still an early-build so we've got to give it some slack, and as said before it didn't take away from the overall experience.

I only saw a fraction of what the full game has to offer too, as certain takedown animations like ones that utilise the environment were switched off to keep things simple.

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The build I played took me through a level and a boss fight, with Batman: Arkham-style combat that had me ducking, weaving and parrying with flair before executing a takedown when an enemy's health dropped low enough.

On reflection it felt a bit too easy, but I was told the enemy AI will be more responsive in the full game, and the damage they do was reduced for the demo to make it easier on new players.

Towards the end of the demo Spine felt like less of a video game and more like an interactive action film.

With a bit more time to cook I think it could be the next Sifu, and could spark an all-new genre of fluid gun-fu beat-em-up games. The potential feels limitless.

Featured Image Credit: Nekki

Topics: Preview, Xbox, PlayStation, PC

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