| Platform | Studio | Release | Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playstation 5 | Geography of Robots | November 2022 | January 2023 |
In the adventure game Norco you play Kay, who returns to her hometown Norco after the death of her mother, in the style of a classic adventure. At first, the game starts harmlessly with the exploration of Kay’s old room, but gradually the fate of the town and Kay’s mother is revealed. The game’s great strength is the creation of a believable game world that draws a dystopian alternative Louisiana in a mix of cyberpunk and gothic elements. This is achieved mainly through text dialogues in the various pixelart-style settings in classic point-and-click adventure manner. There are only few puzzles to solve, but those are limited to the correct use of certain items from the very small inventory. In the later course of the game a few gameplay elements are added, such as the turn-based battles, which are too easy in my opinion. Also a small minigame-like elements in which the player steers a boat on a map .
However the focus is on the dialogs, where different answers can be selected. With each new dialog and character you learn more about the background of the world, which is full of facets and topics: Fanaticism, political intrigue and social decay are just some of the topics Norco touches during its roughly 6 hours of gameplay. At some points in the game, alternative decisions can be made, which increases the replay value, at least for trophy hunters. Towards the end, the story revs up a bit too much for my taste, so not all of the events just before the finale were comprehensible to me.
Overall, a good adventure game in a scenario that we have never seen before.
Positive
- unique scenario creating a dystopian cyberpunk-noire world
- excellent storytelling and credible characters
Negative
- ending feels a bit over-the-top
- turn based tactics battles are too easy
Verdict
82
“Norco is a classical adventure with a credible set of characters and excellent dialogs. Only few adventures manage to create such a unique world and atmosphere.”
Sources Title-Trailer: Youtube (https://youtu.be/Hv7sO5qFO2k) Screenshots: own screen captures