Norco

Release Date: March 24, 2022

Adventure, science fiction, point-and-click, 2D, indie games, experimental/artistic, singleplayer

8.9

OpenCritic

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NORCO is an adventure game that presents an unusual vision of the future composed of elements of dystopian science fiction and southern gothic. The player explores the industrial suburbs of New Orleans in search of his lost brother.

Plot
Mechanics
Game modes
Technical aspects

NORCO is an adventure game mixing science fiction and genre known as Southern Gothic. It is a debut game of Geography of Robots studio.

Plot

The action takes place in the near future, in the decaying industrial outskirts of New Orleans, located near the typical Louisiana swamps. The region was the site of a civil war several years ago, which left the industry and infrastructure in ruins. Life goes on there, however.

Our protagonist returns to his hometown on a mission to find his brother Blake, who disappeared without a trace after their mother's death. Old friends and neighbors seem to have no idea what happened. However, we quickly fall on the trail of a rogue cyborg who formerly worked in the security services of a local corporation and seems to have the information we need. Getting to him won't be easy, however.

Mechanics

NORCO is a traditional adventure game where players explore the world, engage in conversations and solve puzzles. There are a lot of puzzles and they require, among others, finding objects in locations, collecting and cleverly using objects and manipulating devices in the game world.

The game is strongly non-linear, both in terms of story and gameplay. We regularly have to make decisions which direct the story on new tracks. Starting the game we also shape the character's past, which then influences important elements of the story.

Most of the problems also have some alternative solutions. For example, we repeatedly encounter characters who are hostile to us, and it's up to us whether we fight them, or maybe try to convince them with arguments or trickery, or simply sneak unnoticed.

Game modes

NORCO offers a single player mode only.

Technical aspects

The strength of the game is the design. NORCO uses a pixelated retro style. The explored world is very well made. Each pixelart location is a small masterpiece. In addition, the game gains a lot from the unusual vision of the presented world. It combines the sultry and swampy atmosphere of southern gothic with colorful futurism and a heavy industrial atmosphere. The end result is truly unique. The effect is reinforced by the great music composed by Gewgawly I.

Videos and Screens

[0:30] Norco launch trailer (console)

[1:20] Norco launch trailer

8.9

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 99% of Critics. There are 30 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Push Square: 8 / 10 by Graham Banas

In fact, the only area where it lets itself down is the UI. Games that use a cursor on console are starting on the back foot to begin with, but navigating what you can interact with is a particular nuisance in Norco. The cursor is fond of resetting, so you have to drag it all the way across the screen often, it's very easy to accidentally repeat dialogue choices, and sometimes it takes a few tries to hover over something before the interaction prompt actually shows up. Apart from this, the game offers a rich, fulfilling experience that you should try to experience as soon as you possibly can.

Full Review

GameSpot: 9 / 10 by Richard Wakeling

Norco weaves a compelling and utterly wonderful story that's dark, beautiful, evocative, and distinctly human.

Full Review

Checkpoint Gaming: 9 / 10 by Edie W-K

Even if you don’t normally enjoy point-and-click adventures, Norco is a must-play for anyone interested in story-driven games. It’s one of the best-narrated tales since Dysco Elysium, rich with the real-life history of the town of Norco with some imaginative fiction mixed in. It’s dark, funny, and scary in all the right places, and even if the ending doesn’t wrap up all the mysteries it opens, it’s still sure to leave its mark on you.

Full Review