NORTH
Release Date: April 27, 2016
Adventure, FPP, dystopia, adventure elements, experimental/artistic, singleplayer
OpenCritic
Steam
A short experimental adventure game with logical elements. We play the role of an immigrant who escapes poverty and ends up in a strange and technologically advanced country. During the game he faces completely incomprehensible customs, culture and religion of his hosts.
NORTH is a short experimental adventure game, in which we play the role of an immigrant coming to a foreign and strange country. The developer of the title is an independent two-person dev team at Outlands from Berlin. The devs have several small games under their belt, which were distributed for free on PC. NORTH is their first multiplatform and fully commercial project.
Story
The protagonist of NORTH is a desperate immigrant who escapes from the chaotic southern part of the world, crossing a dangerous, merciless desert and ending up in a seemingly safe country in the north. On the spot, he is sent to a transit camp, where he is forced to work in a mine. The appearance and culture of the host country completely surprise him and turns out to be completely incomprehensible. Despite this, he does not give up and patiently obeys all commands. We learn about the protagonist's thoughts by reading the letters he sends to his sister back at home.
Mechanics
The action of NORTH is observed from FPP. Exploring small locations, we execute simple commands, consisting in solving uncomplicated logic puzzles. With each completed puzzle we are getting closer to the goal, which is to obtain the right of permanent stay in a new country. Interaction with the world and NPCs is minimal.
It is worth noting that the game is extremely short and linear. The whole thing can be completed in less than an hour. The devs also did not introduce any incentive to repeat the campaign.
Technical aspects
NORTH's three-dimensional visuals present a completely surreal vision of the world, additionally emphasized by the soundtrack. However, due to the size of the development team and the budget of the title, the appearance of character models and details of the environment are far from perfect.
Last updated on February 16, 2020
Videos and Screens
FourFaceButtons: 3 / 10 by David Aedo
Despite the poor graphics, mediocre music, and ugly overuse of chromatic aberration, North does manage to push its atmosphere well. It's a neat little game to play through but it's far from great; the gameplay is simply not that engaging.
Nintendo Insider: 5 / 10 by Alex Seedhouse
NORTH carries an important message that it wants to impart, but whether it manages to successfully convey it to the player is debatable. The cyberpunk atmosphere helps it to stand apart from other games on the Nintendo eShop. But, with the developer having exerted more effort to create unpredictable and trippy scenes, you soon come to the realization that it is reading the letters sent from brother to sister that beat at the heart of the experience. In comparison, everything else feels meaningless.
TrueAchievements: 3 / 5 by Lucy Wood
North is an interesting game with something special to offer despite its flaws.
NORTH Summary
Platforms:
PC Windows April 27, 2016
PlayStation Vita March 6, 2018
PlayStation 4 March 6, 2018
Xbox One March 6, 2018
Nintendo Switch March 6, 2018
Similar Games:
Proteus
NORTH System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Dual Core 2.4 GHz, 1 GB RAM, graphic card 512 MB GeForce 8800 or better, 1100 MB HDD, Windows XP