Norco

Overall, NORCO is a game I could not stop thinking about. Even long after completing my first playthrough, I find myself thinking about Kay, Catherine, the AI security robot Millions, Private Investigator Leblanc, and the multitude of ordinary citizens I encountered that profoundly impacted me throughout my time in NORCO. It’s been a while since a game has managed to cause so much emotional damage...

NORCO is a brilliant game with an incredibly high level of craft, particularly with its writing. It is one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking games in years, and everyone should play it.

Norco takes the point n’ click adventure to a despair-stained new plane. I’ve never been so happy to feel unhappy as I did living in this tech-noir graveyard of a world.

A landmark moment for point-and-click adventures.

Point-and-click games cemented the vast potential of interactive narrative at the turn of the century, employing innovative environmental/dialogue puzzles with evocative pixel art and chiptune music. Nowadays, we lose ourselves in impossibly large sandboxes with equally extensive choice-driven plotlines. It’s fitting, then, that Norco feels like a precious relic from the Sierra-led Golden Age of d...

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

NORCO is a point-and-click mystery that calls itself a “Southern gothic” tale, and it wears that label on its sleeve. It’s set in the real-world town of the same name, located just 30 minutes from New Orleans, USA. To its North-East lie lowland swamps, and back in the bad old days, it was the site of a number of sugar cane plantations that profited from slave labour. It’s a rich history, if a mela...

I’ve been playing point-and-click adventures for decades. My love of the genre started with sierra’s King’s Quest series, and has continued until present day. They’re not all winners, but there have been plenty that have managed to leave their imprint on my mind over the years, such as the beloved Monkey Island series, Lost in Play, and darkly whimsical Röki. I was immediately intrigued by the tra...

What saves Norco is that the visions on offer belong as much to the imagined as the troublingly real.

One of the best story-based games of the year, with a complex mix of dystopian sci-fi, religious meditation, and a razor-sharp script.

If you’re chasing whatever the hottest new trend is or want a groundbreaking game with never-before-seen mechanics, obviously this is not a good match. But if you’re looking for a game that captures the vibe of a place, the mood of a place, and a story that rapidly spirals into both relevance (the nerds are cobbling together a rocket to go to the MOOOOON! They dress as crusaders!) and insanity, we...

In conclusion, NORCO is a bit of a mixed bag.  Whilst it looks and sounds stunning it is let down by a story that pushes itself so far out there that it has no way of coming back.  Although already critically acclaimed this could be one of those games that is far more beloved of reviewers than the people who actually play it.  Only time will tell.  At least its availability on Game Pass means that...