Please know that I waver from four stars pretty hesitantly. For a game to feature zero voice acting and an at times ludicrously abstract narrative still manage to be just as funny as a Psychonauts or Monkey Island game is no small feat. Sadly, because of the game's determination to be as obtuse as possible some of the best jokes, like the infamous Showgoer story about "edible" hot dogs or a chance meeting with a dingy public park rest stop's urinal (I, sadly, missed this) are entirely (even easily) missable.
In fact, for a game that's exactly as simple to progress through as it is a little overwhelming to parse the point of, I must say given that the writing and sense of place are Norco's two strongest qualities I can't say I'm entirely jazzed by how many moments, no matter how tiny or inconsequential, one can miss if for no other reason than taking even just a day or two off between play sessions.
I'd also argue that despite being just ten or so hours long, the first act is a pretty slow burn that does little to hint at how batshit things will get later, and if it doesn't sink its hooks in return visits to the seedier side of New Orleans can be incredibly disorienting without the help of a guide. Additionally, just as the game is picking up a full head of steam it just sort of...stops, bringing to mind a reality where Kentucky Route Zero never made it to the finish line. To say the game ends in frustratingly blunt fashion is an understatement.
For all these reasons, as much as I loved my time with Norco and find it an obvious recommend to anyone that loves narrative driven games with a unique, comprehensive voice, I also think its flaws are just too out in the open to hand wave. No doubt some of this is also stoked by having played on a Playstation; Disco Elysium seemed to have figured out gamepad controls for point and click adventures, but still so many others make some awfully wonky decisions and Norco is no stranger to clunky UX.
In fact, for a game that's exactly as simple to progress through as it is a little overwhelming to parse the point of, I must say given that the writing and sense of place are Norco's two strongest qualities I can't say I'm entirely jazzed by how many moments, no matter how tiny or inconsequential, one can miss if for no other reason than taking even just a day or two off between play sessions.
I'd also argue that despite being just ten or so hours long, the first act is a pretty slow burn that does little to hint at how batshit things will get later, and if it doesn't sink its hooks in return visits to the seedier side of New Orleans can be incredibly disorienting without the help of a guide. Additionally, just as the game is picking up a full head of steam it just sort of...stops, bringing to mind a reality where Kentucky Route Zero never made it to the finish line. To say the game ends in frustratingly blunt fashion is an understatement.
For all these reasons, as much as I loved my time with Norco and find it an obvious recommend to anyone that loves narrative driven games with a unique, comprehensive voice, I also think its flaws are just too out in the open to hand wave. No doubt some of this is also stoked by having played on a Playstation; Disco Elysium seemed to have figured out gamepad controls for point and click adventures, but still so many others make some awfully wonky decisions and Norco is no stranger to clunky UX.