NORCO garnered my interest initially due to its setting of a sci-fi magical realist Louisiana ravaged by capitalism and the unquenchable greed of oil companies. It reminded me of two of my favorite games, Kentucky Route Zero and Disco Elysium, which have become common comparisons to NORCO. NORCO definitely initially feels like it’s trying to follow in the footsteps of those games and their mix of fantastical elements and grounded themes pertaining to our current world, and initially it does a real quality job as the world is an enthralling and resonant one. The game’s graphics and aesthetic are beautiful in their own beaten down, grungy way, and bring the setting to life. The prose is also mostly of similar quality to KRZ and Disco and be quite evocative and got me into the game pretty well. The puzzles are fine; there’s not a lot of them, but they fit with what you’re doing in the narrative so they’re not moon logic-y. The game also has a combat system where you have to match symbols or time your clicks right. Combat in a point and click adventure game usually ain’t the best idea but it’s mostly alright.
Unfortunately the game gets more and more nonsensical as it goes along; it loses the thematic strength and character writing it had started off with and the whole final conflict just feels so far removed from the initial one of the protag’s mom investigating the oil company’s shady dealings. Both KRZ and Disco had surreal endings too, but they still reinforced and were grounded in the real world themes both games had been building the whole time and tied into the arcs of the main cast wonderfully. NORCO’s ending feels like the devs just ran out of time and ideas. The ending just also throws a bunch of the combat encounters at you in quick succession too which also makes think it was rushed. It is actually frustrating because I feel the game was close to being great, they just really needed a second pass on the third act.
Overall NORCO is still a quality adventure game worth your time but I really can’t help but feel its “The Kentucky Route Zero we have at home” as it were and it could have been more.
Unfortunately the game gets more and more nonsensical as it goes along; it loses the thematic strength and character writing it had started off with and the whole final conflict just feels so far removed from the initial one of the protag’s mom investigating the oil company’s shady dealings. Both KRZ and Disco had surreal endings too, but they still reinforced and were grounded in the real world themes both games had been building the whole time and tied into the arcs of the main cast wonderfully. NORCO’s ending feels like the devs just ran out of time and ideas. The ending just also throws a bunch of the combat encounters at you in quick succession too which also makes think it was rushed. It is actually frustrating because I feel the game was close to being great, they just really needed a second pass on the third act.
Overall NORCO is still a quality adventure game worth your time but I really can’t help but feel its “The Kentucky Route Zero we have at home” as it were and it could have been more.