Sights & Sounds
- There's an element of hand-paintedness to the visual style that's really appealing. I love the completely consistent color theming throughout the game as well. There's some serious design chops being shown off here
- The music is also outstanding. As the "noir" in the name implies, be prepared for quite a bit of jazz throughout the game. It runs the gamut from small trio improv to big band swing, so there's some tasty variety
- All in all, this game is a feast for the eyes and ears. It's oozing with style
Story & Vibes
- I'm going to be honest. As much as I loved the game's presentation, I'm having some trouble making sense of what appears to be a highly allegorical story
- The plot kinda makes sense. You're trying to prevent Miss Mass, the singer of a jazz band, from being killed by Golden Boy, the band's saxophone player. You go back in time doing so, seeing various parts of astronomical and human history
- It's heavily implied that saving Miss Mass will stop the creation of the universe. Why? No clue. I feel like there's some allegory that's flying directly over my head
- It is a pretty chill game in spite of all that drama
Playability & Replayability
- It's basically a puzzle game. There's a ton of variety to the puzzles, thankfully, so the game feels fresh and keeps you guessing a bit
- In spite of the variety, many of the puzzles are uncreative or tedious. The visual effects are stellar, but the simplicity of much of the gameplay diminishes the effect a little. Kinda feels like you're being disproportionately rewarded at some points
- It's really easy to get all of the achievements (there's a final choice at the end of the game, but you can just replay the chapter from the chapter select menu and switch your choice the second time). Because of that, I don't think I'll be back for a replay unless I want to reexperience the spectacle of the game
Overall Impressions & Performance
- The game has an excess of style and a questionable amount of substance. It could be that the game has a very deep message or lesson, but I couldn't tell for sure
- It's about 5-ish hours long, so take that into account when setting your price
- Ran really well on the Steam Deck, but might be worth playing on a bigger screen to take in more of the visuals
Final Verdict
- 6.5/10. It's an absolutely gorgeous game with mediocre puzzles, a slightly understandable plot, and a highly enigmatic message. I'd recommend it for the sights and sounds, but don't expect much more than that
- There's an element of hand-paintedness to the visual style that's really appealing. I love the completely consistent color theming throughout the game as well. There's some serious design chops being shown off here
- The music is also outstanding. As the "noir" in the name implies, be prepared for quite a bit of jazz throughout the game. It runs the gamut from small trio improv to big band swing, so there's some tasty variety
- All in all, this game is a feast for the eyes and ears. It's oozing with style
Story & Vibes
- I'm going to be honest. As much as I loved the game's presentation, I'm having some trouble making sense of what appears to be a highly allegorical story
- The plot kinda makes sense. You're trying to prevent Miss Mass, the singer of a jazz band, from being killed by Golden Boy, the band's saxophone player. You go back in time doing so, seeing various parts of astronomical and human history
- It's heavily implied that saving Miss Mass will stop the creation of the universe. Why? No clue. I feel like there's some allegory that's flying directly over my head
- It is a pretty chill game in spite of all that drama
Playability & Replayability
- It's basically a puzzle game. There's a ton of variety to the puzzles, thankfully, so the game feels fresh and keeps you guessing a bit
- In spite of the variety, many of the puzzles are uncreative or tedious. The visual effects are stellar, but the simplicity of much of the gameplay diminishes the effect a little. Kinda feels like you're being disproportionately rewarded at some points
- It's really easy to get all of the achievements (there's a final choice at the end of the game, but you can just replay the chapter from the chapter select menu and switch your choice the second time). Because of that, I don't think I'll be back for a replay unless I want to reexperience the spectacle of the game
Overall Impressions & Performance
- The game has an excess of style and a questionable amount of substance. It could be that the game has a very deep message or lesson, but I couldn't tell for sure
- It's about 5-ish hours long, so take that into account when setting your price
- Ran really well on the Steam Deck, but might be worth playing on a bigger screen to take in more of the visuals
Final Verdict
- 6.5/10. It's an absolutely gorgeous game with mediocre puzzles, a slightly understandable plot, and a highly enigmatic message. I'd recommend it for the sights and sounds, but don't expect much more than that
7 Comments
I guess it becomes more clear if you are familiar with the work of Italo Calvino
@capetaun, thank you for the reference. I'm definitely going to track down his stories
@RedBackLoggd, I just joined the site, so I haven't really decided how much interaction I plan on doing
@RedBackLoggd, I just joined the site, so I haven't really decided how much interaction I plan on doing
Copy, well if you do respond, I will start following you. I only follow good reviewers (like yourself) who interact with their followers.
@RedBackLoggd thanks, I'll probably do a bit of chatting here. Most of the discourse seems fairly friendly, and I'm always interested in discussing the games I've played with people
Thanks man, you've got a follower :)
@RedBackLoggd many thanks!
RedBackLoggd
3 months ago