NORCO

 PC
NORCO Image
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 65 Ratings

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  • Summary: NORCO is a Southern Gothic point & click narrative adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and verdant industrial swamps of a distorted South Louisiana. Your brother Blake has gone missing in the aftermath of your mother's death. In the hopes of finding him, you must followNORCO is a Southern Gothic point & click narrative adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and verdant industrial swamps of a distorted South Louisiana. Your brother Blake has gone missing in the aftermath of your mother's death. In the hopes of finding him, you must follow a fugitive security android through the refineries, strip malls, and drainage ditches of suburban New Orleans.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Guardian
    Oct 9, 2022
    100
    Like Kentucky Route Zero and Disco Elysium, the writing here occasionally sacrifices clarity for floridity, although its ornate descriptions do add detail and texture to the rudimentary pixel art.
  2. But Why Tho?
    Mar 31, 2022
    100
    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 in such a short period of time, and I cannot recommend NORCO highly enough.
  3. PC Gamer
    Mar 30, 2022
    94
    On a good day, Norco is a bastion of beautifully evocative storytelling that invites any player to take refuge in its world. On a bad day, it cuts deep as a sobering, but loving portrait of a modern dystopia—a community on the edge of great change. But on a personal level, it's a game that understands who we are and what the internet has made us—how this digital constellation of fragmented subcultures has shaped the way we see the world and our place in it. There are few games in the world like Norco, and it belongs unequivocally in the highest tier of narrative experiences in the medium today.
  4. Destructoid
    Apr 3, 2022
    90
    NORCO takes you on a wild, bizarre journey that makes you feel like you’ve really gone through something when you come out the other side. In a sea of point-and-click narrative adventures, it oozes style, polish, and earnestness in a way that makes me think it will become a staple of the genre in years to come...Geography of Robots may be a studio that’s still in its early days, but after playing this game, you’d think they’re seasoned pros. When I get excited about video games’ potential in what they can do as a brand new storytelling medium, NORCO is exactly the kind of experience I envision.
  5. Checkpoint Gaming
    Apr 18, 2022
    90
    Even if you don’t normally enjoy point-and-click adventures, Norco is a must-play for anyone interested in story-driven games. It’s one of the best-narrated tales since Dysco Elysium, rich with the real-life history of the town of Norco with some imaginative fiction mixed in. It’s dark, funny, and scary in all the right places, and even if the ending doesn’t wrap up all the mysteries it opens, it’s still sure to leave its mark on you.
  6. Meristation
    Apr 6, 2022
    90
    It is impossible to write better. A beautiful and unforgettable point and click clearly indebted to Kentucky Route Zero.
  7. Edge Magazine
    Mar 24, 2022
    70
    The sense of having travelled somewhere that games have never taken us before. [Issue#370, p.116]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 25 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 6 out of 22
  1. RunFish12B8
    Apr 21, 2022
    10
    Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… Expand
  2. Robyntries
    Mar 26, 2022
    10
    Amazingly beautiful pixel art, great soundtrack and sound design, the writing of this game is sooo good you won’t be disappointed!
  4. t_bone
    Apr 28, 2022
    10
    Stellar: a must buy. Seriously, get it.

    Pros: - graphics are beautiful - story is.... amazingly thought provoking. There's so much to    Stellar: a must buy. Seriously, get it.

    Pros:
    - graphics are beautiful
    - story is.... amazingly thought provoking. There's so much to talk about, so many ideas that it deals with intelligently, that just throwing them out here would do you a disservice. Seriously: the game speaks for itself. And beautifully so! My translation of it's ideas would just be muddying things.
    - minigames are fun.
    - the amount of side-missions that you can stumble into are really neat and range from hilarious to depressing.
    - a lot of earnestly funny moments

    Cons:
    - too short
    - not meant for people who want a lot of fast-paced action, or dislike reading
    - not a game for people who don't like stories or complex narratives
    - the ending is very philosophical and interesting, but as the reviews show, it can definitely go over some people's heads.    … Expand
  5. NathanHiberDive
    Jan 21, 2023
    8
    The best thing it does is tell a very compelling, emotionally moving world, full of human weaknesses. There's cancer, dysfunctional familyThe best thing it does is tell a very compelling, emotionally moving world, full of human weaknesses. There's cancer, dysfunctional family issues, corruption of the rich and powerful, gimmicks to make money and habitat struggles with nature. It has an appeal similar to a Radiohead album, it discusses and reflects on things many people struggle through day to day.

    Though it fixes the pacing issues of early 90s adventure games, some of the story beats are a bit loose like from that era. Along with an ending that doesn't wrap things well, could have been more complete but still a great experience.

    I am 100% looking forward to supporting Geography of Robots next game.    … Expand
  6. drlowdon
    Apr 14, 2023
    7
    In the near future a young woman returns to the refinery town of Norco, Louisiana following the death of her mother and discovers that herIn the near future a young woman returns to the refinery town of Norco, Louisiana following the death of her mother and discovers that her brother has gone missing.

    Norco can occasionally be a little frustrating when it doesn’t really make it clear what you’re supposed to do next in order to progress, but the plot, interesting characters, graphical style and sound design all help to create a unique atmosphere. Fans of the point and click genre should enjoy this.    … Expand
  7. Padudu
    Apr 24, 2022
    7
    Short and interesting story with delightful pixel-art and soundtrack alongside it. A tribute to old-point and click games with a veryShort and interesting story with delightful pixel-art and soundtrack alongside it. A tribute to old-point and click games with a very distinctive modernized approach. Most gameplay mechanics felt like failed experimentation and some exploration segments also felt less rewarding. The lack of voice acting was also detrimental to the experience.… Expand
  8. DickPain
    Jan 3, 2023
    2
    I'm a big fan of point-and-click puzzle games, and pixel art, but I found this game really, really dull. The puzzles can barely be calledI'm a big fan of point-and-click puzzle games, and pixel art, but I found this game really, really dull. The puzzles can barely be called puzzles, more of a waste of time. The story and characters were really unengaging. I'm surprised that this game has gotten such high scores, I found little to make me feel as though I wanted to continue playing.… Expand

See all 22 User Reviews

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