Who doesn’t know it? You’re bored, browsing through the shop and suddenly find a game that appeals to you with its design – unfortunately, the genre is quite different from what you are used to. I took that risk and ventured into unknown waters and I can tell you this: the risk was worth it.
A specific genre that doesn’t appeal to everyone has positively surprised me: the Point and Click genre. In Point and Click games, you control your mouse, click on various objects, and solve puzzles or engage in dialogues to progress in the story.
However, the genre is not for everyone, as in Point and Clicks you can hardly handle guns actively or massively control your character. You click on a position and watch the game develop.
The game that surprised me so much was Norco – a dystopian game with a gripping story, immersive atmosphere, and fitting music. To be honest, I prefer games like Destiny 2 or Dark Souls, but Norco was an exciting experiment that definitely convinced me.
Norco is like an exciting book you can play
The protagonist of the story is Kay, a young woman from South Louisiana. She comes from humble beginnings and lived in Norco, a city taken over by industry. Huge oil refineries threatened to poison Norco with their greed for profit, so Kay left her cancer-stricken mother and brother to pursue her desire for freedom.
Right from the beginning, depending on which thought I chose for Kay, I could change details in the story. Your statements and your approach always have an impact on the further course of the game – even if only minimal.
Having now returned from our journey, Kay’s mother is already dead and her brother is missing. It’s time to find him again, but we are not alone: Million, an escaped security android and a family friend, helps us with that.
At first, I thought, “Well, let’s just search for our brother and finish this,” but the story keeps finding new ways to deepen. You question the locals, look for clues, and delve further into a hornet’s nest full of secrets.
The further you advance, the more you learn from the locals about what has actually happened in your absence in Norco. A cosmic abomination, a ridiculous influencer cult, and the refineries constantly provide more material to keep the tension high. Accompanied by the diverse NPCs, there is always something new to see and learn.
My favorite was the drunken private detective with irritable bowel syndrome who has a toilet next to his desk. He still plays an important role in the story, but I don’t want to spoil everything for you.
All of this has shown me that even rather boring genres can captivate you. Norco combined an exciting story, diverse NPCs, puzzles, and many twists in which I first had to digest what had just happened. Just when you thought you knew what should happen, you were proven wrong.
Norco can be purchased on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation and offers gameplay fun for up to 7 hours across its 3 acts. For my part, I spent 10 hours in the game because I wanted to explore all the secrets and dialogues.
What do you think about other genres? Do you also take risks and try games that don’t fit your pattern? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
