NORTH Reviews

I play a lot of adventure games but this game was obviously made by someone who has experience with 90s games because it's that level of difficulty throughout, but if you just pay attention to the text everything will be glaringly obvious. This makes it that much more enjoyable. It's brazen attitude of making you "understand or gtfo" is awesome. Despite this, I've completed the game in under 4 hours, so it's a shame it is not longer. While it's super fun to see a game released on Steam with a free personal version of Unity (soooooo Indy) I would pay big money for North 2. Other than the "create only cubes" simplistic way of level design, the music is among the best I've ever heard, and the scene inside the police station recognition facility blew me away. I stopped smoking weed a while ago but this game certanily made me wish I didn't! So grab a spliff before playing eh? Ultimately however, this game accurately portrays the life of an immigrant and the hoops one has to jump to simply establish a normal life in a new country (speaking from experience). Especially relevant with the recent Syrian/European crisis. This game gives a strong message, and should be considered a work of art.

North is an atmospheric First-Person, allegorical science fiction exploration game with simple puzzles and gameplay. The main theme it explores is the contemporary refugee crisis--from a western perspective I'd presume-- seen from the viewpoint of a refugee arriving in a foreign culture. The player character we control is a refugee that have just arrived in a stable city where he seeks asylum and citizenship. We follow him in said process as he periodically sends letters back to his sister telling her of his progress. The inhabitants of this dystopian society are represented as alienesque people that speak a language that we as players and the character we control don't understand. At one point we have to pass a test in the police station; it consists of selecting which short movies are appropriate and which are not, and while the whole test and the correct answer are absurd seen from our perspective from the real world. It functions naturally within the narrative to mold the player character into a potential citizen as a most noble cog in the machinery that is this city. Just like the test for Danish citizenship, at least a few years ago, consisted of a questionnaire based on more or less borderline pointless rote learning, in order to mold them into being part of a specific power structure. In the ending sequence of the game the player character shifted viewpoint in a way that came about as rather jarring to me, as though the developer ran out of time. Regardless the games overall ambience, with its hyperbolically allegorical Science fiction setting wrapped in a dark cityscape and accompanying synthpop soundscape intrigued me for the first part of the game. At least it isn't sordid entertainment even if the game in its finished result is a bit rough and iffy. It breaks noble grounds for a modest indie computer game within the gaming sphere.

In its own strange way, North is quite effective, especially at conveying a sense of loneliness and unease in an alien, unwelcoming world. Explore a section of a sparse, hostile-looking city and solve puzzles to try and win asylum. The movement is very slow and languid, and the gameplay mechanics very minimalist, although it's not usually too obscure what you have to do. If you like these "walking simulator" type games and are looking for something a bit different then North is worth a look, especially for its low price.

[b]NORTH[/b] is a very loud exploration game where you must brave unknown territory as a refugee coming from the south. Far from home, you find yourself in a new land that threatens the little control you already had. In NORTH, you are the outsider wandering through an "outsider" world. Is it good, bad, or neither? It's hard to tell, but the thought of forced bureaucracy sends a chill down your spine regardless.

I bought this game for the abstract and surreal landscapes, but what you see in the screenshots is basically all you get. The way you progress is somewhat annoying and without a guide, I really don't think I would've finished it. I enjoyed the intro, but after that, it was just kind of a slog. I don't think the game's anywhere near as bad as a lot of people make it out to be, but it's not a good game, either.

[url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/32482033/]Crim's Humble Opinion Curator[/url] [h1]Dear sister,[/h1] This one is a strange case. At times I feel lost, confused, and devoid of hope and than I remember our talks. The city is oddly different from the country that I'm used to. It's really surreal and quite unlike what I had heard. The people here seem nice; even if I have problems understanding them. I've got to get back to things; but I'll write again soon especially if I feel lost. [h1]The Minor Gripes[/h1] Nothing major to say negatively about this one from my part. There's no menu for exiting the game which is a bit inconvenient. The game is free on itch but that to me is no real con seeing a company try to present a game and make some profit from their hard work. [code][h1](っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ pros ♥[/h1] +Interesting story +Surreal environment +Clever assistance mechanic [h1](っ>▬<)っ x cons x[/h1] -Inconvenient exiting [/code] This is a short and surreal journey. It's a bit confusing at times but there is a system that can get you through it. I enjoyed this experience; although it's not one I will have over and over again. It's still a good game and worth the play if you enjoy surreal walking sims with light puzzle elements. 𝕀𝕗 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝔼𝕟𝕛𝕠𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕋𝕣𝕪 https://store.steampowered.com/app/409160/Dr_Langeskov_The_Tiger_and_The_Terribly_Cursed_Emerald_A_Whirlwind_Heist/

In an abstract and truly disturbing dystopian society, you try to find your way to fit in as a southern in the North. This interactive short story has something genuine to say about immigration while maintaining a fasinating esthetic in an interestingly absurd and weird universe.

An impressive surreal and daunting "trying-to-fit-in" experience... let down by one thing. Objective narration. For some reason the developers found it necessary to put all that is happening and all that you see into objective letters that you send to your sister back in your homeland. Where you describe all the surreal stuff you encounter in words. And you can't even skip it, because some of those letters contain direct instructions as to what you should do next. This decimates the atmosphere. There are two ways they could go about it and make it better. One: no text-based narration. Just breathe this suffocating air. Two: make the letters describe real-life landscapes and situations - no surreal weirdness. It would make for a good counterpoint and make the whole thing even more vivid. As is, [i]NORTH[/i] is decent enough a game.

I wouldn't say that the description that the game deals with the current or any other refugee crisis in particular is very accurate, but I still think the game is a creative take on being thrown into an unfamiliar place with rules difficult to comprehend. As it stands, it's a passing setup for a puzzle adventure. While it's short and not very complex I think North does deliver on atmosphere, and the game mechanic with the letters home that function as a combined narrative and hint system works quite well. Final verdict is thumbs up but not much more - let's say 6/10 or so.

It’s not really “about” the contemporary refugee crisis - it’s more like the kind of nightmare you might have after watching a documentary about it and eating too much cheese. Buildings, language, logic and gameplay are warped into unfamiliar, intimidating dimensions, and their opaque rules represent your main challenge and adversary in the game. The story is rich with the oppressive mood and ironic humour that Orwell and Kafka are famous for, and the style draws from Expressionism and Absurdism as well as cyberpunk dystopias. The game can be a bit oblique at explaining itself - it didn’t even seem to have a menu or interface. But that consistent feeling of alienation and confusion you share with your character is the whole point. Beneath its presentation, the game isn’t actually that complicated and can be completed in an hour. If you’re interested in story, atmosphere, general weirdness, and what games can be to create an experience, then this will reward you. It’s short, strange, ominous and bewildering, and if you can imagine that being a good thing then it’s probably worth your time.