NORTH

It's amusing how easily intentional disorientation can be mistaken for bad game design. NORTH generally straddles a line between arthouse and dog droppings. The game portion is just patently unfun, with a visually muddy map that is difficult to wander through thanks to no pause menu and minimal options. The character art and, specifically, the immigration office, look beautiful and haunting in their own way. The /narrative/ disorientation, however, works wonderfully. The way it broadcasts the othering is fantastic, and at a brisk 30-40 minutes. A good, but very technically flawed, narrative game that I recommend to people who aren't scared of the word 'art,' but also only to those who can handle some intentional and unintentional gameplay frustrations. Not for a casual person who needs a game to be easy or intuitive.

good

[h1] Short, abstract walking sim. Better to watch this one. [/h1]

⣿⣿⡻⠿⣳⠸⢿⡇⢇⣿⡧⢹⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⡐⣯⠁ ⠄⠄ ⠟⣛⣽⡳⠼⠄⠈⣷⡾⣥⣱⠃⠣⣿⣿⣿⣯⣭⠽⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⢢⠏⠄ ⠄ ⢠⡿⠶⣮⣝⣿⠄⠄⠈⡥⢭⣥⠅⢌⣽⣿⣻⢶⣭⡿⠿⠜⢿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠄ ⠄⣼⣧⠤⢌⣭⡇⠄⠄⠄⠭⠭⠭⠯⠴⣚⣉⣛⡢⠭⠵⢶⣾⣦⡍⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⣿⣷⣯⣭⡷⠄⠄⢀⣀⠩⠍⢉⣛⣛⠫⢏⣈⣭⣥⣶⣶⣦⣭⣛⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⢀⣿⣿⣿⡿⠃⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣎⢩⠌⣡⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠄⠄⠄ ⢸⡿⢟⣽⠎⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⠄⠄ ⣰⠯⣾⢅⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠄ ⢰⣄⡉⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠄ ⢯⣌⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢸⣇⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢸⣟⣧⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⠈⢹⡧⣿⣸⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠗⣈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠄ ⠄⠘⢷⡳⣾⣷⣶⣶⣶⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⢀⣶⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄ ⠄⠄⠈⣵⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄⠄

Жаль, что я не сумасшедший, чтобы понять всю глубину данного шедевра

[h1] 「北」の都市は、何かがおかしい＿＿ [/h1] 「南」での生活から抜け出すため、砂漠を越え、「北」へとやってきた主人公。 しかし移民が認められるためには様々な条件をクリアすることが求められる。 「北」の都市で出会う奇妙な光景を「南」に残った妹への手紙にしたためながら、管理者から求められるタスクをこなしていく。 極めてディストピア的で奇妙な「北」の都市で主人公を待ち受けるものとは…… というのが基本的なあらすじのSF短編アドベンチャー。 クリアまでの時間は約1時間ほど。途中セーブはできないので、まとまった時間がとれるときにプレイするのがおすすめです。

A bad walking simulator-ish/puzzle-ish game. No setting, no pause, no menu, no save, no thank you. To add to that: bad graphic, mouse movement broke at some point for me and in general the mouse movement feels awful. Works fine on Linux with Proton (Proton 4.2-1).

[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.