PC Gamer - UK (2022-06)

Norco is the first game from the
collective Geography of Robots,
founded by writer/designer Yuts,
who was born and raised in the town.
The story follows Kay, a young
woman who returns home to Norco
to find her brother, Blake, in the wake
of their mother’s death.
As something of a
nomad, she’s been
running from her roots
in a post-apocalyptic
America marked by
homegrown militias,
gentrification, and
fraying infrastructure.
The player switches
between Kay and her mother
Catherine – not long before her death

• as they get pulled into a surreal,
  tech-noir mystery. With its intense
  examinations of present-day
  problems, including a darkly funny
  look at the moving parts of the

average gig economy job, Norco is at

once somber and bitingly funny.

In the finest tradition of old-

school point-and-click adventures,

there aren’t really any mechanics

beyond a few minigames and small

QTEs. The puzzles are simple

enough by genre

standards – if you’ve

played enough

point-and-clicks, it’s

really about how and

what the dev is hiding

on the screen – without

diminishing the sense

of satisfaction you get

from solving them.

SPECIAL KAY

Norco has a full-throated

commitment to its story. To this end,

each character in its ensemble cast

has a well-formed persona – at least

to the best extent that their allotted

screen time allows. Every prickly

drug dealer, partygoer, and Airbnb

guest are scathing caricatures of the

modern social scene, brought to life

by Yuts’ gift for dialogue. Private

investigator Brett LeBlanc is a

particular treasure, as well as

Catherine’s friend Keith – LeBlanc

especially is a neat character study

into the value of unexpected

community ties and found family.

The mindmap system – a

connect-the-dots-style web used to

nudge the story along – mirrors both

the player and Kay’s need for clarity,

with the added function of helping

the player keep track of the game’s

major threads. On another level, the

mindmap is an insightful alternative

to point-and-clicks that rely on

manipulating the game environment

and collecting items – it forces the

player to internalise and

contextualise Kay and Catherine’s

decisions on a deeper level.

As you play, you come to realise

Norco’s physical environment is

already altered beyond repair, and the

only thing left to do is find solidarity

with the people who can survive.

Perhaps because of the game’s roots

in the devs’ lived experiences, it

W

hen people talk about Norco, they might mention its
discerning use of science fiction, its punk roots, or how
it resonates as a universal story about place and
personhood. It’s full of social commentary on
capitalism in the real-life Louisianan town of the same
name. But for all these lofty themes, it also nails something petty: the tiny
weaknesses and hypocrisies of people looking for a place to belong.

SWAMP THINGS

NORCO is a landmark moment for point-and-click adventures

By Alexis Ong

Playing Norco

is a full-

throated

commitment to

the story

One of many lavish

soirees in the heart of

the Shield Oil Refinery.

ABOVE: (^) Every inhabitant of the town has their
own story to be uncovered.

NEED TO KNOW

WHAT IS IT?

A point-and-click

narrative adventure

with serious

personality.

EXPECT TO PAY

£11.40

DEVELOPER

Geography of Robots

PUBLISHER

Raw Fury

REVIEWED ON

GTX 980 Ti, Intel

i5-4690K, 32GB RAM

MULTIPLAYER

No

LINK

norcogame.com

Norco

REVIEW

72