Noir: A Shadowy Thriller
Noir: A Shadowy Thriller | |
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Single-player |
Noir: A Shadowy Thriller is a 1996 adventure game developed by American studio TSi, Inc. and published by Cyberdreams for Windows.[1] Noir was Cyberdreams' last released game before the studio shut down in 1997.
Plot
The setting of Noir places the player in Los Angeles in 1940 as a private investigator. The player is tasked with completing six non-linear 'cases' presented as the unresolved files of their missing partner, Jack Slayton. These cases can be completed in any order or concurrently. Once the player has solved all cases, they will discover the cause of Jack Slayton's disappearance.[2]
Gameplay
Gameplay in Noir is consistent with other
Development
Noir was developed by TSi, Inc, a short-lived company that developed computer graphics and proprietary software for motion capture in animation.
Reception
Publication | Score |
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Computer Gaming World | [4] |
GameSpot | 4.9/10[5] |
Next Generation | [6] |
PC PowerPlay | 61%[7] |
Noir: A Shadowy Thriller received mostly negative reviews. Reviewers focused on the player's passive relationship to the story through FMV sequences, with David Wildgoose of PC PowerPlay writing that the sequences feel detached from the rest of the game, even though they are central to the plot. The reviewer noted that players cannot talk in the game, but just stand there, watch and listen.[7] Many reviewers noted that automatic animations running when a player has the correct items to progress a puzzle limits the involvement of the player in the puzzle solving process, with Ron Dulin of GameSpot remarking that the players don't have to do anything, but just look everywhere in the right order. Next Generation agreed, noting that players will be left with the underlying feeling of being led to the answers rather than discovering them.[6]
Retrospective assessments of the game have been more forgiving, focusing on the verisimilitude of the film noir setting. Phil Salvador of The Obscuritory noted that, in spite of the "confusing plot", Noir's presentation is "spectacular" and "really is like stepping into the gritty haze of an old detective film".[8]
References
- ^ Freese, Bob (June 2002). "Noir: A Shadowy Thriller". Just Adventure. Archived from the original on 2002-10-04.
- ^ a b c Noir: A Shadowy Thriller - Game Manual (PDF). CyberDreams, Inc. 1996.
- ^ "TSi, Inc". MobyGames.
- ^ Ardai, Charles (March 1997). "Noir: A Shadowy Thriller". PC PowerPlay (152): 92–94.
- ^ Dulin, Ron (December 17, 1996). "Noir Review". Gamespot.
- ^ Imagine Media: 98. March 1997.
- ^ a b Wildgoose, David (May 1997). "Noir: A Shadowy Thriller". PC PowerPlay (12): 60.
- ^ Salvador, Phil (15 July 2018). "Noir: A Shadowy Thriller". The Obscuritory.
External links
- Noir: A Shadowy Thriller at MobyGames
- Review in PC World
- Review in Computer Player