Info about The Norwood Suite: Official game description: Demo Version ============ Saved games from the demo version will carry over to the full version. About the Game ============== From **Cosmo D**, the creator of the freeware hit _**Off-Peak**_, comes a game that is both its spiritual and direct sequel. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1983, Peter Norwood, one of the world's most celebrated pianists and composers, mysteriously vanished. His private mansion was turned into the Hotel Norwood, which, over the years, accumulated its own share of notoriety. But the mystery of what really went on during Norwood's time never truly got uncovered... until now. **The Norwood Suite** is a first-person adventure game that takes players to the secluded Hotel Norwood on a simple friendly errand that quickly unfolds into something much more involved. Filled with bizarre characters and curiosities, this mysterious resort is a dense, open-ended world teeming with hidden passages and secrets to discover. Peer into the lives of the hotel’s guests and staff, explore and interact with surprises behind every door, and piece together a jigsaw narrative that rewards your curiosity. **The Norwood Suite** features surreal art design, as well as an original atmospheric musical score, composed by **Cosmo D**, that integrates itself directly into the game world.\[/p\] Release date: Oct 2, 2017 Categories: First-Person Perspective, Walking Simulator, Exploration, Puzzle Solving, Atmospheric Horror, Narrative Adventure, Surreal Exploration, Interactive Fiction - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $8.00 - $12.00 - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game worth the price for its unique experience and interactive nature, comparing it favorably to the cost of a movie. However, some users feel that the short gameplay time does not justify a higher price, indicating that a lower price point might be more appropriate. The mention of waiting for a sale and the specific reference to $10 as a price point suggest that the community considers a fair price to be around $10, with some willing to pay a bit more for the full experience. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 2.3h - Story completion: 2.3h - Session length: 2.3h - Endgame: N/A - Reasoning: The evidence provides multiple direct statements about the playtime for 'The Norwood Suite.' The quotes consistently mention that the game can be completed in about 2 to 2.5 hours, which aligns with the typical total time to finish the game. The mention of finishing the game in a single sitting suggests that the session length can be quite long, potentially spanning the entire duration of the game. There is no specific evidence provided for the endgame playtime, so that field is marked as null. - Time-to-fun: No data - Player Archetypes: - Surreal Explorer (buy) - Motivation: Unique and surreal experiences - Playstyle: Explores and enjoys the game's bizarre and dreamlike atmosphere. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: fan of surreal games; adventure player - Reference games: Off-Peak; Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 - Completionist Critic (sale) - Motivation: Achievement hunting and game completion - Playstyle: Focuses on completing the game and collecting all achievements. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: achievement hunter; completionist - Reference games: N/A - Creative Enthusiast (buy) - Motivation: Creative and unique gaming experiences - Playstyle: Enjoys and shares the game's creative aspects, often through streaming or recommendations. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: fan of creative games; streamer - Reference games: Off-Peak; Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Surreal and artistic visuals (weight 0.93): The game is widely praised for its surreal and artistic visual style, which creates a dreamlike and esoteric atmosphere. Players appreciate the unique and peculiar art style that is both visually stunning and deeply engaging. - Unique atmosphere (weight 0.54): The game's atmosphere is described as excellent, incredible, and unique. It contributes significantly to the overall experience, making it compelling and immersive. - Unique and immersive experience (weight 0.41): Players highlight the game's unique and immersive experience, which includes surreal storytelling and dreamlike visions. The game offers a creative and engaging experience that stands out. - Engaging gameplay mechanics (weight 0.4): The gameplay is noted for being interesting and enjoyable, with original mechanics and a fun playthrough. Players find the gameplay to be a great experience with intriguing achievements. - Exceptional soundtrack (weight 0.4): The game features a brilliant and captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. The music is described as lovely and exceptional, adding to the game's unique atmosphere. - Entertaining and fun (weight 0.22): Players find the game to be entertaining and fun, with enjoyable dialogue and a light-hearted adventure. The game keeps players entertained throughout. - Easy puzzles (weight 0.18): The puzzles in the game are noted for being simple and easy, yet enjoyable. They add to the gameplay without being overly challenging. - Comfortable and enjoyable experience (weight 0.15): Players describe the game as a comfortable and enjoyable experience, with a fascinating and uncanny world that is both entertaining and whimsical. - Great walking simulator (weight 0.14): The game is praised as a great walking simulator, offering a funny and surreal experience. It is particularly enjoyed by fans of adventure games and walking simulators. - Beautiful and detailed hotel (weight 0.1): The game's setting, a beautiful and densely detailed hotel, is highlighted for its intricate design and atmosphere. Players appreciate the large and detailed environment. - Spiritual sequel to Off-Peak (weight 0.09): The game is noted for being a spiritual and direct sequel to 'Off-Peak,' offering a similar surreal and narrative-driven experience. - Worth the price (weight 0.09): Players find the game to be priced right and worth the full price, indicating good value for the unique experience it offers. Common complaints: - Technical and graphical issues (weight 0.42): The game has various technical issues, including graphical glitches, asset loading problems, and compilation issues. - Frequent game crashes (weight 0.42): The game experiences frequent crashes, including crashes to desktop and instability issues. This significantly impacts the gameplay experience. - Weak storyline (weight 0.36): The story is often described as boring, unclear, and weak. It lacks engaging elements and can feel pointless. - Short game duration (weight 0.34): Many players feel that the game is too short and lacks depth in gameplay, making it feel incomplete for the price. - Save file issues (weight 0.31): There are problems with save files, including corruption and lack of save options, which can lead to lost progress. - Dialogue issues (weight 0.29): The dialogue is criticized for being dull, excessive, and poorly written. It often feels unnatural and can drag on too long. - Navigation and exploration issues (weight 0.25): Players find it difficult to navigate the game world, with issues including disorienting logic, narrow paths, and inability to explore all areas. - Performance issues (weight 0.23): Players report performance drops, including FPS drops and rhythmic stuttering, which affect the overall experience. - Lack of quality-of-life features (weight 0.22): The game lacks several quality-of-life features, such as customizable settings, a run button, and better controls. - Puzzle difficulties (weight 0.21): Puzzles in the game are either too difficult or too easy, leading to a lack of balance in gameplay challenge. - Motion sickness issues (weight 0.14): The game may cause motion sickness due to slow movement and other design choices. - Limited replayability (weight 0.11): The game offers limited replayability, with no significant reasons to replay it after completion. - Fetch quests and lack of depth (weight 0.11): The game features many fetch quests that lack thought and entertainment, contributing to a lack of depth in gameplay. Gameplay feedback: - Surreal exploration (weight 0.5): The game features a surreal and unique setting, with exploration of strange and artsy environments. - Adventure game mechanics (weight 0.39): The game incorporates mechanics typical of adventure games, including first-person perspectives and point-and-click elements. - Item collection and fetch quests (weight 0.38): Gameplay involves finding and collecting items, then delivering them to specific characters to advance the story. - Puzzle-solving elements (weight 0.35): The game includes light to engaging puzzles, which are not overly difficult and are integrated into the exploration. - Character and environment interaction (weight 0.31): Players engage in dialogue and interactions with characters and the environment, enhancing the immersive experience. - Walking simulator aspects (weight 0.21): The game is described as a walking simulator with puzzle elements, focusing on exploration and atmospheric storytelling. - Hotel setting (weight 0.18): The game is set in a hotel, with players exploring different rooms and interacting with various characters. - Variety of tasks (weight 0.17): The game offers a variety of tasks for players to engage in, including conversing with occupants and gathering objects. - Secret finding (weight 0.1): Players can discover secrets, some of which are time-limited, adding an extra layer of exploration. Performance notes: - Performance on Different Hardware (weight 0.14): The game can be played on low-end PCs but may cause laptop fans to work harder. Some players report smooth performance at 60fps without slowdowns. - Gameplay Slowdown (weight 0.07): The gameplay speed can slow to a crawl, severely impacting the user experience. - Control and Map Issues (weight 0.06): There are technical problems with controls and instances of falling through the map, which can disrupt gameplay. Recommendations: - Surreal and unique experience (weight 0.42): The game is highly recommended for players seeking a surreal and unique experience. It caters to fans of experimental games and those who appreciate contemporary art and electro-jazz. - Try the demo first (weight 0.2): Players who are curious but unsure about the game are advised to try the demo first. This suggestion is made to ensure that the game meets their expectations before purchasing. - Play Off Peak first (weight 0.15): It is recommended to play 'Off Peak' before diving into this game. This suggestion is to provide context and enhance the overall gaming experience. - House/trance music lovers (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for casual gamers and music lovers, particularly those who enjoy house and trance music. - Ideal for exploration enthusiasts (weight 0.07): Players who enjoy exploration, looking, and listening will find the game particularly enjoyable and immersive. - Recommended at any price (weight 0.06): The game is highly recommended regardless of its price, indicating strong value and enjoyment for players. - Walking simulator genre (weight 0.06): The game falls into the walking simulator genre, which may appeal to players who enjoy exploration and immersive environments. - Avoid using guides (weight 0.06): Players are advised not to use guides or walkthroughs to fully experience the game's unique and exploratory nature. Other player notes: - Game length is short (weight 0.06): Several players noted that the game can be completed in approximately 2.5 hours, indicating that it is relatively short. Emotions: - Enjoyment (weight 0.31): Players are immersed in the game's unique, surreal atmosphere, enhanced by its captivating music and sound design. The engaging exploration mechanics, intriguing story, and distinctive art style contribute to a fun and whimsical experience. - Joy (weight 0.15): The game's unique atmosphere, music, and artistic design create a delightful and entertaining experience. Players appreciate the detailed environments, surreal elements, and the infectious passion of the creator. - Fascination (weight 0.1): The game's surreal narrative and artistic vision, along with its unique characters and dialogue, captivate players. The dreamlike experience and eerie atmosphere add to the game's intriguing and unique appeal. - Frustration (weight 0.09): Technical issues such as game crashes, slow movement speed, and long loading times cause significant frustration. The lack of quality-of-life features, difficult navigation, and excessive dialogue further exacerbate player frustration. - Disappointment (weight 0.08): Players express disappointment with the game's performance issues, crashes, and unplayable state. The dull dialogue, poorly constructed narrative, and lack of proper adventure elements contribute to a lackluster experience. - Admiration (weight 0.08): The game's deep artistic expression, unique world, and surreal atmosphere are highly admired. Players appreciate the poetic nature, good graphics, and the game's overall uniqueness and vision. - Appreciation (weight 0.05): The game's strong soundtrack, immersive world, and incredible atmosphere are greatly appreciated. Players value the great music, visuals, and the surreal, dream-like atmosphere. - Excitement (weight 0.03): Players are excited about the game's exploration and discovery elements, as well as its unique and intense experience. The anticipation for related content and the densely detailed environments add to the excitement. - Nostalgia (weight 0.03): The game evokes nostalgia, reminding players of other unique games and eras, such as the 90s and early 2000s CG era. The connection to the free game 'Off Peak' and the resemblance to Grim Fandango enhance this feeling. - Curiosity (weight 0.02): The intriguing story and interesting areas within the hotel spark players' curiosity. The uncertainty about the game's events and the exploration of an old hotel drive this emotion. - Concern (weight 0.01): A specific track in the game triggered a reviewer's dog, causing concern. - Comfort (weight 0.01): The game's comforting atmosphere and conversations provide a sense of ease and relaxation. - Inspiration (weight 0.01): The game inspires players, with one reviewer feeling motivated to become a game developer. - Inspired (weight 0.01): The game's art and creativity inspire players, fostering a sense of artistic motivation. - Disappointed (weight 0.01): The game's weird and boring nature leads to disappointment among players. - Uncomfortable (weight 0.01): Interactions with guests in the game cause discomfort for some players. - Hungry (weight 0.01): The sandwich-making segment in the game triggers hunger in players. - Love (weight 0.01): Players express love for the developer's games, appreciating their unique qualities. - Frustrated (weight 0.01): Technical issues and crashes in the game lead to significant frustration among players. - Concerned (weight 0.01): Noises from unexplored rooms in the game cause concern for some players.}