Calvino Noir

56%
Game Brain Score Based on 155 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • atmosphere
Calvino Noir Game Cover
As stated in the video, I give the overall score of the game an 83/100.
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Calvino Noir is a 2D film-noir stealth game with a distinctive art style. Players control a team of characters with different abilities, sneaking through levels to evade or take out guards. The game features a moody jazz soundtrack and intricate, hand-drawn levels, creating a rich atmosphere that immerses players in its 1930s setting.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 155 reviews
story37 positive mentions
stability17 negative mentions
  • The game features a stunning noir aesthetic with beautiful art design and a captivating atmosphere that immerses players in its world.
  • The voice acting is top-notch, enhancing the storytelling and bringing the characters to life with engaging performances.
  • The narrative is intriguing, with a solid plot that offers players a unique experience as they control multiple characters and make choices that affect the story.
  • The controls are clunky and unresponsive, making gameplay frustrating, especially during stealth sequences where precision is crucial.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs and a poorly implemented checkpoint system that can lead to repetitive gameplay.
  • As a mobile port, it lacks depth in gameplay mechanics, often feeling like a simple point-and-click experience rather than a fully realized stealth game.
  • story93 mentions

    The game's story is a blend of atmospheric noir elements and character-driven narratives, featuring multiple protagonists and a melancholic storytelling style reminiscent of classic titles like Max Payne. While some players appreciate its engaging atmosphere and thematic depth, others criticize it for being predictable, fragmented, and lacking a satisfying conclusion. Overall, the narrative is seen as solid but not groundbreaking, with a mix of compelling moments and clichés that may not resonate with all players.

    • “The story is engaging and the atmosphere is superb, although the voice acting sometimes leaves a little to be desired.”
    • “As a game embodying film noir, this delivers in spades with a fantastically realized storyline, haunting music, voiceovers full of character, and beautiful deployment of light and shade.”
    • “Great atmospheric game - it gives a feeling similar to reading a good book, thanks to the good story that is full of narrative nuances.”
    • “The story is fragmented; you play several characters throughout the game though no one character truly receives a deep narrative.”
    • “True to the mystery of the game, the plot makes no sense whatsoever and does not merit any payoff for completing the game.”
    • “Good point for the voice acting, sound and atmosphere; unfortunately, the story is uninspired and not well written.”
  • gameplay72 mentions

    The gameplay of Calvino Noir has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its clunky mechanics, particularly in stealth and combat, which often lead to frustration and tedium. While the game features an intriguing concept and atmospheric design, the execution falls short, making the point-and-click mechanics feel tedious and unrefined. Overall, players suggest that the game may be worth trying for its narrative and style, but caution against purchasing it at full price due to its gameplay shortcomings.

    • “It has great style, a decent story, some good gameplay ideas, and some well-crafted, dramatic moments.”
    • “Yes, the point-and-click gameplay mechanics are limited, but overall these don't detract remotely from what is a hugely atmospheric and compelling genre piece.”
    • “If you enjoy the noir genre and stealth mechanics in games such as Dishonored, you might like to give Calvino Noir a try.”
    • “The gameplay is a tedious game to say the least.”
    • “In a game that is all about stealth, this is a cardinal sin; the challenges simply outweigh not the skill of the player, but the quality of the mechanics of the game.”
    • “Calvino Noir starts off strong with a great setting and cast of characters but finds itself almost totally crippled on account of its heavily flawed stealth mechanics; a tragically missed opportunity.”
  • atmosphere68 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive noir elements, characterized by stunning visuals, engaging storytelling, and effective use of music and voice acting. Players appreciate the dense, atmospheric world that evokes a strong sense of place, reminiscent of classic noir literature, despite some critiques regarding the brevity of the experience and occasional shortcomings in voice performance. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's appeal and enjoyment.

    • “The atmosphere and characters are perfect noir creations.”
    • “Great atmospheric game - it gives a feeling similar to reading a good book, thanks to the good story that is full of narrative nuances.”
    • “One of the aspects I enjoyed most about the game was the atmosphere: the black and white backgrounds with the art deco style; the traditional rainy, gritty, tragic theme of the noir genre.”
    • “Good point for the voice acting, sound and atmosphere; unfortunately, the story is uninspired and not well written.”
    • “The atmosphere is perceptible in this game, thanks to the background music and visual effects (most of the time).”
    • “From my perspective, atmosphere is the core of a noir game.”
  • graphics44 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their art design and atmospheric aesthetic, particularly the successful portrayal of a 1930s noir style. While many players appreciate the visuals and immersive atmosphere, some have noted frequent graphical glitches and a lack of options in the settings menu, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game's aesthetic elements stand out as its strongest feature, making it appealing to fans of atmospheric storytelling.

    • “The best aspect of this game is easily the art design, graphics, and overall aesthetic.”
    • “I bought this game for the 1930s noir aesthetic, and on that front, it certainly passed in flying monochrome color.”
    • “Aesthetically, Calvino Noir is the epitome of cool.”
    • “However, before long you'll notice that the graphics glitch frequently.”
    • “Then, of course, we cannot get away from the fact that this is a mobile game port: the main menu has barely any options for settings and the font is huge - they could have just reworked this with the inclusion of some extra graphics options but they did not.”
    • “The graphics are 3D rendered, but the interface is locked to a 2D side-scrolling camera.”
  • music34 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its exceptional jazz soundtrack, which perfectly complements the film noir aesthetic and enhances the overall atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the smooth looping of tracks and the haunting quality of the music, contributing to an immersive experience that captures the essence of the game's setting. Overall, the combination of top-notch voice acting and atmospheric sound design significantly elevates the gameplay.

    • “As a game embodying film noir, this delivers in spades with a fantastically realized storyline, haunting music, voiceovers full of character, and beautiful deployment of light and shade.”
    • “The game takes place in Vienna of the last century, using detailed art to create levels that give you a nice feeling of the time, and the jazz soundtrack and the voice acting are just great and a very nice addition to the game.”
    • “The atmosphere is perceptible in this game, thanks to the background music and visual effects (most of the time).”
    • “As a game embodying film noir, this delivers in spades with a fantastically realized storyline, haunting music, voiceovers full of character and beautiful deployment of light and shade.”
    • “Forget about the actual story for a minute, I just love how everything about the game screams 'noir.' From the period-piece jazz music to the constant pouring rain outside.”
  • stability17 mentions

    The game is generally considered playable despite being plagued by various bugs and glitches, which can occasionally disrupt the experience. Players noted issues with controls, checkpoint systems, and some puzzles, but many found these problems manageable and worth enduring for the engaging story and gameplay. Overall, while stability is a concern, it does not significantly detract from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “The game is actually pretty buggy.”
    • “This game has glitches.”
    • “[Some objectives not clearly explained, occasional audio glitches, controls and clicks not as responsive as you’d like, checkpoint save system can be irritating.]”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, particularly in combat scenarios that feel unrewarding. Despite these challenges, some reviewers appreciate the overall experience, especially from a noir fan's perspective, suggesting that the game's atmosphere can still provide enjoyment despite its grinding nature.

    • “The gameplay is a tedious experience, to say the least.”
    • “I know it's not that important for a stealth game to have an excellent combat system, but in this game, fighting the enemies is just too tedious and unrewarding.”
    • “Although I've been shaking my head, grinding my teeth, and clenching my fist most of the time when I was playing this game, I still think it deserves a positive review, not because this game is very good or I want to recommend it to everyone, but because I actually enjoyed the experience as a whole from the viewpoint of a noir fan.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    Overall, players have mixed feelings about the game's replayability. While some appreciate the potential for exploration, diverse dialogue options, and multiple endings, others find the linearity and ease of the game limit its replay value.

    • “Personally, my experience has been enjoyable and I can see the replay value; there's still a lot to explore, there are other dialogue options, and there are other endings to experience.”
    • “The game is fairly linear; there isn't a lot of replay value.”
    • “It was a bit too easy for my tastes.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

48% average critic score

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