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Face Noir

Face Noir Game Cover
63%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
optimization, stability
63% User Score Based on 168 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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Face Noir Game Cover

About

Face Noir is a single player action game with thriller and historical themes. It was developed by Mad Orange and was released on October 17, 2013. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In Face Noir, a somber film noir-style adventure game, players step into the shoes of Jack Del Nero, a hard-boiled detective with a shadowy past. When a wealthy businessman is murdered, Jack becomes the prime suspect, forcing him to clear his name and uncover a complex web of deceit and betrayal. With its atmospheric visuals, intricate puzzles, and compelling narrative, Face Noir delivers a gritty and immersive experience.

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Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
Face Noir screenshot
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63%
Audience ScoreBased on 168 reviews
story43 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • The game effectively captures the noir atmosphere with its dark, moody visuals and a fitting jazz soundtrack.
  • The story is engaging and features interesting twists, keeping players intrigued throughout the gameplay.
  • Puzzles are generally logical and provide a decent challenge without being overly frustrating.
  • The game suffers from poor voice acting and character animations, which detract from the overall experience.
  • Technical issues, including bugs and performance problems on modern PCs, hinder gameplay and immersion.
  • The game ends on a cliffhanger with no sequel in sight, leaving many plot threads unresolved.
  • story
    130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Face Noir" is a blend of classic noir elements and unique twists, set against a backdrop of crime and mysticism in a war-torn environment. While many players found the narrative engaging and atmospheric, it suffers from pacing issues, a lack of resolution, and an abrupt cliffhanger that leaves significant plot threads unresolved, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution. Despite these drawbacks, the intriguing plot and character dynamics have garnered appreciation, particularly among fans of the genre, with hopes for a sequel to provide closure.

    • “Face Noir is a 1990s style point-and-click adventure game which, from a narrative perspective, combines the gumshoe storytelling of a Raymond Chandler novel with subtle flourishes of Indiana Jones.”
    • “Combining an underworld crime story with police corruption during a war-torn setting, and mixed with ancient mysticism, Face Noir is layered in its mix of genres that runs throughout the storytelling.”
    • “The story flows well, has twists and turns, and always has a dark, slightly melancholy feel.”
    • “The story has some potential, but drags on a bit too much, especially since there is no resolution.”
    • “The development is slow, very slow, the story is boring and does not begin to engage or get interesting until about halfway through the game.”
    • “One thing I would complain about is the story's end: all in all the plot throughout was well put together, but the closing did the rest of the game no justice, in my opinion.”
  • graphics
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting a dated and basic aesthetic that detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the art-deco style and atmospheric lighting, particularly in relation to the noir theme, others criticize the character models and low resolution, likening them to pre-GPU era visuals. Overall, the graphics are deemed serviceable for an indie title, but they often fail to impress, especially in close-up scenes.

    • “In terms of atmosphere, the game's lighting is true to the conventions of the genre of noir, just as the brass-infused jazz soundtrack serves as a fitting backdrop to the game's art-deco aesthetic.”
    • “Graphics are pretty nice and the atmosphere is great for a detective adventure.”
    • “For what concerns the graphics, some of the environments are really beautiful to look at, especially if you think that it's just an indie production, but the character models feel a little outdated.”
    • “The graphics are the thing that turned me off at first.”
    • “Unfortunately the graphics are quite bad: while the backgrounds have a simple, but elegant style to them, the character models are anything but good looking.”
    • “I don't usually criticize the graphics, but it seriously looks as if the game was created in the pre-graphics processing unit era.”
  • music
    37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric jazz soundtrack, which complements the noir aesthetic and enhances the overall experience. While many players find the music soothing and immersive, some note that it can become repetitive or annoying over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the standout features, contributing significantly to the game's mood and setting.

    • “In terms of atmosphere, the game's lighting is true to the conventions of the genre of noir, just as the brass-infused jazz soundtrack serves as a fitting backdrop to the game's art-deco aesthetic.”
    • “Face Noir's absolute strength is its delicious film noir soundtrack.”
    • “The best part of this game is the atmosphere and the music that contributes to it.”
    • “Was still undecided whether to like the game or not due to the very basic graphics, clumsy controls, and the music which gets annoying really fast.”
    • “Have repetitive boring music.”
    • “Clichéd music.”
  • gameplay
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in Face Noir adheres closely to traditional point-and-click mechanics, incorporating puzzles, stealth, and mind mapping, but suffers from frustrating elements such as slow movement, illogical puzzles, and tedious backtracking. While some players appreciate the innovative "join the dots" mechanic and the game's atmospheric narrative, many find the overall experience lacking in fun and engagement, with rigid gameplay and outdated graphics detracting from its potential. Despite its attempts to introduce modern touches, the gameplay is often described as tedious and unrefined, making it difficult for players to remain invested.

    • “Although Face Noir does nothing new with the point-and-click formula, it competently combines mind mapping, puzzles, lock picking, and stealth into the gameplay, providing variety to the pacing.”
    • “You always need to think wisely in order to solve the problems you encounter, and this provides a challenging and satisfying gameplay.”
    • “But what it brings is a breath of fresh air to the dried genre, and it is a game which contains interesting new gameplay mechanics and interactivity tools, making it a diamond in the rough.”
    • “The gameplay is rather frustrating.”
    • “Also, with boring dialogue that drags on too long, bad facial animations, and frustrating gameplay, even the most committed adventure game players will have a hard time staying involved.”
    • “The gameplay is annoying (not allowed to continue without the right clue even when you know the next step as opposed to having to solve a puzzle without any clue whatsoever), and includes irritating mini-challenges.”
  • atmosphere
    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its effective use of noir elements, including a fitting jazz soundtrack and art-deco visuals that evoke a 1930s setting. While some players find the atmosphere immersive and engaging, others note that certain design choices detract from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the narrative and gameplay despite some criticisms of pacing and character design.

    • “In terms of atmosphere, the game's lighting is true to the conventions of the genre of noir, just as the brass-infused jazz soundtrack serves as a fitting backdrop to the game's art-deco aesthetic.”
    • “Great atmosphere, dark story with a lot of humor, music, ambience, characters, places... all is perfect.”
    • “I think the guys at Mad Orange made an awesome job at recreating the 1930s atmosphere, and while you play, you really want to know how the plot will evolve.”
    • “Tedious walking, a ton of unnecessary detail that just takes up time and adds little to either the atmosphere or the story, and a protagonist that likes to hear himself talk without actually saying anything of substance.”
    • “If you like a noir atmosphere, and you don't mind the game looking like it was released in the beginning of the 2000s, I recommend it.”
    • “I almost recommended this as it was very interactive and didn't hold your hand, along with its atmosphere, but ultimately I fell out of touch with this game as it's too poorly designed for me to have cared enough to continue.”
  • humor
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is characterized by a blend of dry wit and dark comedy, primarily delivered through the protagonist's clever remarks, which enhance the immersive experience without becoming overwhelming. While many players appreciate the humor as a highlight, some find the script lacking in interest, and the voice acting has received mixed reviews, with some describing it as laughable. Overall, the humor adds a unique layer to the game's narrative, making it worth exploring despite some criticisms.

    • “The humor of the protagonist brought a sensible element of humor to the game as well, without being overbearing and campy.”
    • “Despite the dark tone of the game, there's a fair amount of humorous comments from our detective, so it's worth checking everything out and trying to use items where we are not supposed to be using them.”
    • “I thought the humor of the protagonist was fantastic, but I like dry humor.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is notably poor, with players experiencing significant frame rate issues, stuttering, and text visibility problems that hinder progress. Additionally, the voice acting lacks polish, resembling initial rehearsals rather than final performances, which detracts from the overall experience.

    • “I had to try a dozen different compatibility settings to solve frame rate issues, stuttering, and the game hiding letters and text that made it impossible to progress past certain points.”
    • “The voices sound less like performances, and more like initial table readings when a cast is still finding their characters.”
    • “It was a poor performance.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report that the game's stability is compromised by buggy gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience, especially given the unappealing graphics.

    • “Not interesting enough to put up with the tired graphics and buggy gameplay.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
    • “I experienced constant lag and glitches that ruined the overall experience.”
  • grinding
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, with excessive detail that detracts from the overall experience. The protagonist's dialogue is criticized for being verbose without adding meaningful content, further contributing to the sense of frustration. Overall, the grinding elements are seen as a significant drawback that diminishes enjoyment.

    • “Tedious walking, a ton of unnecessary detail that just takes up time and adds little to either the atmosphere or the story, and a protagonist that likes to hear himself talk without actually saying anything of substance.”
    • “Edit #1: Well, the more I get into the game, the more disappointed I become - it feels more and more tedious.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that the character development in the game is lacking, with insufficient action and depth to engage players emotionally with the characters.

    • “Just didn't have enough action and didn't give you enough character development to make you care about the people in it.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users note that while the absence of facial expressions may diminish the seriousness and emotional depth of certain situations, it does not significantly detract from their overall experience.

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11h Median play time
11h Average play time
8-14h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Face Noir is a action game with thriller and historical themes.

Face Noir is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 11 hours playing Face Noir.

Face Noir was released on October 17, 2013.

Face Noir was developed by Mad Orange.

Face Noir has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Face Noir is a single player game.

Similar games include 1954 Alcatraz, The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav, Runaway, A Road Adventure, Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today, Still Life and others.