Nine Noir Lives
- April 16, 2024
- Silvernode Games
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Nine Noir Lives" is a cinematic point-and-click adventure game centered around Cate Archer, a down-on-her-luck detective in a babylonian-noir city. With her unique ability to speak to cats, Cate unravels a mystery involving a series of disappearances and a shadowy organization. Utilize wit, charm, and feline companions to reveal the truth in this story-rich game.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Xbox One
Linux
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features exceptional voice acting and a charming, humorous story that keeps players engaged.
- The graphics are beautifully designed, and the character development is strong, making the world feel alive and immersive.
- Puzzles are generally well-crafted and logical, providing a satisfying challenge without resorting to frustrating 'moon logic'.
- The game suffers from excessive dialogue that can feel tedious and detracts from the pacing of the story.
- Some puzzles are poorly designed or unintuitive, leading to frustration and reliance on walkthroughs.
- The controls can be cumbersome, particularly with the verb selection system, which may hinder the overall gameplay experience.
- story55 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is a standout feature, praised for its depth, engaging characters, and impressive voice acting, often likened to a well-crafted movie. While it blends serious themes like organized crime and murder with humor and absurdity, some players found the dialogue excessive and the puzzles occasionally un-intuitive. Overall, the narrative is described as captivating and thought-provoking, with a unique take on the noir genre that resonates with players long after completion.
“The story is rich.”
“The story is way more serious and thoughtful than the art, snarky dialogue, comedy, and world it takes place in would have you believe.”
“The story was really good and captivating, the art style was just lovely, the puzzles were very logical (to me, anyway), and I didn't find myself getting upset or frustrated with them.”
“Unfortunately, the weakest point for me would have to be the story.”
“There were some long spiels of important story that kind of dragged out at times.”
“The game tries to be funny all the time, but I found most of the jokes really lame/childish and/or badly timed, the voice acting makes it even worse, and the story is told in a rather clumsy and boring way.”
- humor40 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- -5 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players praising its witty dialogue, clever puns, and engaging voice acting that enhance the overall experience. While some found the humor to be spot-on and genuinely funny, others criticized it as hit-or-miss, with certain jokes feeling forced or childish. Overall, the game's comedic elements contribute significantly to its charm, particularly for fans of quirky point-and-click adventures.
“The voice acting is top-notch and the script is just too funny and clever.”
“A lot of the comedy genuinely made me laugh and made me feel closer to the characters, as all of them had such colorful and unique personalities.”
“The gameplay is typically that of a point & click game but one of the actions consists of licking interactive elements which adds a humorous depth to the gameplay and the game's world.”
“The exaggerated voice acting is over the top and detracts from the experience.”
“The plot lacks depth and fails to deliver any genuine humor.”
“I found it to be not funny at all; the jokes just fell flat.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive a generally positive reception, with many praising the art style as charming and well-suited to the noir atmosphere, despite some criticism for being overly colorful for the genre. The visuals are complemented by high-quality voice acting and a rich dialogue, creating an engaging experience reminiscent of early 2010s games. Overall, while opinions on the art style vary, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal and immersive storytelling.
“The graphics are perfect, the characters are amazing, there are thousands of lines of dialogue, the voice acting is superb, and the story is on par with a good movie.”
“The visuals of the game are good; I can't make any complaints there.”
“I adore the art style, and the voice acting is top-notch. You typically don't get this level of quality in most indie games, if you get voice acting at all.”
“The graphics and especially the dialogue very much feel like throwbacks to early '10s games.”
“- inappropriate artwork (too much colorful and childish for a noir setting)”
“Graphics are okay and the interface is decent but the price is insanely high for this game.”
- music9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the noir atmosphere, featuring a solid soundtrack that effectively conveys the genre's vibe, particularly with its jazzy themes. While some reviewers noted a desire for a more extensive soundtrack, the existing music is considered high quality and integral to the overall experience. Overall, the combination of engaging music and appealing art style contributes to an entertaining gameplay experience.
“The music is good; the noir piano theme that plays whenever you're in the start menu is really nice.”
“Here, the music all conveys that excellent noir vibe to every scene.”
“If you love a detective noir atmosphere with jazzy music, fun quirky characters, and great art style, you will definitely vibe with this game.”
“So many smaller games ignore creating quality music, which is absurd as it’s critical to the game.”
“The music does not match the game's atmosphere, making it feel disjointed.”
“The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily a point-and-click experience, featuring a unique and humorous mechanic of licking interactive elements, which adds depth to the game world. However, the verb selection process is cumbersome, requiring players to cycle through options, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite some control issues, the engaging characters and dialogue contribute positively to the gameplay, making it enjoyable overall.
“The gameplay is typically that of a point & click game, but one of the actions consists of licking interactive elements, which adds a humorous depth to the gameplay and the game's world.”
“But the characters, the dialogue, the gameplay, the graphics, and the atmosphere really made up for it, so I recommend it.”
“- Easy to use interface and smooth gameplay.”
“Unfortunately, the verb selection mechanic itself is somewhat cumbersome as the verbs have to be cycled with right click or scroll wheel before they can be applied with left click.”
“Most notably, the controls are way more annoying and tedious than the gameplay would excuse.”
“I didn't mind as I liked the dialogue (mostly), but it did feel like it was being used to pad gameplay time.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively balances humor and emotional depth, with vibrant character personalities that foster a strong connection with players. It features whimsical worldbuilding alongside poignant moments that explore the emotional impact of loss, eliciting both laughter and tears.
“A lot of the comedy genuinely made me laugh and made me feel closer to the characters, as all of them had such colorful and unique personalities.”
“But what I got was whimsical worldbuilding juxtaposed with a surprisingly grounded exploration of the emotional toll of a person dying.”
“The game made me laugh more than once and even shed a tear, which was very unexpected.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to frustrating controls that detract from the overall experience. While the puzzles are easy, the repetitive nature of the grinding can become a chore, suggesting that a balance between challenge and enjoyment is necessary for a more engaging gameplay experience.
“Tedious.”
“Most notably, the controls are way more annoying and tedious than the gameplay would excuse.”
“All puzzles are quite easy, but this doesn’t mean it’s a bad game, because games don’t always need to be ridiculously hard and puzzles don’t need to be mind-numbingly tedious to enjoy a game.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive noir aesthetic, featuring well-drawn environments, jazzy music, and quirky characters that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate how the combination of art style, dialogue, and gameplay contributes to a captivating and engaging atmosphere.
“If you love a detective noir atmosphere with jazzy music, fun quirky characters, and a great art style, you will definitely vibe with this game.”
“The characters, the dialogue, the gameplay, the graphics, and the atmosphere really made up for it, so I recommend it.”
“All the places you visit are so well drawn and convey the noir atmosphere of this world.”
“But the characters, the dialogue, the gameplay, the graphics, and the atmosphere really made up for it, so I recommend it.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praise the character design of the cats, highlighting it as a standout feature that enhances the overall appeal of the game.
