Noir Chronicles: City of Crime

About

In Noir Chronicles: City of Crime, you are a private detective investigating a series of murders in a film noir-inspired city. By searching for clues, interrogating suspects, and solving puzzles, you uncover a dark conspiracy involving corrupt officials and supernatural forces. With its cinematic presentation and atmospheric setting, Noir Chronicles offers an immersive and suspenseful experience in the tradition of classic detective stories.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Noir Chronicles: City of Crime screenshot

54%

Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

story16 negative mentions

The game features a fun and casual hidden object experience, making it suitable for beginners.
The graphics and artwork are well-designed, providing a visually appealing environment.
The game includes a variety of puzzles and hidden object scenes, which can be enjoyable for fans of the genre.

The story is weak and often feels clichéd, lacking depth and character development.
Character designs and animations are poorly executed, leading to an uncanny valley effect that detracts from immersion.
The gameplay is short and repetitive, with many puzzles being reused and lacking challenge.

story
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
70%
17%
The story in "Noir Chronicles: City of Crime" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it silly, predictable, and lacking depth. While some appreciate the noir detective elements and the straightforward revenge plot, others criticize the character designs, voice acting, and overall coherence of the narrative, describing it as mediocre and filled with clichés. The bonus chapter, intended as a prequel, is often viewed as disconnected from the main story, further detracting from the overall experience.
- “The story combines detective work and whodunit elements.”
- “Noir Chronicles: City of Crime convinces with a captivating crime story, which offers you exciting puzzles.”
- “The story here is quite interesting - here we have a fatal woman in red dying, who somehow was our love, and detective fox is sent on the trail of the murderers so that they can receive the deserved punishment.”
- “The story was pretty silly and the characters were very annoying.”
- “But the story was hard to follow with weird transitions and a lack of a solid narrative.”
- “The story is weak, puzzles are easy and repetitive.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful artwork and detailed environments, while criticism is directed at the character designs, which are often described as hideous or poorly executed. Although the visuals are generally smooth and well-animated, the overall aesthetic is marred by a disconnect between the appealing backgrounds and the unattractive character models. While some players appreciate the vibrant hidden object scenes and cutscenes, others find the character design and certain graphical elements to be a significant drawback.
- “Beautiful artwork.”
- “The game features original 1080p cutscene videos and artwork, which looks pretty good in hidden object sequences, with vivid scenarios to easily pick up and identify each object.”
- “The visuals, the areas and the scenes are all well drawn/animated, so the game has the Artifex Mundi standard.”
- “The characters though - the graphics there are hideous!”
- “The visuals are detailed enough, but I'd still rate the game as average in this regard and the previously mentioned style- and era ruining elements, plus the otherwise lovely suburban, but also rather boring locations don't help either.”
- “The graphics style with drawn bodies and real (processed) faces plastered onto them gets creepy at times.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The gameplay of "Noir Chronicles: City of Crime" is characterized as traditional and simplistic, primarily consisting of hidden object scenes with a total playtime of around 3 hours. While some mechanics, like character interrogation, are appreciated, many players find the overall experience lacking in depth and innovation, often comparing it unfavorably to better examples in the genre. Additionally, there are reported issues with item recognition during gameplay, further detracting from the experience.
- “With around 3 or 4 gameplay hours, [b]noir chronicles: city of crime[/b] is a really good hidden object game with a fantastic detective vibe.”
- “[i]noir chronicles: city of crime[/i] is yet another detective-themed hidden object game from developer Brave Giant, using the mechanics of the [url=store.steampowered.com/bundle/12635/ghost_files_collection/]Ghost Files[/url] games with a touch of now fashionable noir style.”
- “I really liked some of the game mechanics so often used in such things (interrogation of the main character, for example).”
- “Dislike: fighting scene mechanic / better next time: street fighter mechanic or match 3.”
- “Total gameplay is 3 hours (including bonus story, and without skipping any scenes or puzzles).”
- “Cookie cutter hidden object game with passable presentation, but really lacking gameplay and story.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as "banging" and fitting the noir theme, while others find it repetitive and limited, with complaints about looping tracks and a lack of variety. Overall, the main theme is highlighted as a standout element, but many players feel the music does not enhance the overall experience.
- “The 'noir' facets of the game were spot on in music, locations, dialogue, and accents.”
- “The music was fairly pleasant.”
- “Main music theme is the only really good thing in the game.”
- “Boring music.”
- “To add further insult to injury, I heard at least three pieces of music from the L.A. Noire soundtrack playing throughout the game.”
- “Voice overs don't suit the characters, and the music sounds like two tracks looping.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development in "Noir Chronicles: City of Crime" is widely criticized, with reviewers noting a complete lack of growth or depth in the characters. The designs are described as unattractive and the storyline as mediocre, contributing to an overall sense of disappointment and a lack of engagement with the characters. Many players found the experience lacking in entertainment value, further emphasizing the game's shortcomings in this area.
- “There is zero character development, zero attempt at a semi-realistic storyline, zero suspense, zero mystery, and zero entertainment value.”
- “Overall, 'Noir Chronicles: City of Crime' counts for me as the worst Artifex Mundi game I’ve ever played: exaggerated price, buggy achievements, bland story, unattractive character design.”
- “Bad character design, ridiculous puzzles, cringeworthy story, cheesy voice-acting.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The atmosphere of the game is polarizing; while some players appreciate the intriguing story and good graphics that contribute to a compelling ambiance, others criticize the jarring voice acting and character designs that detract from the intended film noir feel. Overall, the execution of the atmosphere seems inconsistent, leading to mixed reviews.
- “The game has a nice atmosphere, an interesting story about love and murder, and really good graphics.”
- “Voice acting is beyond annoying and ruins the atmosphere even more so because the faces don't match the voices at all!”
- “Where this game sinks below mediocrity to get a thumbs down is in its sad attempt at 'film noir' atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere-ruining elements, goofy-looking characters.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of unintentional hilarity and self-irony, with players finding enjoyment in its absurdity and cringeworthy moments. While some aspects are considered "hilariously bad," the developers embrace genre clichés and incorporate silly elements that add to the overall comedic experience.
- “The creators are not shy about bringing self-irony into the game, sometimes smiling at genre clichés and adding funny, even silly moments.”
- “... the cards puzzle is both totally cringeworthy and hilarious in how the numbers are flipped, mirrored, and turned out through the arse.”
- “It's hilariously bad, but I'm still going to finish it...”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with some minigames being poorly designed or non-intuitive, leading to frustration and a tendency to skip them altogether. The repetition of certain puzzles, particularly those requiring intricate rearrangements, further detracts from the overall experience.
- “A couple of the minigames were borked, forcing me to skip them even if they would have been pretty easy, if tedious.”
- “They're kind of tedious and crappy anyway, so I just skip them.”
- “We have the same type of puzzles that we encounter in pretty much all other Artifex Mundi HOGs, but what bothered me in 'Noir Chronicles: City of Crime' is that some of the puzzles repeat even 2-3 times, especially one that is pretty tedious to solve, requiring you to rearrange a bunch of knots so that the thread lines don’t intersect with each other.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The emotional aspect of the game has been criticized for its lackluster storytelling, with reviewers finding the plot dull and unengaging despite attempts to incorporate film noir elements. The narrative's reliance on clichés and a boring execution detracts from any potential emotional impact.
- “2 stars for the super boring story.”
- “Very cheesy and boring story.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with users noting a lack of significant glitches and bugs, although there are minor issues such as a non-functioning achievement. While some puzzles may be confusing and the aesthetic elements are criticized, the game remains entertaining and stable for the most part.
- “I got the game in a bundle for a cheap price, so my recommendation is based on the value I received. The game is entertaining and nearly bug-free, with only one achievement not working as intended, which is a bit harder to get.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive; I haven't encountered any major bugs or crashes during my playtime.”
- “Overall, the game runs smoothly without any significant issues, making for a stable and enjoyable experience.”
- “Overall, 'Noir Chronicles: City of Crime' counts for me as the worst Artifex Mundi game I've ever played: exaggerated price, buggy achievements, bland story, unattractive character design.”
- “Some puzzles were confusing, the hidden object scenes were simple, but overall not a horrible game - no game glitches or impossible puzzles, just aesthetically poor.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for having no replay value, with users suggesting that there are better titles available for the same price that offer a more engaging experience. Even at a significant discount, it is considered a poor investment.
- “There are so many other titles that are worth your $15, with a much higher replay value. Noir Chronicles: City of Crime has none at all, and even at its highest discount of 50%, it’s still a pretty bad buy.”
- “No replay value.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users reporting smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others experience significant lag and technical issues. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary widely depending on individual system configurations.