Noreya: The Gold Project

About

Noreya: The Gold Project is a single player platformer game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Dreamirl and was released on June 21, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

In "Noreya: The Gold Project," a 2D pixel-art metroidvania game, players follow Kali, a fighter seeking to overthrow the corrupt God of Avarice, Salluste. Decisions made throughout the game impact progression and abilities, while exploring the City of Gold and its cathedral filled with shadowy creatures. Choose to pledge allegiance to a god or remain independent, creating a unique experience with each playthrough.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 68 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game features beautiful pixel art and a captivating soundtrack, creating an immersive atmosphere.
The movement and platforming mechanics are fluid and responsive, making exploration enjoyable.
The skill tree and dual world mechanics add depth to gameplay, allowing for unique character builds and exploration paths.

Combat can feel clunky and simplistic, with poorly telegraphed enemy attacks and frustrating boss encounters.
The early game is considered tedious and unbalanced, potentially discouraging players from continuing.
There are technical issues, including bugs and crashes, which detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
39%
13%
The gameplay is a blend of classic platforming mechanics and innovative features, offering smooth controls and engaging puzzles that keep players invested. While some mechanics, like enemy interactions and world-switching, could be clearer and more prominent, the overall experience is challenging and enjoyable, reminiscent of classic metroidvanias. Players appreciate the unique level design and the versatility of the character as new powers are unlocked, though some desire more depth in certain gameplay elements.
- “Incredible movement and platforming, well-crafted puzzles, unique mechanics, and interesting lore.”
- “The controls are smooth, gameplay is interesting, different, confusing, surprising, fun, and makes you curious every step of the way, which makes it difficult to put the game down.”
- “The gameplay is fluid with the character becoming more versatile as more powers are unlocked as you progress, similar to classic metroidvanias, reminding me quite a bit of Hollow Knight.”
- “This artistic choice saves development time for the solo dev, but makes different enemies feel the same, even when they have different mechanics.”
- “With how simple the combat system is, the bosses just don't work, and the puzzle mechanics added to them don't work either.”
- “Wall jump and bounce mechanics feel weird.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
27%
14%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its gorgeous soundtrack and atmospheric qualities, while others find it repetitive due to a limited number of tracks. The dynamic changes during combat are noted as a positive feature, enhancing the overall experience without being distracting. Overall, while the music complements the game's aesthetic well, some players feel it lacks polish and variety.
- “The pixel art and soundtrack are really gorgeous.”
- “The biomes are wonderfully complemented by a captivating OST that I wish they sold separately.”
- “The soundtrack is also incredible; it's lush and atmospheric, and the production values are super high.”
- “The music is fine but nothing special.”
- “The soundtrack is small (in number of songs), given how big the map is, it gets repetitive unfortunately (even if it's a good fit for the game).”
- “Music: decent.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it compelling and well-integrated into the gameplay, while others criticize it for being disjointed and relying on lore dumps. Many appreciate the intriguing premise involving a conflict between two gods, but feel that the execution could be improved, particularly in clarity and depth. Overall, while the narrative has potential, it may not resonate with everyone, and some players suggest waiting until later in the game for a more engaging experience.
- “The movement is fluid, the upgrades are fun, and the story is fascinating.”
- “The storytelling reminds me a bit of Salt and Sanctuary, but this time the god you choose will actually affect your character more than you think.”
- “The story setup contains a lot of promise: you're a warrior caught in a struggle between two warring gods, with each offering you power and dominion if you pledge your allegiance to them.”
- “Story did not grab me, felt like random lore dumps.”
- “The story is told in disjointed text dumps and some of the world mechanics aren't hugely clear (light/gold switching for example).”
- “The story was light, but present, and the writing, although not exceptional, was perfectly serviceable.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style and vibrant decorations, creating a visually appealing experience. However, some reviewers noted a lack of polish and a sense of lifelessness in the world, suggesting that while the visuals are promising, they may not fully engage players. Overall, the execution is appreciated, but there are areas for improvement.
- “It's a beautiful execution of a pixel art style.”
- “It gets the game feel, graphics, music, sound, etc. right.”
- “Despite sporting some lovely pixel art visuals, a wonderful musical score, and an intriguing premise, there’s a general lack of polish that left me a little wanting.”
- “Pretty art style, decorations everywhere; nonetheless, the world feels lifeless.”
- “My biggest critique for this game is the graphics.”
- “Graphics: retro.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of Noreya to be excessive, particularly with achievements and late-game skill point costs, leading to tedious gameplay. While some appreciate the game's pacing compared to other souls-like titles, the navigation and combat can feel repetitive and frustrating, especially when dealing with bullet sponge bosses and soft locks. Overall, the grinding elements detract from the enjoyment, suggesting a need for better exploration incentives and streamlined mechanics.
- “Noreya isn't a perfect game - the hard mode bosses are a bit too much of bullet sponges, I encountered a soft lock that required me to reset, and the achievements are too grindy.”
- “Late game you'll be grinding loops to spend thousands of gold per skill point.”
- “The game needed more statue locations for end of the game exploration; it got really tedious to navigate to the point of interest 10 minutes from the closest statue.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its smooth performance and lack of significant bugs or crashes, particularly on the Steam Deck. While some users noted occasional coding issues and performance hiccups, the developers are actively addressing these concerns, indicating a commitment to improving the game's stability.
- “Honestly, this game is a gem! The developer is so devoted to their job and has helped immensely with the Steam Deck optimization!”
- “Performance or bugs won't slow you down either, as this game runs smoothly all the way through with no bugs or crashes to tarnish the experience.”
- “Another good thing is that the game's performance is very smooth, with no Unity stutter.”
- “For a few negative points, the game has some coding issues (performance issues, some crashes, exceptions) (note: I also played on Linux but it’s not specific to this platform), but the devs truly worked on fixing those, bringing support, so maybe I should say 'had'?”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its unique visuals and immersive sound design, with many users highlighting the lush soundtrack and high production values that enhance the overall experience. The combination of these elements creates a captivating and challenging environment that keeps players engaged.
- “It's really cool and atmospheric, visually unique, and gameplay-wise challenging enough to be fun!”
- “Great atmosphere!”
- “The soundtrack is incredible; it's lush and atmospheric, and the production values are super high.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game's stability is inconsistent, with buggy map changes and visibility issues, particularly related to the light allegiance. Overall, the impact of these stability concerns appears to be minimal but noticeable.
- “The map changes seem to be buggy, making it difficult to navigate, especially in the light allegiance.”
- “The impact of the allegiance to the world is quite small, which affects overall stability.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for creating frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly during boss fights where players feel trapped and overwhelmed by mechanics that limit their movement and options.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight the high replayability of the game, particularly due to the incorporation of RPG elements, which enhance the overall experience and encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “I love the inclusion of RPG elements, and I think the potential replay value for this title is quite high.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a sense of frustration and tension in the emotional aspect of the game, as the mechanics force them into close combat with a challenging boss, creating a feeling of vulnerability and urgency. The inability to attack from a distance amplifies the stakes, making each encounter feel intense and emotionally charged.