Noreya: The Gold Project

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 50 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • story
Noreya: The Gold Project Game Cover
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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.

  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Web Browser
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 50 reviews
music13 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • Noreya features stunning pixel art and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.
  • The movement mechanics are smooth and responsive, allowing for engaging platforming and exploration.
  • The game offers a unique skill tree influenced by the player's allegiance to different gods, adding depth to gameplay and exploration.
  • The combat system feels clunky and unpolished, with poorly telegraphed enemy attacks and frustrating hitboxes that can lead to unfair damage.
  • The early game can be confusing and tedious, with a lack of clear direction and some mechanics feeling underdeveloped.
  • Boss fights often suffer from design issues, including lack of health indicators and overly aggressive enemy behavior that can lead to frustrating encounters.
  • music21 mentions

    The music in the game has received praise for its gorgeous soundtrack and high production values, effectively complementing the pixel art and level design. While many players appreciate the atmospheric and dynamic nature of the music, some note that the limited number of tracks can lead to repetitiveness over time. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the gaming experience, though a desire for more variety is expressed by some reviewers.

    • “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 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.”
    • “The soundtrack is okay.”
    • “Music: decent.”
  • gameplay19 mentions

    The gameplay is praised for its smooth controls, engaging platforming mechanics, and innovative spirit mechanic that enhances puzzle-solving. Players appreciate the unique level design and variety of traversal options, although some find certain world mechanics unclear and the switching mechanic a bit cumbersome. Overall, the gameplay experience is described as fun, challenging, and reminiscent of classic metroidvanias, with a desire for deeper integration of character choices.

    • “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 excellent controls and this brilliant spirit mechanic allowed the devs to make some really clever and fun platforming sections and puzzles.”
    • “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.”
    • “The story is told in disjointed text dumps and some of the world mechanics aren't hugely clear (light/gold switching for example).”
    • “Game difficulty should come from complex mechanics, not cheap tricks.”
    • “I would have hoped to see more impact from allegiances on the gameplay.”
  • story11 mentions

    The game's story is generally regarded as compelling, with interesting themes involving a struggle between warring gods that significantly impacts gameplay. However, some players find the storytelling disjointed, relying on text dumps, and feel that certain mechanics are unclear. Overall, while the narrative has its strengths, it may not be the primary focus for all players.

    • “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.”
    • “The story was very interesting; ignore the first five story messages that include the tutorial, the rest of the writing is pretty good.”
    • “The story is told in disjointed text dumps and some of the world mechanics aren't hugely clear (light/gold switching for example).”
    • “I was struggling to find something to play after Doomblade and Nine Sols; I tried Deviator (huge disappointment), Biomorph which I tried hard to get into, but the combat, movement, and plot just aren't there.”
    • “The story was light, but present, and the writing, although not exceptional, was perfectly serviceable.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the long distances between statue locations and the need to accumulate large amounts of gold for skill points. While some appreciate the combat's pacing compared to other souls-like games, the repetitive nature of grinding and the clunky mechanics for switching between world states detract from the overall experience. Exploring more to find power-ups is suggested as a way to alleviate some of the grind.

    • “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.”
    • “Many attacks are also not telegraphed, so you are best off avoiding anything but the most basic enemies or resorting to tedious hit and run tactics.”
  • graphics5 mentions

    The graphics are praised for their beautiful execution of pixel art, contributing to the overall game feel alongside a strong musical score. However, some reviewers noted a lack of polish that detracted from the experience, despite the promise shown in the artwork and animations. Overall, the retro aesthetic is well-received, especially for newcomers to the genre.

    • “It's a beautiful execution of a pixel art style.”
    • “The artworks, animations, and music are all pretty good.”
    • “Graphics: retro”
  • optimization4 mentions

    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 have actively worked to address these concerns, indicating a commitment to improving the game's stability across platforms.

    • “Honestly, this game is a gem. The developer is so devoted to their job and has helped significantly 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; there is 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'?”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its unique visuals and immersive sound design, with a lush soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Players find it both visually striking and engaging, contributing to a fun and challenging gameplay environment.

    • “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.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for creating a frustrating experience, as players feel cornered by challenging mechanics that may encourage spending to overcome obstacles, particularly during boss fights with overwhelming enemy presence.

  • stability1 mentions

    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, especially in the light allegiance, which makes the impact of the allegiance to the world feel quite small.”
    • “There are frequent stability issues that disrupt gameplay, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
    • “The game crashes unexpectedly, which severely affects the overall stability and enjoyment.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    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 like this, and I think the potential replay value for this title is quite high.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express frustration with the emotional intensity of the gameplay, as the challenging mechanics force them into risky close-quarters combat, creating a sense of desperation and vulnerability. This struggle to overcome obstacles heightens the emotional stakes of the encounter.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

20hMedian play time
20hAverage play time
20-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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