Normality
- October 9, 2015
- Gremlin Interactive
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Normality" is a single-player action game filled with humor. As Kent Knutson, you'll explore the dystopian city of Neutropolis, once full of beauty and light but now controlled by a sinister force. Solve puzzles, uncover clues, and unravel the city's mysteries, including why the most successful company makes furniture and who Brian Deluge is, in this quirky and unique game.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of humor and a quirky story set in a dystopian world, making it a memorable experience.
- Despite its age, the graphics and art style hold up well, providing a nostalgic trip for players familiar with 90s games.
- The puzzles are generally rewarding and not overly difficult, allowing players to enjoy the gameplay without excessive frustration.
- The controls can be clunky and difficult to navigate, which may frustrate players unfamiliar with older game mechanics.
- The game features outdated graphics and voice acting, which may not appeal to modern gamers looking for high-quality visuals and sound.
- Some puzzles lack clear logic, leading to confusion and requiring players to rely on walkthroughs to progress.
- graphics30 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the stunning motion capture and realistic 3D visuals as breathtaking and ahead of their time, while others criticize them as outdated and reminiscent of the 90s. Many appreciate the retro art style and its nostalgic charm, though some find the low resolution and pixel hunting frustrating by modern standards. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant aspect of the game's identity, appealing to fans of classic adventure games despite their limitations.
“The motion capture animation is stunning and the realistic 3-dimensional graphics are the best I have ever seen.”
“In addition, it has great music, the pixel hunting is absent, and excellent graphics for its time which holds itself brilliantly even today, thanks to the outstanding art direction.”
“A great classic game with a good story, good graphics, and good humor.”
“The graphics and controls are horrible though, but you don't play a 30-year-old game for graphics.”
“It was probably an okay game back in its time, however - in today's era of HD 3D graphics, it is very, very outdated.”
“Graphics are bad... story is bad... controls are bad... interface is bad.”
- humor26 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- -8 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The humor in this game is a standout feature, characterized by its quirky, 90s-style wit and surrealism that resonates well with fans of classic adventure games. While some players find the humor hits and misses, many appreciate the clever dialogues and funny characters that enhance the overall experience. Overall, it combines nostalgic charm with a unique blend of absurdity, making it a memorable and entertaining title.
“Funny little gem from the nineties.”
“The game itself is really cool to play and has incredible humor that I quite enjoyed.”
“For starters, that combination alone makes this game really unique and interesting, but it is also really wacky, funny, and creative, in a vibe kind of like Sam and Max or Day of the Tentacle.”
“The humor falls flat and feels forced throughout the game.”
“I found the jokes to be cringeworthy and lacking any real wit.”
“The attempts at humor are so awkward that they detract from the overall experience.”
- story22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a quirky, humorous adventure set in a dystopian society where an oppressive government seeks to eliminate fun, complemented by challenging puzzles and a unique 90s aesthetic. While some reviews note clunky controls and superficial characters, the narrative is generally praised for its engaging plot and subversive humor, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of story-driven games. Overall, the combination of an interesting storyline and memorable characters enhances the gameplay, despite its technical shortcomings.
“The challenging puzzle gameplay complements the amazing story.”
“This is a story of some oppressive government, ruled by some strange cyborg, that wants to remove all fun from society and control their thoughts through furniture in some sort of run-down dystopian nineties society.”
“It still feels fresh and unique, and I highly recommend it to fans of story-driven games with a taste for subversive humor.”
“A juvenile story that hits and misses with the humor intended.”
“Navigating the environment is a chore, characters are mostly surface deep stereotypes, the story is handled in a heavy-handed caricatural manner.”
“Graphics are bad, story is bad, controls are bad, interface is bad.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Normality" is a blend of point-and-click and FPS mechanics, offering a humorous and puzzle-oriented experience that some players find entertaining despite its awkward controls and dated graphics. While the game presents a challenging and engaging story, issues such as unexpected progress loss and frustrating controls detract from the overall enjoyment for some users. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some praising its uniqueness and others criticizing its execution.
“And the gameplay is still quite entertaining.”
“It uses a unique engine that combines point and click with FPS gameplay qualities, all wrapped in a humorous story.”
“Fun, but the controls are pretty hard. However, I could understand as it's an old game. The story is also good, and the game is tricky, like a puzzle that requires you to use your mind.”
“The plot, awkward gameplay, music, graphics... wtf was that.”
“I don't mind bad graphics but the gameplay requires a lot of work and kills the fun which isn't found very much in this game.”
“20h of gameplay and just 2 of 3 cards... pathetic.”
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it decent and relaxing, while others describe it as average or "so-so," particularly in the context of its 1996 DOS origins. Despite the varied opinions, many agree that the music contributes to the overall atmosphere, even if it doesn't stand out as exceptional.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“In addition, it has great music, the pixel hunting is absent (that horrid nightmare plaguing so many Russian point-and-click adventure games!), and excellent graphics for its time which holds itself brilliantly even today, thanks to the outstanding art direction.”
“The plot, awkward gameplay, music, graphics... wtf was that.”
“The music is quite so-so in general but not really bad per se (we are talking 1996 DOS here).”
“No TV other than the boring normtv(tm) which runs normal (read: boring) programs for normal (read: boring) people, no rock music, normal books only (anything that isn't normal is of course either censored or disposed of).”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is hindered by misleading marketing, as it features UK voice actors instead of the superior US version with Corey Feldman, which significantly impacts the experience. However, players can apply a patch to access the preferred voice performance, making the game more enjoyable and ultimately worth recommending. Without the patch, the game falls short, but with it, the storyline and voice acting elevate the overall experience.
“However, apparently you can patch this to have those sound files, so it has his excellent and much funnier voice performance. There is a post about it in the community here: https://steamcommunity.”
“Without that performance, I would not recommend this game as the UK performance misses the mark, but with the patch, it is definitely worth it. In the end, I will recommend this game as it is so worth it with an amusing and interesting storyline, and Corey Feldman's performance really makes a huge difference here.”
“I prefer the performance of Corey Feldman over the UK voice actors.”
“Despite the video on the store page, the game you buy has the UK voice actors. This is not the US version, which has the much better performance of Corey Feldman for the character of Kent, as portrayed in the video on the store page, which is misleading.”
“UK voice actors, not US version. I'd prefer the performance of Corey Feldman.”
“Without that performance, I would not recommend this game as the UK performance is lacking and misses the mark. However, with the patch, it is definitely worth it, so in the end, I will recommend this game as it has an amusing and interesting storyline, and Corey Feldman's performance really makes a huge difference here.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its vibrant and nostalgic world, rich with 90s references and infused with entertaining UK humor, particularly enhanced by the English voiceover in the Steam version.
“This game offers an atmospheric, vibrant, nostalgic world with a lot of 90s references and some entertaining UK humor (luckily, the Steam version has the English voiceover).”
