Norman's Great Illusion

About

"Norman's Great Illusion" is a 2D pixel art visual novel for mature audiences, examining the societal dynamics that lead to the rise of opposing forces. As an engineer at a plant, navigate a year of increasing social tensions and make difficult decisions with lasting consequences. This game contains mature themes and requires critical thinking, so it is not recommended for those who lack understanding of class struggle, imperialism, or capitalism.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

48%

Audience ScoreBased on 25 reviews

graphics2 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game effectively communicates a thought-provoking social message about the struggles of workers in a capitalist society.
The mini-games are intentionally designed to reflect the monotony and stress of daily work life, adding depth to the overall experience.
The game is appreciated for its unique artistic vision and the representation of political themes, making it more of an artwork than a traditional game.

The mini-games are frustrating and poorly designed, leading to a negative gameplay experience for many players.
The dialogue and narrative can feel cartoonish and superficial, detracting from the intended serious themes.
There is a lack of clear guidance on how to achieve different endings, leaving players confused about the game's objectives.

story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The story is heavily influenced by player choices, which is its main appeal, but many users find the overall execution lacking due to rough gameplay elements and poor interface design. While there is curiosity about exploring different story paths, frustrations with minigames and technical issues detract from the desire to engage with the narrative. Overall, the potential of the story is overshadowed by gameplay shortcomings.
- “The choices, along with the resulting story that plays out, are the real point of all this.”
- “I'm willing to find out the story and all, but not by getting angry for having to move the cursor with arrow keys for a simple math minigame.”
- “In addition to the story and gameplay being a bitter pill to swallow, the game has a lot of rough edges common to 'designed in a basement' games: grammatical errors, little explanation of controls or the interface, and so on.”
- “I want to see some of the other story options and find out if there is ever anything like a 'win' that you can achieve (I suspect there is probably not).”
- “I want to see how this game's story progresses, but the minigames are so terrible that I don't want to play it at all.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay is primarily centered around two mandatory minigames, which are criticized for their poor design, leaving little else to engage with. While some gameplay elements and animations can be frustrating, they are deemed less significant than the overall message of the game.
- “Actually, the two mini games are the mandatory and indispensable parts of gameplay.”
- “Some of the gameplay aspects, animation, and a few other things may be frustrating sometimes (just like real life lol), but all of that is not so important in comparison with the game's message.”
- “Apart from two badly designed minigames, there is hardly any gameplay.”
- “Actually, the two minigames are the mandatory and indispensable parts of gameplay.”
- “Some of the gameplay aspects, animation, and a few other things may be frustrating sometimes, but all of that is not so important in comparison with the game's message.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics of the game are often described as artistic and visually appealing, with some players considering it more of a work of art than a traditional game. The cover art has attracted buyers, even those who were aware of negative reviews.
- “It is more of an artwork than a game.”
- “I bought this, despite quite a few bad reviews, simply because I liked the cover graphic so much (and it was on steep sale).”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with multiple users expressing their enjoyment of it.
- “I also quite like the music.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The atmosphere of the game is described as intentionally unsettling, with some elements that may detract from enjoyment but are perceived as deliberate choices to enhance the overall mood. This suggests a complex design that prioritizes atmosphere over player comfort.
- “The atmosphere feels forced and lacks the immersive quality that I was hoping for.”
- “The game tries to create a dark atmosphere, but it ends up feeling more tedious than engaging.”
- “While the atmosphere aims for a unique vibe, it ultimately falls flat and feels unpolished.”