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NORTH

North is an interesting game with something special to offer despite its flaws. It presents the story of a refugee seeking asylum in a way that is open to interpretation according to the player's values and life experience. At its best it does a great job of creating a sense of unease, loneliness and confusion, immersing the player in a painful scenario that is all too easy to relate to real life. At its worst it undermines immersion with poor optimisation and a disjointed relationship between the flow of gameplay and information. As a gaming experience it will be most satisfying to those who enjoy thought-provoking titles or exploring dark worlds. However, it will also appeal to achievement hunters looking to gain an easy 1,000 Gamerscore in less than an hour.
NORTH Game Cover
55%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
optimization, stability
67% User Score Based on 258 reviews
Critic Score 22%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

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NORTH Game Cover

About

NORTH is a single player simulation game with mystery and science fiction themes. It was developed by Gabriel Helfenstein and was released on April 27, 2016. It received negative reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"NORTH" is a first-person indie game where you apply for asylum in a mysterious city inhabited by unusual creatures. Gameplay involves navigating the city, interacting with objects and characters using WASD or arrow keys and mouse clicks. The game includes a soundtrack and encourages players to provide feedback or bugs to the developers via email.

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NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
NORTH screenshot
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67%
Audience ScoreBased on 258 reviews
story20 positive mentions
optimization4 negative mentions
  • North offers a thought-provoking exploration of the refugee experience, immersing players in a dark and atmospheric world that evokes feelings of confusion and alienation.
  • The game's unique art style and haunting soundtrack contribute to its surreal and unsettling atmosphere, making it a memorable experience.
  • Despite its technical flaws, North successfully conveys a powerful message about immigration and the struggles faced by those seeking asylum.
  • The game suffers from poor optimization, with issues like low frame rates, clunky controls, and a lack of a menu or save function, which can frustrate players.
  • Many players find the gameplay mechanics confusing and disjointed, with unclear objectives that detract from the overall experience.
  • The reliance on a letter system for guidance can break immersion, as it often requires backtracking and can feel tedious.
  • story
    63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is described as both simple and profound, exploring themes of immigration, alienation, and personal struggle through a surreal and atmospheric narrative. While some players appreciate its emotional depth and clever storytelling, others find it lacking in subtlety and feel the conclusion is anticlimactic. Overall, the narrative is engaging and thought-provoking, though it may leave some players wanting more in terms of development and clarity.

    • “The premise of the story is interesting, and the music matches the mood very well!”
    • “This interactive short story has something genuine to say about immigration while maintaining a fascinating aesthetic in an interestingly absurd and weird universe.”
    • “The story is rich with the oppressive mood and ironic humor that Orwell and Kafka are famous for, and the style draws from expressionism and absurdism as well as cyberpunk dystopias.”
    • “The game does not help you through the story.”
    • “A story that's finished in about an hour.”
    • “If you like your hand being held as you go through interactive storytelling, this is not the game for you.”
  • gameplay
    61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of this game is characterized by its slow, minimalist mechanics that prioritize artistic expression over accessibility, which may alienate some players. While the atmosphere and narrative elements are praised, many reviewers criticize the controls and gameplay for being unclear and frustrating, detracting from the overall experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game offers a unique exploration experience that may appeal to those open to unconventional gameplay.

    • “Great example of how gameplay and level design conveys clear feelings and messages.”
    • “North is an atmospheric first-person, allegorical science fiction exploration game with simple puzzles and gameplay.”
    • “While it's short and not very complex, I think North does deliver on atmosphere, and the game mechanic with the letters home that function as a combined narrative and hint system works quite well.”
    • “This game is not for everyone as it sacrifices gameplay accessibility for the sake of art.”
    • “The way this game falls short is that the gameplay seems to prioritize maintaining aesthetics before playability.”
    • “Good graphics and ambient music, but the forced and unimaginative gameplay combined with a lack of controls leads to nauseating disappointment.”
  • music
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, featuring a blend of moody electronic soundscapes and chill synth lines that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack effectively complements the game's visuals and narrative, creating a strong emotional connection. While some critiques mention gameplay issues, the soundtrack remains a standout element, often described as sublime and fitting for the game's themes.

    • “The atmosphere is built excellently, the imagery and the soundtrack succeed in building environments identifiable and varying emotions.”
    • “The premise of the story is interesting, and the music matches the mood very well!”
    • “Soundtrack is sublime.”
    • “The music and some of the design/color/lighting is cool, but the game itself is a low-budget mess.”
    • “This game is the worst song played on the ugliest guitar.”
    • “The sound and music are eerie and fit the setting.”
  • graphics
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the evocative art style and atmospheric design that enhances the cultural themes, while others criticize the outdated and simplistic visuals that can feel flat and glitchy. Although the brutalist architecture and unique character designs contribute to an immersive experience, issues like poor anti-aliasing and graphical errors detract from overall playability. Ultimately, while the visuals may evoke strong feelings, they often prioritize aesthetics over functionality, leading to a somewhat disappointing gameplay experience.

    • “The non-literal but evocative sets, characters, and events are all compelling enough as visuals and excel at evoking the feelings of cultural unfamiliarity as you navigate a city you don't quite understand.”
    • “The atmosphere is amazing, the visuals put goosebumps on the back of my neck more than once, the story is quick and punchy, and the music rolls really well with the gameplay.”
    • “But these slight problems in no way detract from the game's many strengths, including its beautiful art style, interesting and cleverly conveyed story, great soundtrack, and immersive world.”
    • “The graphics are outdated at best and feel flat.”
    • “There are parts where the graphics look pretty bad and the anti-aliasing is terrible.”
    • “Certain areas have graphical errors that appear as black spikes across the screen.”
  • atmosphere
    35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and evocative qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the excellent visuals, haunting soundtrack, and emotional depth that enhance the experience. While some critiques mention a lack of meaningful atmosphere in certain areas, the overall consensus is that the game successfully creates a dark, surreal, and unsettling environment that resonates with players. The combination of strong imagery and sound design contributes to a compelling atmosphere that supports the narrative and gameplay.

    • “The atmosphere is built excellently, the imagery and the soundtrack succeed in building environments identifiable and varying emotions.”
    • “The atmosphere is amazing, the visuals put goosebumps on the back of my neck more than once, the story is quick and punchy, and the music rolls really well with the gameplay.”
    • “Sweet, dark, dystopian, somewhat psychedelic and atmospheric adventure about the experience of an asylum seeker who ended in a strange city he's not familiar with and barely understands.”
    • “> no meaningful attempt towards building atmosphere beyond pretentious, linear, grossly cramped entry points.”
    • “The only thing I don't like about this game is the dark city you start in; something about the atmosphere feels somewhat flat and strange in a bad way. However, I got used to it after half an hour or so of play.”
    • “This decimates the atmosphere.”
  • optimization
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including frame rates dropping between 15-30fps, sluggish controls, and slow walking speed. Many reviewers noted that the lack of budget is evident in the overall performance, making it feel poorly optimized compared to other titles.

    • “Played this in between the Division series, which runs at a steady 50fps, versus this which runs between 15-30fps, so not the most well-optimized game.”
    • “If you're looking for a gameplay-heavy experience then look elsewhere, and I'd be lying if I said the game's non-existent budget couldn't be felt in its sluggish controls and slight performance issues.”
    • “One problem that I'm not sure if anyone else is having is bad performance issues.”
    • “Cons: performance issues (I think it's a dof somewhere), slow walk speed, a little ugly, too short.”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is noted for its emotional weight, with symbolic imagery enhancing its impact, despite some initial perceptions of heaviness. While it aims to evoke strong feelings, it is compared unfavorably to "Spec Ops: The Line," suggesting that its emotional involvement may not reach the same depth.

    • “Though some of the symbolic imagery initially seems heavy-handed, there is emotional weight in every scene.”
    • “Without them, I don't think the game would have anywhere near the emotional impact it does.”
    • “Comparing to Spec Ops: The Line (which has somehow the same purpose but to deromanticize the soldier character in a war), the emotional involvement is not as strong.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is frequently criticized for being unpolished and buggy, with reports of significant lag and technical issues. Despite these stability problems, some players appreciate its underlying message and allegorical content.

    • “Unpolished and buggy.”
    • “As buggy and laggy as North undeniably is, it is a wonderful allegorical game with a laudable message.”
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22%Critics’ scoreBased on 3 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

NORTH is a simulation game with mystery and science fiction themes.

NORTH is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, PlayStation 4 and others.

NORTH was released on April 27, 2016.

NORTH was developed by Gabriel Helfenstein.

NORTH has received negative reviews from players and negative reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

NORTH is a single player game.

Similar games include Master Reboot, The Moon Sliver, Kairo, Homesick, Cradle and others.