Renoir
- November 16, 2016
- Black Wing Foundation
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Renoir" is a single-player mystery platformer game that offers around 7 hours of playtime. As ex-police officer James Renoir, promoted to detective, you must solve your own murder case after being shot and turned into a ghost. Explore a corrupted city, uncover secrets, and seek justice in this compelling narrative.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a classic Film Noir aesthetic with impressive art direction and a stellar soundtrack, creating an excellent atmosphere.
- The unique gameplay mechanic of controlling ghosts through recorded actions adds an interesting layer to the puzzle-solving experience.
- The narrative and mystery elements are engaging, providing a compelling story that fans of the genre may appreciate.
- The controls are often unresponsive and clunky, making gameplay frustrating and tedious.
- Puzzles lack variety and can feel repetitive, leading to a less engaging experience overall.
- There are several unpolished details, such as unclear mechanics and localization issues, which detract from the overall quality of the game.
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it stiff, boring, and repetitive, while others appreciate its unique mechanics involving recording actions to navigate puzzles. Although the aesthetic and story elements are praised, the gameplay itself is often seen as a weak point, despite some creative aspects that contribute to an engaging atmosphere. Overall, the gameplay is a blend of intriguing concepts and frustrating execution.
“The puzzle mechanic relies on recording actions for a level-specific set of ghosts, which in turn have to help navigate the protagonist through deadly sources of light and around obstacles.”
“I admit, I'm more into this game for its aesthetics and story more than its gameplay, but I did appreciate and enjoy the puzzles that required actual forethought and synchronization.”
“Good art direction, remarkable noir implementation, interesting gameplay mechanics and characters together make an excellent atmosphere of a noir thriller.”
“The gameplay is really stiff and boring.”
“Interesting concept but the gameplay is atrocious and repetitive.”
“Gameplay sucks.”
- story9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is a blend of traditional noir elements and personal growth themes, emphasizing resilience in the face of adversity. While the narrative is described as somewhat light, it is complemented by decent voice acting, cutscenes, and engaging puzzles, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre. Overall, players appreciate the aesthetics and intrigue of the story, hoping for further development in future installments.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“My love of film noir wins out, and at $9.99 the game is definitely worth playing to appreciate its visuals and story.”
“A fairly simple puzzle game in the vein of Swapper with a traditional noir whodunit story--no surprises here.”
“Only the story is mildly on the light side, but considering all the other outstanding features, Renoir is a bona fide puzzle game and ranges among the better half of them.”
“I admit, I'm more into this game for its aesthetics and story more than its gameplay, but I did appreciate and enjoy the puzzles that required actual forethought and synchronization.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style and visuals, particularly in the context of its film noir aesthetic. However, criticisms arise regarding the awkward design of the player character and the overall execution, which some feel detracts from the experience. Despite these issues, many players appreciate the graphics as a significant aspect of the game's charm, especially at its price point.
“-- stellar soundtrack and visuals”
“My love of film noir wins out, and at $9.99 the game is definitely worth playing to appreciate its visuals and story.”
“I feel like these graphics could've been used to better effect for a point-and-click adventure, but still, not a bad little game.”
“It just feels like a collection of puzzles with a noir graphics style.”
“I understand a part of the reason is the art style.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its stellar quality, complementing the art design and enhancing the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the relaxing and immersive nature of the soundtrack, which effectively supports the game's themes, voice acting, and storytelling.
“The art design and soundtrack are amazing; the puzzles themselves are both intuitive and creative.”
“Stellar soundtrack and visuals.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“The theme music was forgettable and didn't enhance the overall experience.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its exceptional art direction and effective noir implementation, creating a compelling noir thriller experience. The dark gothic presentation, combined with interesting gameplay mechanics and characters, further enhances the immersive atmosphere.
“Good art direction, remarkable noir implementation, interesting gameplay mechanics, and characters together create an excellent atmosphere of a noir thriller.”
“It has a great atmosphere and its overall dark gothic presentation.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect to be tedious rather than challenging, often leading to frustration when small mistakes require them to restart their progress.
“It's not that it's hard, more so tedious, and if you make a small mistake, you start over.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which quickly becomes boring.”
