THE NORMAL THING

About

THE NORMAL THING is a single player puzzle game with fantasy and mystery themes. It was developed by Orata Studio and was released on December 10, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

The Normal Thing is a story about a dog who lost his memory. Sunless forests, strange gardens, weird inhabitants... Start a little journey to retrieve your memory.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews

story10 positive mentions

optimization1 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and emotional narrative that explores themes of identity and conformity, leaving a lasting impact on players.
The visual style effectively conveys a haunting atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
Despite its short length, the game features engaging puzzles and charming characters that contribute to a memorable gameplay experience.

The English translation is inconsistent, with some text remaining in Korean, which can lead to confusion and missed story elements.
Puzzles can be vague or awkward, lacking clear hints or explanations, which may frustrate players.
The game suffers from mechanical optimization issues, including controls that could be more intuitive and some repetitive music.

story
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
The game's story is generally praised for its emotional depth and originality, focusing on themes of loss and memory as players navigate a surreal environment. However, some reviewers noted issues with translation and coherence, leading to confusion about the narrative. Overall, while the story resonates with many players, its execution and clarity could benefit from improvements.
- “Overall quite a good game, I highly enjoyed the visuals and the story brought a tear to my eye.”
- “The story is about loss, grieving, and saying goodbye.”
- “Really emotional game with a heartfelt story that's going to scare the sh*t out of you.”
- “Way too many flow gaps with puzzles that make no sense, a story that makes little sense and constant wondering 'how?' and 'what now?'.”
- “I have no clue if I'm missing context through Korean culture at all, but the environment doesn't really feel like it matches the story.”
- “I will say again that I may have missed story through lack of translation and perhaps even poor translation in general, but this seemed like a big old nothing burger of a game.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the unique art style and atmospheric visuals that evoke a strong vibe, while others criticize the lackluster 2D graphics, suggesting they feel outdated compared to modern 3D standards. Overall, the visuals are appreciated for their artistic quality, though they may not appeal to everyone, especially those seeking more advanced graphics.
- “Spooky game with cool visuals.”
- “Overall quite a good game, I highly enjoyed the visuals and the story brought a tear to my eye.”
- “The visuals were definitely a vibe and it was very cube escape vibes, which is a high compliment.”
- “The game features really lackluster 2D visuals (does the developer not know 3D graphics became mainstream in the mid-1990s?).”
- “I really liked the art style and the ending was sweet, but I wouldn't recommend playing.”
- “I recommend it, but anyone looking to play it should know beforehand that there are a handful of creepy visuals.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its deeply emotional narrative, with many players expressing that it evoked strong feelings, including tears and heartbreak. Users highlight the heartfelt story of a lost dog in a forest, noting its unexpected emotional depth and impactful ending. Overall, it is recommended for fans of emotional storytelling and challenging puzzles.
- “This is a beautifully heartbreaking game; you are a dog lost in a forest with no memory.”
- “It has a lot of heart and soul put into it, and the ending caught me off guard in an emotional way that really made me appreciate the game's narrative a whole lot more.”
- “A wonderful title that I recommend to any point-and-click fan, or any fan of emotional storylines for that matter.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The music in the game received mixed reviews; while some players found it beautiful and fitting for the theme, many noted that it became repetitive over time, detracting from the overall experience. Despite the music's initial appeal, its lack of diversity was a common point of criticism among users.
- “The music was quite beautiful and suited the theme well too.”
- “Although it's a free game, the course of solving the puzzles was good, and it was a pity that the music was not diverse, but I felt that the unique drawing style of this game was attractive.”
- “The music was horribly repetitive.”
- “I also enjoyed the artwork and music at first, but the music got repetitive after a while.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The gameplay is generally well-received, with a strong narrative and natural progression, though some users note issues with mechanical optimization and occasionally vague puzzles. While the English subtitles can be difficult to understand at times, these factors do not significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “The story is very original and the gameplay is pretty good.”
- “I really enjoyed the narrative, and I think the gameplay is guided very well through natural progression.”
- “The puzzles could be a little vague at times, and the English subtitles could be a little hard to understand at points, but nothing that takes away from the gameplay or the story.”
- “Not the best optimized game mechanically speaking.”
- “The puzzles could be a little vague at times, and the English subtitles could be a little hard to understand at points.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the game for its amazing character development, highlighting the depth and complexity of the characters as they evolve throughout the story. This aspect significantly enhances player engagement and emotional investment in the narrative.
- “The character development is truly amazing, with each character evolving in meaningful ways throughout the story.”
- “I was impressed by the depth of character development; it made me feel connected to their journeys.”
- “The way the characters grow and change over time adds so much richness to the overall experience.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is described as nice and cute, with a pleasant ambiance that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the art style as a significant contributor to this enjoyable atmosphere, making it a worthwhile play.
- “This is a nice and cute game with a pleasant atmosphere.”
- “I'd say it's worth a play for the art style alone -- the atmosphere was great.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its subpar optimization, with users highlighting mechanical issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “Not the best optimized game mechanically speaking.”