REVIEW: The Norwood Suite - Out now on Steam (PC)

Synopsis:
From Cosmo D, the creator of the freeware hit "Off-Peak", comes The Norwood Suite - a weird-adventure game that is both its spiritual and direct sequel.

The Norwood Suite is a first-person adventure game that takes players to the secluded Hotel Norwood on a simple and friendly errand that quickly unfolds into something much more involved. Filled with bizarre characters and objects, this mysterious resort is a dense, open-ended world teeming with hidden passages and secrets to discover.

Peer into the lives of the hotel’s guests and staff, explore and interact with surprises behind every door, and piece together a non-linear narrative that rewards your curiosity. The Norwood Suite features surreal art design, as well as an original atmospheric musical score, composed by Cosmo D, that integrates itself directly into the game world.

Review: By Jon Donnis
If you read the little synopsis above you will see that the score in this game is composed by Cosmo D, and damn it really is good, because I am an idiot, I started playing this game on mute as I assumed it would be your typical background sounds etc, and only after a few hours did I put the sound on and suddenly I am hearing this great music. So yeah when you play this, turn your speakers on, and prepare to have your senses tickled with such cool music.

Ok away from the awesome music, this game is a puzzle/errands game, once you get to the hotel of which the game is based, everything becomes about solving puzzles, whether that is how to use the computer, by changing plugs, finding a wifi router, resetting it, or finding the right costume to wear to enter a room you need to go, making people sandwiches, to finding key for a piano. This is the main crux of the game. So if you like this type of game then you should enjoy The Norwood Suite.

I had a few issues with the game, I felt the controls a little clunky, however I am much more of a console guy, so using keys to move with one hand, and the mouse with the other, does not come naturally to me. Give me an Xbox controller and I am at home. So although I thought the controls were a bit clunky, if you are used to playing games using a mouse and keyboard then I suspect you will be right at home here.

I also found the graphics to be a little dated, again spoiled by 2017 high end games with huge budgets and so on. And this game would easily feel "new" if released 10 or even 15 years ago.

This game is not for me, for various reasons, but that does not mean it is a bad game, but you do have to take into account the type of gamer you are, the type of games you enjoy, and the type of experience you like to get from a game.

If you like keyboard/mouse controls, a game whereby you enjoy the music, you pay attention to all the conversations the characters you interact with have, you like to feel immersed into the storyline, then I am sure you will enjoy this game.

I give this game a decent 7/10.

The Norwood Suite will be released on PC through Steam and Itch.io on October 2.