When is the last time you found yourself truly immersed in a game? Well, The Norwood Suite will do that to you. Right out of the gate this title hits you with a wonderful landscape and music that will entice you to wander the world you have just been dropped in. Following in the footsteps of Cosmo D’s Off-peak, The Norwood Suite only further shows the developer’s talent for creating something that really rewards your curiosity.
After being dropped off near the entrance of Hotel Norwood, you begin to make your way up the drive, gaining a sense of what kind of world you have just entered. If it’s not the environment that grasps you, it will be the music. There is no way to adjust the layers of the audio in the game. At first, I thought this was a poor design choice, but as the game progressed I could see the developer’s intentions with it. It plays at a volume louder than you want, but by doing this it forces you to listen and it does change depending on where you are in the game.
We’ve stayed in a few dodgy hotels in our time, but the Hotel Norwood certainly tops the list
Interacting with the NPC’s of the game is rather interesting. The dialogue system allows you to eavesdrop on conversations to gather info and step in to chat yourself when you want. The people of this place are strange, yet you can’t seem to avert your attention. There is something about the hotel that takes you by the arm and pulls you in. A feeling of caution and excitement wash over you as you begin to discover more of the hotel’s secrets.
The Norwood Suite has a lot of things that make it a wonderful experience, but there are a few things keeping it from being complete. There isn’t any real introduction to the game. Now I enjoy when I have to figure things out on my own, don’t get me wrong. But this game had me wandering the hotel for no obvious reason. There are little tidbits of information dropped by the hotel staff and its guests, but nothing concrete enough to get me emotionally invested in what I’m doing. I also believe that the volume of the background music was a little overbearing, regardless of the sound level. I understand that music plays a big part in the game, but I don’t think players will enjoy being force fed that experience.
Servicing elderly gentlemen. No! Not like that.
As far as gameplay is concerned, The Norwood Suite does a really good job with interactions between characters and the environment around you. However, this is not enough to make up for the unexplained ending. I would like to see this game remade with more of a focus on the story.
The Norwood Suite lets you ask questions and feeds your wonderment without ever lighting the path for you. As a person who enjoys adventures and mystery, I had a blast with this game. The number of hidden passages and little details about each hotel guests took me by surprise. Unfortunately, while there was a lot to look at, there wasn’t enough to hold on to, leaving me confused and uninterested at the end of my playthrough.
Don’t listen to what anyone says. There’s nothing wrong with curling up into a ball, rocking back and forth and asking for your mummy
I would love to see a full-length game from this developer. Cosmo D is innovative in their creation of The Norwood Suite, and I have no doubt that they can only grow as a company with their next release. While I don’t know when or what that may be, I was intrigued by this title enough that I’ll be back for more.
THE TL;DR:
- Captivating Atmosphere
- Rewarding Gameplay
- Undefined Storyline
- Inability to adjust audio levels
70%
The Norwood Suite is developed by Cosmo D and published by Alliance Digital Media. If you fancy picking up a copy of the game yourself, you can find it available on Steam by clicking HERE. Check out our other games reviews here.