Everyone likes a good murder mystery, so why not make a game where they’re constantly generated afresh? Whack a detective in there as a playable character and encase it in a sandbox environment and you have the recipe for a compelling title. That’s a reasonable description of Noir Syndrome, a video of which you can watch above.
Noir Syndrome is currently fighting the good fight on Steam Greenlight, where you’ll find a handy list of planned features, including the bit about procedurally-generated mysteries, persistent choices, a rather brutal take on combat where a single bullet will put you away and an investigation system that lets you bribe folks for information.
Unfortunately, the clip doesn’t mention the procedural mystery generation aspect at all — quite the oversight considering it’s a core aspect of the game. And while I’ve never been a stickler for graphics, there’s something about the combo of stilted animation and 8-bit visuals that gives me a slight headache, to the point where as much as I might like playing, I don’t think I could enjoy it in long stretches.
That said, if it’s even remotely similar to MicroProse’s Covert Action, I’d be happy to give it a lot of my time.
Noir Syndrome [Steam Greenlight, via RPS]
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