Noreya: The Gold Project
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Noreya: The Gold Project Media
Critic Reviews for Noreya: The Gold Project
Noreya: The Gold Project is an enjoyable enough Metroidvania but feels a little limited when compared to other titles in the genre.
Noreya: The Gold Project is a very pretty 2D platformer that attempts to instill agency and creativity wrapped in a nice, neat metroidvania package. Whether it does so or not is up for debate, but one thing is certain: The puzzles and platforming are quite enjoyable.
In terms of modern Metroidvania titles, Noreya: The Gold Project is a game that doesn’t stray far from the core elements of the genre. But that is in no way a knock against the title, as its emphasis on the genre’s fundamentals (and understanding of how they should work in practice) sets it apart from many of its contemporaries. Noreya‘s pacing and combat tend to struggle a bit in comparison to the game’s excellent platforming and visual style, but its manageable length and responsive controls act as a salve to any of the minor weak points the game may have. Noreya is a “meat and potatoes” experience that sets reasonable expectations and nails every one of them, and its technical performance on the Steam Deck is rock solid following a rapid slew of updates in the wake of the game’s initial release.
Noreya simply doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself from other Metroidvanias and ends up feeling like a bad imitation of the genre. The game has some good ideas, especially pertaining to the map changing depending on what deity you decide to align yourself with, but it’s too little when compared to all that it does badly.
Noreya has some unique ideas and questionable design choices. I doubt it'll leave a mark compared to the most successful examples of the genre, but in general, it is a good metroidvania.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Overall, Noreya: The Gold Project offers an interesting blend of historical lore, complex dynamics between humans and gods, and engaging platforming puzzles. While it may not redefine the Metroidvania genre, it provides a solid and enjoyable experience for fans of dark fantasy adventures.
With Noreya: The Gold Project, Dreamirl proposes a creative twist to the metroidvania genre, with an interesting adventure that stands out for its careful technical aspect. A rather pleasant title that raises some very interesting ideas that allow us to define the attributes of the protagonist and the exploration of the map, something that is not often seen.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With the strong presentation, Noreya: The Gold Project might draw you in, but be aware of some of the clunkiness that gets delivered to you regardless of your taste on 2D side scroller and platformer games. Luckily, the current times allow you to reach out to developers and give your feedback too, so depending on some of the community requests, some problems we mentioned earlier can be reduced or completely wiped out in the future.
