NORTH
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Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for NORTH
North is an interesting game with something special to offer despite its flaws.
NORTH is not a video game, per se, at least not in the traditional sense. It is an interactive piece of electronic art one can choose to indulge in order to better understand the plight of refuges. As such the messages might escape those who are too young to understand the real-life parallels or those who are too old and with prejudice to care. If you like cyberpunk science fiction and don't mind experiencing simulated oppression, give this a shot. There is certainly nothing quite like it on the eShop and for the asking price and a mere moment of your time will give you modern society conundrums that will haunt you for years. The experience is so subjective we have no choice but to leave the score for each individual to settle on their own. The biggest tragedy here is not that number on the bottom of the review, but the fact that if this ‘interactive art piece' was released 100 years in the past or a century in the future, the lingering topics would and will surely still be completely relevant.
It would be dishonest of me to say that North is good as a game. It lacks polish, standard options, is glitchy, and is over too fast. But as a type of interactive art/short story blend, it did grow on me some, and ended up leaving an impression.
NORTH is a special experience that, despite the lack of a proper gameplay and its short duration, succeed to make the player feel what it means to be an immigrant in a foreign country, hostile and far from the dearest loved ones. A nice experience with a futuristic cyberpunk style and an excellent soundtrack.
Review in Italian | Read full review
NORTH is more of an interactive art-school short movie than a true game. It has very little story to tell and the visuals are often subpar. Luckily the audio is a redeeming factor and since it's so very, very short you won't have to spend too much time playing it.
Unsatisfying ending aside, North is an interesting, insightful game that's worth a look. It doesn't ask a lot of your time (or wallet), and when it's firing on all cylinders, it has something genuinely important to say.
The game is definitively a unique experience, and if you're looking for something “alternative,” I recommend you also check out Far From Noise.
