Noreya: The Gold Project

6/10

Imagínate que te lo estas pasando en grande. Explorando el mapa de aquí para allá, gozando matando enemigos, descubriendo nuevas habilidades y divirtiéndote con sus mecánicas, sorprendiéndote de lo modestos y a la vez bonitos que son los gráficos, disfrutando el diseño del mapa.... Bien, pues ahora imagínate un bug que crea un error en el juego a las dos horas de juego que te impide seguir jugando. ¿Tu que harías? ¿lo recomendarías? Yo no. PD: Imagínate que tienes el juego desde el early acces y has esperado que saliera la 1.0 para jugarlo y te encuentras esto...

Noreya: The Gold Project is a dark, pixel-art Metroidvania that tries to carve out its own identity in a genre that has become increasingly saturated. Developed by Dreamirl, it builds its foundation on familiar exploration-driven design while introducing a central mechanic that attempts to reshape how players interact with the world. The result is a game that feels confident in its atmosphere and ideas, but more uneven when it comes to execution and long-term engagement. You play as Kali, a warrior transformed by divine forces and caught between two opposing deities—one representing light and order, the other embodying greed and corruption. This conflict is not just narrative dressing; it directly influences how the world functions. Throughout the game, players can shift allegiance between these forces, and doing so alters the environment in tangible ways. Certain paths open while others close, creating a dynamic map that changes depending on your choices. This system is one of the game’s most interesting features, as it adds a layer of decision-making to exploration that goes beyond simply unlocking new abilities. It encourages players to think about the world as something flexible rather than fixed, even if the implementation can occasionally feel more restrictive than transformative. The core gameplay loop follows the traditional Metroidvania structure. You explore a large interconnected map, gradually unlocking movement abilities that allow access to previously unreachable areas. Traversal feels smooth and responsive, and the sense of progression tied to movement upgrades is satisfying in the early stages. The world is divided into distinct regions, each with its own visual identity and layout, which helps maintain a sense of discovery as you move forward. For players who enjoy methodical exploration and uncovering hidden paths, the game provides a solid foundation. Where the experience begins to falter is in combat. While it is functional and occasionally engaging, it lacks the depth and precision that define stronger entries in the genre. The moveset expands over time, but the additions rarely feel transformative, and encounters often rely on repetition rather than strategy. Enemy behavior is relatively simple, and fights tend to favor persistence over skillful execution. Without more advanced defensive mechanics or varied enemy design, combat can start to feel like a routine obligation rather than a highlight. This is particularly noticeable in boss encounters, which, despite their visual appeal, often lack the complexity needed to leave a lasting impression. Progression systems add some flexibility through a skill tree and upgrade paths, allowing players to shape their abilities to a certain extent. However, many of these upgrades feel incremental, offering small statistical improvements rather than meaningful changes to gameplay. This limits the sense of growth, as the player’s capabilities evolve more gradually than dramatically. While there is still a sense of advancement, it does not always carry the impact needed to keep the experience feeling fresh over extended play. The presentation is one of the game’s strongest aspects. The pixel art is detailed and atmospheric, with environments that convey a strong sense of mood and identity. The contrast between light-infused areas and regions corrupted by gold reinforces the game’s central themes, creating a visual language that supports its narrative. The soundtrack complements this effectively, shifting tone depending on the player’s alignment and enhancing the overall immersion. These elements work together to create a cohesive world that feels carefully constructed, even when the gameplay does not always match that level of polish. Pacing is somewhat inconsistent, largely due to the structure of exploration and the dual-allegiance system. While the shifting world adds variety, it can also lead to confusion, as players may need to revisit areas multiple times under different conditions to progress. This backtracking is not inherently problematic, but the lack of clear direction can make it feel more tedious than rewarding. At times, the game leans too heavily on obscurity, withholding information in a way that disrupts flow rather than encouraging discovery. Narratively, Noreya presents an interesting premise but delivers it in a fragmented manner. The story is conveyed through environmental details, optional lore, and scattered interactions, requiring players to piece together the larger picture themselves. While this approach adds a sense of mystery, it also creates emotional distance, as the narrative rarely asserts itself strongly enough to leave a significant impact. The themes of faith, corruption, and duality are present throughout, but they remain more conceptual than fully explored. Ultimately, Noreya: The Gold Project is a game with clear ambition and a few genuinely interesting ideas. Its dynamic world system and strong visual identity give it moments where it stands out, but these are balanced by combat that lacks depth, progression that feels restrained, and pacing that can become uneven. It succeeds as a competent and occasionally engaging Metroidvania, but it stops short of reaching the level of refinement needed to compete with the genre’s best. Rating: 7/10

Une grosse déception me concernant ! Côté graphismes et sons c'est très bien, rien à y redire, mais concernant le gameplay, c'est tout sauf réussi... Le combat est basique mais ce n'est pas un problème, c'est un choix parfaitement viable. Concernant l'exploration, j'ai rarement joué à un jeu aussi pénible, metroidvania ou pas. C'est alambiqué au possible, blindé de casse-têtes à un point où ça en devient parfaitement ridicule. Il aurait fallu doser mieux. parce qu'il est impossible de faire 10 mètres sans devoir résoudre un puzzle à la *** pour continuer d'avancer un peu. On ne dispose que d'assez peu de statues permettant de se téléporter, si bien que l'on se retape des zones entières à la configuration prise de tête quand on pense devoir aller à tel ou tel endroit pour avancer. Les environnements ne racontent pas grand chose, ce qui fait que l'on doit se taper beaucoup de lecture via des statues laissées ici et là pour comprendre le lore du jeu, ce qui est à mon sens un aveu de faiblesse de la part des devs. Ils ne savaient pas comment raconter autrement que par des pavés de texte laissés ici et là l'histoire de leur jeu, contrairement à beaucoup de metroidvania qui y arrivent via les objets obtenus et les mises en scènes de différents décors proposés sans recourir à un excès de texte. L'exploration devient de ce fait laborieuse et sans saveur, absolument pas gratifiante. D'autant que la map est immense, et ce pour... rien ?! Les zones proposées ne sont pas particulièrement amusantes dans leurs dispositions et ne racontent pas plus que les maps beaucoup plus petites proposées dans d'autres jeux. Les boss sont plutôt sympas dans leurs designs, mais bon côté pattern ou autre c'est plutôt basique. Particulièrement concernant le boss final qui est d'une simplicité crasse mais tanky au possible, ce qui rend le combat tout sauf épique. Enfin bref, ce n'est pas un bon jeu au cas où vous vous posiez encore la question, à part si vous tenez à dégoûter votre gamin des jeux vidéos. Ce n'est pas non plus un échec absolu mais sincèrement, c'est tout sauf amusant !

Плюсы: 1. На мой взгляд, достаточно интересный концепт 2. Полезная система навыков 3. Местами относительно сложный паркур Минусы: 1. Ну очень душная игра. Это самый главный её минус, она душная во всех её аспектах 2. Хп у боссов как людей в Китае 3. Огромная карта, но 90% содержит только бесполезные закоулки и противных мобов 4. Ласт босса на тру концовку даже проходить не стал. Когда ты должен каждый раз драться по 20 минут с первым боссом, чтобы потом столько же бегать от атак второго, это уже не сложность, а бред Скорее игра не понравилась, чем понравилась, но если совсем не во что из метроидваний играть, пройти можно

Please let me bind my mouse. That's all i ask of you. It's all i want in the this world.

Super fun game with great movement and exploration. Combat feels buttery smooth and the pixel art is 10/10