Noir Syndrome (2014)

Developer: Glass Knuckle Games
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Adventure, Indie, RPG
Rating: 3.3 of 5, 183 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 2.2 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense detective investigation where each playthrough presents a unique murder mystery to solve against a ticking clock, wrapped in stylized pixel art and a jazz soundtrack.

mysterioustenseatmosphericproceduralpixel artjazzydetectiverogue-like

What players say

Players describe Noir Syndrome as a tiny procedural whodunit that delivers a complete mystery in 5 to 15 minutes, perfect for quick sessions. However, many find the procedural generation shallow and the gameplay loop repetitive after a few runs, with frustrations around accidental key presses, random starvation, and limited content.

Screenshots

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More by Glass Knuckle Games

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.