Seeing the upsurge in movie related discussion I thought a proactive development of discussion on media might be a branching out into video games. This thought occurred to me after my time with point and click adventure game NORCO. The game seems to be lacking exposure, and hit on a lot of themes I’ve heard discussed on ID’s Rebel Yell podcast.
Bear in mind, I’m a resident of Britain not Louisiana. So, my thoughts on what the title brings to the table come from an outsider’s perspective. I’m also going to avoid commentary on gameplay and focus more on the story and background, because it follows the usual 90s point and click format you’d expect.
NORCO, as the title suggests, is based in a fictionalised version of a real oil town in Louisiana, in a speculative fiction setting with Southern Gothic elements. The developer grew up around the Shell oil refinery based there, which transposes into the many dreary, yet imposing, industrialised backdrops that populate the game’s locations. The game developed from documentary footage the developer intended to produce, which was instead incorporated into the writing itself.
It’s an approach I’ve never seen in video game development, yet it’s produced some grounded, comical and
empathetic portrayals. By transferring the charm of small-town Louisiana into the desolate setting, the characters seem even more human and the struggles they face are emphasised by the situation itself. Themes covered relate to pollution of Louisiana swamplands, urban migration, oil refining, crypto currency, opioids, religion and, of course, all the ideas present in most speculative fiction (robots, technology etc.).
Throughout the course of the narrative, we see most characters in NORCO are downtrodden, out of luck and being pushed out by large corporate structures, espionage and outside groups. For me, this was poignant given the ongoing situations I’ve heard about in the Southern United States, such as opioid addiction, poverty and environmental issues.
The last place I expected to find said social commentary was in a throwback point and click game, yet a throwback to the 90s doesn’t seem so bad these days. As a 21st century man (boy), I’ve never really engaged with the point and click genre, maybe it might feel stale to older generations (grandpas).
The religious themes covered in the game aren’t really something I’m expertised to give commentary on at my age and experience. It was a profound narrative for me personally, as someone involved with Christianity which is something refreshing for the video game scene. I don’t want to give anything away and spoil it. I also built a real connection to the private investigator LeBlanc, which some outlets are claiming is one of the best written characters in the genre.
Artwork within the game is impressive, with a cohesive environment that never breaks immersion and animated elements incorporated into the pixelized artwork, which is some of the best I’ve seen for a lower budget indie title. The translation of Louisiana into a lower resolution almost adds to the mystery of the setting, though I was only able to ascertain its accuracy based on image search results of Louisiana. The game builds an interest in the real-life setting, especially the prehistoric-like swamplands in the area which are also present in the game itself.
In conclusion, I hope readers of this site might give the game a chance, even though I understand most readers probably aren’t the type to play interactive computer games. This is more akin to an interactive novel, compared to the skinnier box gameplay present in most modern games.
I only really attempted this article because I think readers will get a lot out of the game, hopefully it’s not too
amateurish. I haven’t covered a lot of material because the game is quite densely packed (and better
experienced). I’d recommend purchasing the title on itch.io, DRM free, if this review has piqued your interest.
Disclaimer: This is not a plug, and this review was not paid, I have no affiliation with the developers.
NORCO by Raw Fury, Geography of Robots (itch.io)
-By Brit Anon
O I’m a good old rebel, now that’s just what I am. For this “fair land of freedom” I do not care at all. I’m glad I fit against it, I only wish we’d won, And I don’t want no pardon for anything I done.
Identity Dixie must really be hurting for article submissions….video game review. God help us.
Chatted with the editors, no articles from you, big man. Must be busy being a snarky free-loader.
I’m actually too right-wing even for Identity Dixie. They would never accept my submission, and they would likely call the Feds on me if I did.
I personally don’t play videogames, but a lot of younger people, who are needed in the right-wing movement, do.
Putting out these kinds of articles is a good move on ID’s part. Other sites have noted the same thing– Anglin’s website, for instance, gets more views on their Monday Meme posts than the actual news articles. These are the types of things that bring people in, and some of those people will hopefully stay for the actual meat & potatoes, politics & religion.
OP article you could send via text message to an a-political friend as a sort of foot-in-the-door technique. And, if questioned about why you linked him to a “far-right” website, you could just be like “what? I don’t know anything about the site, I just got the game b/c of the review”
There’s a rising tide of stiff “anti-funism” in the right-wing scene recently. I believe BAP talked about this in one of his recent podcasts.
Too much news leads to you wanting to jump off a building because of all the horror going on in the world– not everything has to be 100% serious hard-hitting stuff all the time. Its not psychologically healthy, at all.
Thank you for sharing this. As a child of the nineties I grew up with point and click adventure games, but I hadn’t played one in years. Your description of the Southern Gothic ambience and themes of environmental and social decay intrigued me, so I bought it this morning. I’m a few hours in and I love it. The visual style is extremely nostalgic and the story and dialogue are superb.
To the commenter above… like it or not, video games are an important part of contemporary culture, even among the dissident right. They merit critical commentary for that reason alone, particularly when dealing with themes pertinent to our cause. Moreover, some games can rise to the level of art by virtue of their story and cinematic qualities; I’d say this game qualifies.
Not really related to the OP at all, but check out Soma from 2015.
It was basically a “walking simulator” I.E. a semi-interactive movie, but the storyline was hands-down one of the best I’ve ever seen. It touched on a lot of issues like trans-humanism and what it even means to be “Human”.
Its something a non-gamer could easily get into, especially if played on the easiest difficulty.
Obviously, as a Christian, I don’t believe that people can transfer their consciousness into a machine or that computers can be “alive”, but it was very thought provoking.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(video_game)
Norco is where the sulfa gas takes your breath away, the highways cut through pristine wetlands lined by trash resembling the approach to a landfill, with litter so dense you could walk across a deep ditch on it, and the families populating the remaining residential areas adjacent to the refinery are addled with cancer deaths generationally. The flares seen from miles away remind me of the wasted energy never captured by any technology whatsoever, much like the social decay caused by drugs manufactured by precursors developed for narco labs ghosting as legit chemical manufacturers. The gist of the Cajun culture surrounding Norco still hangs on though, attacked every day by false racism promoted by Marxist media cartels/scoundrels. One more video game produced by chameleons who sell violence themed games and use the proceeds to support Marxist gun control legislation can’t hurt though with Black Ops and Call of Duty serving to elevate the mentally compromised to full scale serial killers and mass shooters, their mission is on track. It’s funny how the members of the quasi-government are exempt from these themed attacks. There is so much material to work with it amazes me that not one video game producer whatsoever has seized upon the opportunity to turn it into a profit! Yep, the Norco refinery has it’s reputation here in Louisiana, but the video game may not keep up with it.
Thank you, I really appreciate the input from somebody local to the area. I understand the developer was influenced by Marxist Mike Davis and indie game development is predominantly people unsympathetic to any readers of this site.
Hopefully they still donate some of the profits back into the area through charity. The game also isn’t too violent and attempts to cover a lot of theme’s you’ve touched upon. While researching their politics, I found an official press release from the developer regarding the same criticism.
https://gist.githubusercontent.com/trepagnier/efd1b12e9bf2e3ce4a9866d6a6957326/raw/612bde8f04e9c74452bda11fc9a9c7dc0b512555/norco_crit_response_1
I understand If you don’t want to support them financially, they do have a free demo available on steam & GOG. I’m still hoping for a deus ex (2000) reboot myself.