Summary
Noir was a tremendously popular genre of film throughout the 1940s and the 1950s, centered around detective stories and focusing on gray morality and violence.Neo-noircame later, using the esthetic of noir, as well as its dark tones, and modernizing them. This resulted in more violent, more ambiguous stories and even science-fiction themes,as seen inBlade Runner.
Neo-noir is hard to define, but it generally boils down to a bleak overall atmosphere and a gritty world that’s full of morally ambiguous characters and/or violence. Video games have also taken inspiration from this genre, from classics such as the 1997Blade Runneradventure game, all the way tothe original stories ofMax PayneandDisco Elysium.
7Tales Of The Neon Sea
Old-School Pixel-Art, Neon Imagery, And A Neo-Noir Atmosphere
This point-and-click cyberpunk adventure is drenched in neon imagery and neo-noir atmosphere, putting players in the shoes of a hard-boiled detective named Rex. The game’s cyberpunk environments are beautifully realized in old-school pixel-art, providing a cinematic setting for the often engaging narrative.
This story centers around a murder case, butTales Of The Neon Seatwists and turns enough to remain engaging regardless. Although the setting may appear cliché, the world ofTales Of The Neon Seais a surprisingly fresh place to be.
6Thimbleweed Park
A Humorous Take On Neo-Noir
Taking place in 1987 and featuring several protagonists with their own unique motives and personalities,Thimbleweed Parkis a lighthearted and often humorouspoint-and-click adventure gamethat’s not afraid of breaking the fourth wall. The game takes place in the titular Thimbleweed Park, a sleepy suburb with a low population and a mysterious atmosphere.Thimbleweed Park’splot is centered around a murder, and the game ties in a variety of clever puzzles to keep players engaged in its mysteries.
Thimbleweed Parkalso has a high pedigree, with iconic adventure game developers Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick as its creators. This game certainly isn’t the darkest of neo-noir stories, but the genre’s themes are present in its mysterious characters and the overwhelming sense that something isn’t quite right.
5Blade Runner (1997)
An Immersive Neo-Noir Adventure In A Cyberpunk Dystopia
1982’sBlade Runnerisa standout piece of science fictionand a brilliant combination of neo-noir and cyberpunk dystopia. Released over ten years later, in 1997, theBlade Runnergameis a point-and-click adventure that plays similarly to the classics, but remains unrelenting in its faithfulness to the film source material.
The game’s visuals, atmosphere, and narrative contain everything that made the original film so memorable, providing fans with a truly immersive neo-noir adventure inBlade Runner’siconic world. The game’s atmospheric lighting and attention to detail is remarkable, especially considering its age, capturingBlade Runner’sdistinctive neo-noir flavor with its faithfully constructed environments.
Nobody Wants To Dieisan interactive adventuregame that combines elements of the puzzle-focused point-and-click adventures of old with stylish, immersive 3D environments and a cyberpunk setting. This allowsNobody Wants To Dieto be a fresh, modern experience that plays like a classic, with a contemplative neo-noir narrative to boot.
Taking place in the slick neon streets of a dystopian New York in the year 2329,Nobody Wants To Dieputs players in the shoes of a unique, futuristic detective on the hunt for a serial killer. The game’s world, as well as its narrative, are frequently dark, offering players a foreboding and often gritty neo-noir adventure.
Thishard-boiled detective simulatortakes place in a procedurally generated neon city, offering players a neo-noir cyberpunk setting similar to that ofBlade Runner. However,Shadows Of Doubttakes place in an alternate reality, rather than a hard sci-fi setting.
Shadows Of Doubtis an open-world sandbox stealth game, brought to life by a variety of immersive sim systems and its fully-simulated city. Players are able to explore every dark corner of the world, and each citizen is richly detailed, with their own simulated routine and even their own homes.
Developedby Remedy Entertainment(the minds that brought fansAlan WakeandControl),Max Payneis famous for its stylish bullet time mechanics and slow-motion dives that emulate the action of the era’s Hong Kong action cinema. This iconic third-person shooter is also known, however, for its hard-boiled, neo-noir tone and narrative.
Max Paynehas aged relatively well, thanks in large part to the presentation of its story (told through stylized comic-book panels) and fast-paced gameplay.Max Payne’sdark and occasionally psychologically thrilling story, as well as its excessive violence and the gray morality of Max himself, makes it a great example of video game noir.
This wild, wacky detective RPG features unique character creation and progression that emphasizes its psychological themes.Disco Elysiumputs players in the shoes of a hard-boiled, morally ambiguous detective named Harrier “Harry” DuBois. However, the ambiguity of Harry’s morals is somewhat up to the player and their choices.
Disco Elysiumis a hard-boiled neo-noir through-and-through, taking place in an urban-fantasy landscape - Revachol - packed with quirky characters and political unrest. There’s violence abound and a mysterious murder to solve, wrapped in beautiful presentation and written with a unique voice.
