Noctropolis

Moby ID: 1511
DOS Specs
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Description official descriptions

Peter Grey is a lonely bookstore owner who also happens to be a huge fan of the "Darksheer" comic book series. Darksheer is a Batman-esque superhero: one who doesn't have any actual superpowers, triumphing over evil thanks to his inventiveness and courage. Together with his partner Stiletto, a former supervillain converted to the side of the good guys, he is the sworn protector of Noctropolis, a city where it's always night time because of a permanent ash cloud that hangs over it, the result of a volcanic environmental catastrophe which occurred decades before.

One night, as Peter is leafing through the newest issue of "Darksheer" to hit the stands, a courier brings him a package which eventually transports him into the city of Noctropolis, where he has to take the role of Darksheer himself. Coincidentally enough, his arrival as Darksheer occurs at the same time as five of the superhero's deadliest arch-villains decide to gang up on him after they are mysteriously released from incarceration. It turns out that the real Darksheer had disappeared several weeks prior to Peter's arrival. It's up to the unlikely hero to find out who released the criminals, while simultaneously trying to keep them from wreaking havoc across the city of Noctropolis - and maybe, in the process, find a way back to the real world.

Noctropolis is a puzzle-solving adventure game, with game mechanics similar to Sierra and LucasArts titles belonging to the same genre. Controlling Peter, the player has to interact with characters and objects, manipulate inventory items, solve puzzles and overcome the obstacles the main character will have to face to advance the story. The game has a verb-based menu interface that appears if the player right-clicks on the screen. It features live actors filmed over digitized graphics; many conversations and cutscenes are displayed as short movies shown inside a smaller screen.

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Credits (DOS version)

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Design
Written By
Producer
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Music and Sound Effects
Artwork Direction
Art and Animation
Technical Art/Video
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[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 68% (based on 21 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 37 ratings with 5 reviews)

Two words: Cool Game!

The Good
Noctropolis has extremely well-developed comic-like characters, beautiful backgrounds and not only that. The acting is pretty good (for a computer game). The game appealed to me for its dark atmosphere and characters (which reminded me a lot of batman); its plot and graphics (a special mention for the comic-book drawings).

The Bad
It was a little short for my taste which is why I wish there was a sequel (the ending allowed one perfectly).

The Bottom Line
It's a great adventure game with a lot of borrowed elements from comics and movie culture which makes it very enjoyable and appealing to a wide range of players (except for little children, there is a some sexual content, but nothing really explicit)

DOS · by n-n (50) · 2000

Lost in The City Of Night

The Good
With a lot of influence from comic, Noctropolis had come in late 1994. It featured a lot of cool things, first of all, the excellent graphics. SVGA graphics, digitalized characters, amazing gothic backgrounds... The plot was very interesting too. It was a pity that this game didn't got too much recognition, I would recommend it to everyone point-and-click game lover.

The Bad
At certain points the game became too easy, maybe it was because the game tends to automate some of the movements and the searching for useful elements

The Bottom Line
A game with a very good plot, and excellent graphics, but very easy, which it makes it harder to replay.

DOS · by Emepol (212) · 2002

An underrated comic book fantasy.

The Good
Noctropolis holds the distinction of being the very first CD-ROM game I ever purchased. When I bought it, I wanted something gritty. Something with a bite to it. Something edgy. And for the year Noctropolis was released, it was pretty darned edgy.

As an adventure game, it's first rate. It's similar to every other representative of the genre: move your guy around, try to solve puzzles, etc. The atmosphere is very dark, similar in many respects to the movie "Dark City".

The Bad
Some of the puzzles were pretty difficult, to the point where I had trouble getting past them even with a hint book.

The Bottom Line
Noctropolis is the adventure game for the frustrated superhero inside you.

DOS · by Afterburner (486) · 2001

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Trivia

When released this game caused some measure of controversy because of its violence (which isn't that much really) and sexual situations. Also this game is the only "mainstream" game (at least to my knowledge) to include a live-action video sequence with a topless actress (your admitedly very hot partner, Stilleto) in addition to other suggestive/erotic sequences.

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Related Sites +

  • Crapshoot
    A humorous review on PC Gamer
  • Noctropolis Fansite
    One of the few (if not only) fan sites dedicated to the game. Contains bios of the main characters, a walkthrough, an interview with designer and writer Shaun Mitchell and some game media.

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  • MobyGames ID: 1511
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by MAT.

Additional contributors: Zovni, Afterburner, Gonchi, Patrick Bregger.

Game added May 28, 2000. Last modified September 13, 2023.