Nero

« It's a game that prioritizes emotion above all else, and it does so wonderfully. But as the boy at the heart of this tale learns, emotions are tough to understand, and thus NERO is tough to understand. You'll just know that you felt something, and that sensation alone is worth the journey. »

« Nero is a beautiful contrast between light and dark, love and pain. It's not a fast-paced game, but rather a reflective, insightful, and emotional experience that is a very different kind of game that what we're used to. »

« It's definitely a Westernized way of approaching the visual novel, but if you look at it just so, you can see how it might fit in that box. »

« Nero is a flawed but admirable project, a clear labour of love, and absolutely an experience worth having. One in the win column for self-publishers everywhere. »

« NERO is pretty to look at but is decidedly lacking when it comes to substance or involving players in the intricate story it’s trying to tell. »

« Nero stays true to its billing as an interactive novel, and while there are plenty of hiccups in nearly every facet of the game, none of them are particularly experience-ruining. »

« As a debut for Storm in a Teacup, Nero is a partial success that you should try. While not free from defects and with puzzles that, in many cases, leave something to be desired in terms of originality and variation, the touching story told by Nero has been able to excite us in many moments. »

« A peculiar and highly niche experience, which explores a new way of storytelling in video games at the expense of a more "playful" interaction. More novel than game, its story can be really touching but an almost irritating exploration slowness and several technical problems keep it from reaching its full potential. »

« N.E.R.O. Nothing Ever Remains Obscure A strangely calming adventure. It’s so hard to talk about NERO without spoiling it, so I’m not going to go into story details even a little bit. .. I will only say this is a story about acceptance… If you’re looking for awesome gameplay, don’t look here... this isn’t what Nero is about the magic here is in the journey and story telling... The atmosphere in this game really is perfect excluding 1 on the 4 chapters... This is a quote unquote walking simulator with light puzzle elements thrown in here… As you explore the beautiful levels with calming ambience, you’ll run into pieces of pictures and puzzles that completing them will give more insight into the story… It’s a real joy exploring these 4 levels so these collectibles do not feel like a chore at all to search for… The puzzles in this game are for the most part very simple and involve mainly pressure pads and throwing an orb of blue light to activate a switch… you’ll even get a companion early on to help with a couple puzzles throughout your journey… and a handful of these puzzles can actually be completely skipped… but if you want the most out of this 2 hour game, it’s definitely worth seeking all 29 out… I will say there were probably about 4 puzzles that I had to look up a solution to... not because I couldn’t figure it out. .but because I had no idea what the puzzle was asking me to do in the first place… which unfortunately does break the immersion the rest of the game did such a great job at placing me into… But the story makes it all worth it… it’s just as beautiful and mysterious as the rest of the world and even brought a few tears to my eyes.. NERO may not have the best puzzles... but the puzzles do their job at keeping the pace… And if there’s one thing NERO does have, it’s one of the most heartwarming experiences of the year. I give NERO Nothing Ever Remains Obscure an 8/10 »

« What a way to tell a story! Well, it is true that N.E.R.O. is short, easy, too easy that is impossible to be stucked in a puzzle solving situation. All puzzles I managed to solve it in only one or two tries... Some may say a few puzzles take more time, which is true though, for me, nothing challeging at all. That hardest to me was not even the last one. Let´s talk about length. The game, to me, could last 1:30 hour or so, but it took me almost 7 hrs to finish it, because I simply explored the entire enviroment in the game, try to catch all the pictures and wonder around. The strongest points in N.E.R.O. is on the narrative elements, from the start I alreayd understood what I was doing, and what was my role. When the story started to emerge as I was diving in I already noticed who I was, who the companion was and what was happening around, the only true surprise I had was the end, which I did not expected at all. The game is touching but its music, narrative, slow paced gameplay, gorgeous and beautiful levels with awesome art design. I saw a trailer and thought as an instant buy because I started at atari, and we "oldies" are tired from the same of the same every day and when something like this just comes it looks like a "breeze of spring fresh air" coming to my console. If you like touching stories with that sense of wonder you only see in stories like "The Little Prince", that is totally for you. The game mechanics never fails though there are some few bugs but they don't ruin the experience, it could have been a little longer with harder puzzles to make the ending even more memorable, the game is a blast though... It just didn't reach 10 because it seemed fast at moments... I'm talking about the narrative here. Anyway, congrats to storm in a teacup for the excellence, and I wonder, if something like this couldn't be improved by then, because they really know how to amaze telling a simple drama, a beautiful story. »

« I was intrigued by this game and its visual novel premise, but I've sadly been very disappointed due to its uninspired design, technical flaws and nonsensical story, where storytelling (floating writings in the air? really? "visual novel" doesn't mean you get to write your story everywhere like in a book) and puzzles really don't blend together. Moreover, it took me a couple of hours to finish a 20 bucks game. Not great value for money. »

« Very pretty indie game with good narrative and puzzles. It is however, a bit of a yawn-fest, everything seems slow paced as you are wandering listening to the story, although I guess this could be considered a good change if you need a break from other hardcore fast action games - and it is very pretty... so I could say between the pros and con's a 6 is very fair, especially considering I usually don't buy indies since so many reflect the lack of budget that went into their creation. This one is a notch above most for good scenery. »

« I liked the game. Nice story, very atmospheric, exactly the right pace for me. Great visuals, not too difficult either, just a very enjoyable experience. »

« I am completely lost in this game. Nothing makes sense. The story line doesn't even flow logically at all. One minute the son is dying, the next it's the mother. The narrator tells a story that has no meaning nor plot. There are glowing words just randomly painted on walls that do nothing for the game play. The puzzles aren't really puzzles, just distractions that have no logical progression. Often you're just doing random things until whatever the "puzzle" is finally unlocks. Then you move on with no idea what you've done. The physics engine in the game is barely adequate to move about the story. I've played thru about 4 levels (I'm not certain because there's no clear beginning or ending to levels). The entire experience reminds me of using a translator app.... you can read the translation, but it has no meaning. Maybe this game is better in it's native language? So far the only emotion the game as elicited in me is frustration. I wish there was a guide or walk thru that helped explain what my goal in the game is... because the story is leading me nowhere. I only keep playing it hoping there will be a sudden revelation that explains what I've been doing. But, on a positive note, the graphics are quite pretty.... »

« If you love Exploring and Puzzle game with an awesome music in the backround this game is definitely for you. i really enjoyed every minutes on the game is a relax puzzle game is different from the other game i definitely recommend it ^.^ »

« Very nice and original little game with great atmosphere and interesting gameplay.Considering the **** far exceeded my expectations.I'm very glad I bought it. »