Noct (video game)

Last updated

Noct
Noct Logo.png
Developer(s) C3SK
Publisher(s) Devolver Digital
Designer(s) Chris Eskins
Programmer(s)
  • Chris Eskins
  • Mark Chong
Artist(s) Chris Eskins
Composer(s)
Engine Unity
Platform(s) Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows
Release21 October 2015 (early access)
Genre(s) Survival horror, top-down shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Noct is an unfinished survival horror top-down shooter video game by Canada-based indie developer C3SK (Chris Eskins) and published by Devolver Digital. The game was made available in early access for Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows in October 2015. It was removed from the Steam store in 2021.

Contents

Plot

Noct plays in a post-apocalyptic world, in which the Earth has become a ruined wasteland. Filled with darkness, it is now known as the Noct. An ancient evil, called the Nocturnal, has spread over the Earth's surface, devouring the human population and leaving the survivors of that purge at distress. One unnamed survivor is now set to uncover the origins of alien-like creatures and fight their way through to put an end to the unhuman rulership. To get there, the survivor has to make themselves up to seek for weaponry, food and water to stay alive and be prepared to encounter and fight against the Nocturnal, ultimately surviving in a decaying world.

Gameplay

In Noct, the protagonist, an unnamed survivor, can be seen through a thermal imaging satellite, and can only be controlled from that perspective. As the player moves the character through the wasteland, they will receive messages from the overwatch, who are responsible for the active satellite, which give the player certain quests to perform to track down the Nocturnal's origin. In a total of four acts, the player is set to complete these quests as a primary objective, while they also have to find food, water and weaponry, which were hidden inside buildings during the invasion. All weapons in the game only feature a minimal magazine, while the player is also not able to carry more than three external magazines to reload the weapon. If the player ever runs out ammo, they have to rely on melee combat until they find another weapon or ammo crate. At random times, the player encounters one of the Nocturnal monsters, foreshadowing it with the protagonist releasing a slight "uh oh!" upon them coming nearer. In case the player is inside a building, they are unable to see anything outside the room they are standing in. The only thing visible for the player are the doors of that building, which open and close if a Nocturnal enters one, so that the player can evaluate if it is safe to leave the room they are in. Once the player dies, you can see the overwatch switch to a new survivor, leading him to the previous survivor's corpse to retrieve the items already gathered and continue their quest. In online multiplayer, the player eventually meets up with others, and they have to decide quick if they are working together or try to murder each other to gain each other's weapons and ammo. [1]

Development

Noct was crowdfunded through the website Kickstarter, where developer Chris Eskins sought to raise CA$22,000, starting in August 2014. The game was successfully funded on 19 September 2014 and finally ended on 24 September 2014 with a total of CA$36,363 pledged. [2] Noct was greenlit for release on the platform Steam through its Steam Greenlight on 26 September 2014. [3] A prototype of the game was playable at PAX South 2015. [4] In September 2015, it was announced that Noct would be released on 22 October that year. [5] Noct was released on 21 October into Steam's early access programme, with a full release initially planned for January 2016. [6]

The game remains in development and Mark Chong streams the process live via his Twitch channel. In August 2022, he stated that his idea to rewrite the game's inventory system and subsequent scope expansion caused the production to be slowed down significantly; he believed that, without his input, Eskins would have finished and released a smaller-scope game much earlier. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Wasteland</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Wasteland is a role-playing video game developed by Interplay Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1988. The first installment of the Wasteland series, it is set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic America destroyed by a nuclear holocaust generations before. Developers originally made the game for the Apple II and it was ported to the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS. It was re-released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux in 2013 via Steam and GOG.com, and in 2014 via Desura. A remastered version titled Wasteland Remastered was released on February 25, 2020, in honor of the original game's 30th anniversary.

<i>Forced</i> 2013 video game

Forced is a single-player and co-op action role-playing game developed by BetaDwarf, released in October 2013 for Windows, OS X and Linux through the Steam platform as well as Wii U. It is about gladiators fighting for their freedom in a fantasy arena where they are assisted by a spirit-like character called Balfus. Gameplay consists of selecting a weapon class and abilities to combat the various enemies of each arena, while solving puzzles using the help of Balfus. BetaDwarf was formed by a small group of students in 2011, who began developing the game in an unused classroom in Aalborg University – Copenhagen, Denmark. They were removed months later and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign involving an Imgur picture which documented their progress. Forced received moderate to favorable reviews with most critics praising its competitive gameplay and puzzle-system. The game's weak plot, technical glitches and excess difficulty were the negative highlights. It won the Intel Level Up 2013 award and BetaDwarf received the Danish Developer Of The Year (2013) for it.

<i>Firefall</i> (video game) 2014 video game

Firefall was a science fiction free-to-play massive multiplayer online open world shooter video game developed and released by Red 5 Studios in 2014. Officially announced in 2010, the game entered closed beta in 2011 and open beta in 2013. It was the first and only game to be developed by Red 5 Studios, combining elements from both the shooter genre and some role-playing aspects from the massive multiplayer online genre. Firefall was shut down in 2017.

<i>Dead State</i> 2014 video game

Dead State is a turn-based survival horror role-playing video game developed by DoubleBear Productions and Iron Tower Studio set in a zombie apocalypse scenario. Players are tasked with leading a group of survivors living in a shelter in the fictional town of Splendid, Texas. Dead State was released in December 2014 after having been in Early Access since spring of that year. DoubleBear Productions continued to work on the title and in May 2015 released an "enhanced edition" which changed the name to Dead State: Reanimated.

<i>Interstellar Marines</i> 2013 video game

Interstellar Marines is a science fiction first-person shooter video game that was developed by indie studio Zero Point Software until 2019. It was added to Steam Greenlight on September 3, 2012 and later released on Steam Early Access on July 2, 2013.

<i>Chivalry: Medieval Warfare</i> 2012 video game

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is a multiplayer-focused hack and slash video game developed by Torn Banner Studios as their first commercial title. It was released on October 16, 2012, for Windows. The game is set in a fictional setting. The developers had confirmed that the game would be PC exclusive initially, but in October 2014, they confirmed that the game would be coming to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in December 2014.

<i>Wasteland 2</i> 2014 video game

Wasteland 2 is a post-apocalyptic role-playing video game developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Deep Silver. It is the sequel to 1988's Wasteland, and was successfully crowdfunded through Kickstarter. After the postponement of the original release date from October 2013, it was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux in September 2014. An enhanced version of the game, named Wasteland 2: Director's Cut, was released in October 2015, including versions for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

<i>State of Decay</i> (video game) 2013 video game

State of Decay is a 2013 action-adventure survival video game developed by Undead Labs and published by Microsoft Studios. The game combines elements of shooters, stealth, role-playing and strategy games and the game challenges players to survive by exploring, scavenging, and fighting the undead. It places emphasis on how the player's leaderships skills fare against an onslaught of problems, such as diminishing survival resources, group trust and morale, zombie extermination, base defenses, and people's lives.

<i>7 Days to Die</i> 2016 video game

7 Days to Die is a survival horror video game set in an open world developed by the Fun Pimps. It was released through early access for OS X and Windows on December 13, 2013, and for Linux on November 22, 2014. Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in 2016 through Telltale Publishing, but are no longer being developed. A 1.0 version was released for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on July 25, 2024.

Xsyon is a sandbox massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by the independent company, Notorious Games. Xsyon is set in an apocalyptic fantasy environment, closely modeled on the real world area of Lake Tahoe which spans the California and Nevada border, west of Carson City using US Geological Survey data. Xsyon is a persistent world crafting sandbox game. It has been designed to have a completely player-driven economy and player-created questing system. This is unusual among MMORPGs, which often rely upon non-player character vendors and quest givers to perform these functions. Xsyon can be found on many sandbox MMORPG game lists. The game world is currently both Player versus Environment (PvE) and open Player versus Player (PvP), with players being safe from other players only in the starter area and on their own tribe land.

<i>Contagion</i> (video game) 2014 video game

Contagion is a survival horror first-person shooter video game, developed and published for PC by American independent studio Monochrome. It is the spiritual successor to Zombie Panic! Source. The game was mostly self-funded of its development, but with the support of others via a successful Kickstarter campaign, it was able to be released on Steam as an Early Access title. Contagion released on October 25, 2013 as a Steam Early Access title and was published as full release on April 11, 2014.

<i>Nuclear Throne</i> 2015 video game

Nuclear Throne is a bullet hell roguelike video game developed by Vlambeer. Set in a post-apocalypse, players are tasked with killing enemies by using various weapons and characters' special abilities to progress through levels and eventually reach the titular Nuclear Throne. The game is widely known for its steep difficulty curve and fast-paced gameplay. Early prototypes of the game were distributed through Steam's early access program in 2013. Nuclear Throne was released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita in December 2015, for Nintendo Switch in March 2019, and for Xbox One in September 2021.

<i>Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare</i> 2014 First-person shooter video game

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is a 2014 first-person shooter video game published by Activision. The eleventh major installment in the Call of Duty series, the game was developed by Sledgehammer Games for PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One, while High Moon Studios developed the versions released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and Raven Software developed the game's multiplayer and the Exo-Zombies mode.

<i>Unturned</i> 2017 video game

Unturned is a partly free-to-play game by Smartly Dressed Games, a studio consisting solely of Canadian game designer Nelson Sexton. It was released for Windows, macOS, and Linux in early access on July 7, 2014. The full game released three years later, on July 17, 2017. Unturned allows players to create custom maps using an in-game editor. Cosmetics and mods can also be created using the game's Unity engine, which allows them to publish creations on the Steam Workshop. A retail version of the game was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One by 505 Games in November 2020. It was later ported to Nintendo Switch in March 2024.

<i>Crimsonland</i> 2003 shooter video game

Crimsonland is a top-down dual stick arena shooter video game with role-playing elements. It was developed by Finnish studio 10tons Entertainment and published by Reflexive Entertainment in 2003. In 2014 a re-release through digital distribution followed.

<i>Afterfall: Reconquest</i> 2015 video game

Afterfall: Reconquest is an episodic story-driven third-person shooter video game with action and adventure elements, developed by Intoxicate Studios and published by Nicolas Entertainment Group for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to the video game Afterfall: Insanity. The game was to consist of 9 episodes. The first episode was released on February 19, 2015.

<i>PULSAR: Lost Colony</i> 2021 video game

PULSAR: Lost Colony is a science fiction space exploration video game by independent developers Leafy Games, LLC. The video game was greenlit on Steam Greenlight on October 3, 2013, and was later funded successfully on Kickstarter on October 31, 2013. The game was released in an Alpha state on February 25, 2014, and was later available on Steam's Early Access program following an official release on June 23, 2021.

<i>Rivalry</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Rivalry is an upcoming ragdoll-based sword-fighting hotseat multiplayer game created by Kew McParlane. The game was released into Steam Early Access in January 2016 after being previewed as a WebGL game at PAX Australia 2015.

Rokh is a sandbox, science fiction, multiplayer survival game, the development of which was announced on December 10, 2015. The game was originally under development by independent game company Nvizzio Creations before Nvizzio dropped out of development for Rokh due to a dropped contract. Rokh was published by Darewise Entertainment. The game is set in the future on the planet Mars, and will contain crafting and survival elements. The game was developed using Unreal Engine 4. The game was made available for early access on May 16, 2017. Development for Rokh was suspended in 2018 due to a lack of financial backing and revenue.

<i>The Wild Eight</i> 2019 video game

The Wild Eight is a survival game developed by Eight Points and published by HypeTrain Digital. Players control people stranded in the harsh wilderness of Alaska and must cooperate to survive.

References

  1. ↑ Chalk, Andy (21 September 2015). "Noct gameplay trailer shows off top-down survival action against monsters and worse". PC Gamer . Future US . Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Savage, Phil (9 September 2014). "Noct is a top-down survival horror game, now on Kickstarter". PC Gamer . Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  3. ↑ Eskins, Chris (26 September 2014). "Noct: Greenlit!". Steam . Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  4. ↑ NOCT: Surviving the Night – PAX South 2015. IGN . 24 January 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  5. ↑ O'Connor, Alice (22 September 2015). "Noct: Multiplayer Survival Shooter Coming In October". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  6. ↑ O'Connor, Alice (22 October 2015). "Spooky Shooter Noct Out... In Early Access?". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Chong, Mark (1 August 2022). All Aboard the Turbo Productivity Train – Noct Dev #gamedev #unity. Event occurs at 4:03:30–4:05:00. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022– via Twitch.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.