Some games you can just tell have a ton of heart in them, and are labors of love by the developers. That’s the vibe I get from Norman’s Night In, an upcoming game from two-person studio Bactrian Games. The game has been in development for some time now and follows the trials and tribulations of an old shopkeeper named Norman who gets himself a new bowling ball that… well let’s just say he gets more than he bargained for. He’s transported to the dark and strange world known simply as Cave and must use his magical, light-up bowling ball to explore and escape the large, interconnected, Metroidvania-inspired world. This is done by repeatedly flinging the bowling ball into Norman’s belly to launch him all over the place. Poor Norman. Check out the trailer.
Every level in Norman’s Night In has been hand-painted, and like I said before you can just feel what a labor of love this is. Bactrian Games have been working on this project for more than three years, and at long last they’re finally ready to launch the game on September 18th across iOS, Android, and Steam. We don’t know a price just yet but we do know Norman’s Night In will be a premium game, not free to play. The flinging mechanic reminds me a lot of one of our old favorites The Sleeping Prince (which is a GameClub title now, btw) and it should be especially well-suited to the touchscreen. If you’re a Steam person you can Wishlist the game right here, otherwise look for the charming Norman’s Night In when it hits mobile platforms just over a month from now.
