Right the Wrongs of the Past, or Create More in Pixel Noir
Ten years ago, the rookie Detective tracked a lead to an abandoned hospital. It was too much to handle, and it got the Detective’s partner killed. The hospital was burned to the ground; evidence pointed to the Detective for the crime, and he was thrown in jail. For ten years, the Detective was haunted by the horror of that night: he was scared of what he saw, what he did, and what he was still capable of doing…
Now, the Detective is working as a private investigator out of a not-so-luxurious apartment in downtown Pinnacle. The job isn’t much, but it works as a distraction. One case comes along, one opportunity to clear his name, and it may be the one shot he needs to get his sanity back.
Pixel Noir allows players to explore the rundown Pinnacle City, and solve mysteries from missing pets to murder. Earn a fortune in cash or a fortune of face punches, depending on the players’ skills and choices. Pixel Noir is a JRPG-inspired detective game with a film noir backdrop, “Earthbound meets Sin City.”
Players can use timed attacks to build up extra damage, and characters have their own specific abilities. Players can build the perfect team to help clear the streets, and they must figure out how to reclaim the town from the thugs and street gangs. Weapons can be individually upgraded and modified to suit each player’s style. The largest cases in Pixel Noir have multiple outcomes depending on the number of clues that players find. Leveling up the investigation skill can help reveal new clues and, eventually, find new secrets and storylines.
The Pixel Noir soundtrack includes 16-bit chiptunes for a majority of the game, while the large boss fights have separate, orchestral pieces. The game is “inspired by classic NES and SNES-era games as well as film noir classics such as Chinatown.”
SWDTech Games is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund the development of Pixel Noir. Many of the people on the team have worked at AAA companies and some smaller indie teams. There’s a demo available, and SWDTech Games considers it, “A promise that we are deeply interested and passionate about making Pixel Noir. Even though it’s an early stage of development, we wanted to share our vision with you in more than simply screenshots or concept art.”
One special “hintbomb” for IGM readers is “that the name Pixel Noir was chosen very purposefully and that it does tie back to the story.” Without giving too much away, composer Kunal Majmudar says that he’s “seen some criticism online that too many 16-bit games have ‘pixel’ in their title superfluously. I can assure you this is not superfluous.”
In addition to the Kickstarter page, those interested in learning more about Pixel Noir and SWDTech Games can check out their main website, follow them on Twitter, and “like” their page on Facebook.
