Son of Nor

Son of Nor is frustratingly just short of good. Innovation, creativity, and problem solving are important to helping you complete the game, as is having fun in an "I'm an all-powerful being!" kind of way. Unfortunately, most enemy encounters become bogged down by repetition, similar tactics (once initially solved), a shaky frame rate, and the occasional bug or two (not the scarab kind). The graphics fail to impress or inspire, with very limited NPC character model movement and variation and with very little deviation from the desert-world color palette (except for some of the temples, which get quite Tron-like by the end, lasers and neon included). The camera needs to be constantly managed, as aiming and targeting are both imprecise and buggy.

But the good is refreshingly good. Players primarily interact with the world and its enemies through telekinesis. Almost anything in the environment can be taken, lifted in the air, and thrown at a target, whether that's a foe or puzzle component. The puzzles require much heavy lifting, as players will have to maneuver stones, pillars, and other objects to solve a plethora of object- and environment-based puzzles. Additionally, elemental abilities (fire, wind, essence) are acquired and kept in a Spellbook that's easy to utilize (although it doesn't pause the game, so it can be a problem mid-combat). These spells can be further combined to create "fused" attacks. The best way to play Son of Nor is cooperatively, as the game's sandbox-like toolset opens up a wide variety of ways in which to approach combat. Teamwork and coming up with combinations of diverse moves to tackle tricky set pieces and bosses make cooperative play a blast. While the puzzle solving and co-op play are fun, the bugs and repetitive combat make Son of Nor an average adventure for fantasy fans.