Bizarre but enjoyable adventure
While graphic adventures like The Curse of Monkey Island or Discworld are the ones that players often turn to first, this little known game from Gremlin Graphics provides a rather bizarre twist on the genre that makes it highly appealing for when you're in the mood for something different. The story revolves around the life of Kent Knutson, a rebellious teenager who lives in a city controlled by an authoritarian regime, where any deviation from the norm is punished severely. After committing the heinous crime of whistling, Kent is imprisoned but soon learns of the existence of a mysterious resistance movement that wants his help. Thus begins his epic quest to join the group, win their trust and overthrow the city's dictator. While this sounds terribly serious and less than entertaining, the game is presented in a cartoon-like style which belies its heavy themes. Kent's world is portrayed in bright, vibrant colours with and is inhabited by characters that wouldn't look out of place in an animated kids series. The game itself plays out in fairly traditional adventure fashion, with Kent exploring the various environments, collecting objects and solving inventory-based puzzles as he goes. While the gameplay might be familiar, the compelling and unusual story are anything but and help make Normality stand out from the crowd. The cartoony feel to the game hides its fairly challenging nature, with puzzles that are imaginative and clever and which will test even seasoned genre veterans. For adventure fans, this is an obscure gem that is well worth seeking out.
