Milanoir

 Switch
Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 10
  3. Negative: 3 out of 10
  1. Destructoid
    Jun 1, 2018
    40
    Milanoir takes an appealing aesthetic with a promising setup and turns it into a dutiful slog without much of a payout. It's basic, it's petty, and it's laughably crude. It is a noir title that really doesn’t have a whole lot to say.
  2. We Got This Covered
    Jun 5, 2018
    30
    Aggressively unpleasant and a chore to play, Milanoir is a bloody dud of a tale. A slick visual style is the only positive to take away from this lousy slog of a game.
  3. Video Chums
    Jun 6, 2018
    29
    If Milanoir were a Tarantino film, it would be Death Proof; a self-indulgent exercise in tedium that would make most people who experience it want their money back.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 2 out of 5
  1. GBG_Jason
    May 31, 2018
    7
    By the time I had booted up Milanoir, I had forgotten what the trailer showed and why I was interested in it. Seeing the name Good ShepherdBy the time I had booted up Milanoir, I had forgotten what the trailer showed and why I was interested in it. Seeing the name Good Shepherd excited me though, as the last game from them I played was absolutely fantastic. Of course, the same publisher doesn’t always mean similar quality; likewise, developers are entirely capable of making something completely different from their previous IPs. But I like to be optimistic in these cases, especially when it comes to indie games. Of course, 1970s pulp fiction is much different from 1920s America focused on fictional and non-fictional stories.

    The opening of this game surprised me, as I really didn’t expect the direction it would take. It was an interesting choice for introducing the main character, and certainly one I won’t forget for a while. In a post-Hotline Miami world, hyper violence in a top down world is normalized in games. At first I thought that’s what we’d be getting with this, but it turned out to have a lot more to offer than busting into rooms and close quarter situations. The first level has you heading to a motel of sorts, choking guys out and getting information. Soon after you bust into the designated room and your first gun fight takes place. Following this you will use gun-play quite a bit, and will even lead to you in a car pursuit shooting enemies while driving and dodging obstacles. It ends with a boss battle utilizing all the mechanics the game has taught you up to this point, and is fairly straightforward.

    The game offers a normal difficulty and it only goes up from there. If you feel the game is too hard, this is the type that requires you to “git gud.” It’s not overly challenging, as the most difficult sections are usually because of a hidden enemy that ambushes you, or because you make a stupid mistake. Unlike the titular Hotline Miami and an assortment of games that followed in its footsteps, death does not come as quickly as a single hit. Far from it as your life is much more reminiscent of the games that did away with health bars and allowed you to regenerate your health by avoiding damage for a few seconds.

    The choices used for this game make for a unique experience, although at times things seem a bit too drawn out. The difficulty has always made these types of games more strategy based than anything, with fairly short levels that could easily be sketched on a small piece of paper. The ideas for many of the levels in this could be done in the same manner, although they seem to be extended much longer, making them feel padded for length. There are an assortment of enemies that you’ll come across while traversing the levels, each of which have guns, knives, and more, oh my. Admittedly, the AI isn’t all that intelligent, as melee enemies will often times walk up to the environmental object you’re hiding behind allowing you to shoot them.

    Maneuvering the zones will often mean rolling around to avoid arousing any suspicion. Using cover is vital to survival, although objects used for cover are able to be destroyed. The game offers you the option to play through portions stealthily, but unless it’s specifically supposed to be played in that manner, chances are you won’t get far that way. Similarly to the first Uncharted, the melee option lasts for one or two guys, but soon becomes a fire fight. It’s far from A Thief’s End, which allowed you to clear areas out entirely with stealth. In addition to the different weapons you’ll come across, you’ll be able to utilize the environment for attacks as well.

    It’s nice to see a game that is not afraid to do something different, especially with a genre that has more or less provided everything I thought we’d see from it. From the way the levels are depicted and how the story plays out to the battles themselves, the game is a fun romp through the 70s in a tale for revenge. While parts of it seem to drag out a bit too long, the game is undeniably fun and worth checking out.    … Full Review »
  2. Nixxaras
    Jun 6, 2018
    4
    Cool story, cool environments, even the shooting feels good. Except the game is so easy to beat that they had to implement stupid QTEs whereCool story, cool environments, even the shooting feels good. Except the game is so easy to beat that they had to implement stupid QTEs where you have to mash buttons to death for minutes. And, better than that, boss fights that are ridiculously hard, where you have to learn every pattern perfectly and retry dozens of times.

    So you end up with a game that is everything except deep and involving, as you crush through funny but easy levels to hit a boss, bleed your fingers off it and repeat. There is no originality in the gameplay, barely 2/3 different guns that you are to use only in a specific level. It's repetitive and never rewarding.

    In the end we got a nice looking game that revolves only around ridiculous die and retry portions. Please note that it will not only frustrate you, but hurt your hands badly, as the combinations of buttons to mash are really nasty. I say that and I have big hands, if you don't, don't even dream to try this game.

    This below average game was praised by Angry Joe who got to "collaborate" with the devs.... lol -_- Even your favourite reviewer can become a sellout when "you have to pay the bills" (as he said in the video, that should have tipped me off).    … Full Review »
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