The sequel to Off-Peak, The Norwood Suite is a surreal first-person adventure game by Cosmo D. Journey to the secluded Hotel Norwood, where odd characters, forgotten secrets, and head-nodding music await.
Overwhelmingly Positive
1,266 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | Y | Y |
Wowee, that was an experience. This game reminds me a lot of a real world place called "house on the rock". I loved every moment of the game and would recommend people try it out. It's a hidden gem for sure!
was really wanting to play this game but after several different attempts to play it, it just wont boot up at all. even went out of my way to install some other application to try and get it running but nothing worked :/
What in the world did I just play? Kinda liked it.
Whoever made this is very clearly passionate about music, it's infectious.
No idea what I've just played lol.. but I gues it was.. fun?
luv surreal stuff
Surreal and artistic but classy and playable and always remembers it is a game. OST is an absolute bop for humans but 4 Stars because at least one of the tracks seemed to trigger my rarely triggered dog so not sure if there was a high pitched noise in it or what, but had to play the game with headphones.
Odd but fun game
This game is comepletely up my alley so I can't say whether or not its for everyone.
Bizarre lil game. Not too terribly difficult and can be completed within several hours, but I'd say its worth it for a weird experience :) It kept me entertained
The Norwood Suite is strange yet coherent in its own dream logic. Some light puzzling can be found but the main focus is exploring the densely detailed hotel. The Norwood Hotel is beautiful. If The Norwood was real, I would want to be there. It is the simple pleasures of staring out at the city and having a conversation with the residents that make all while listening to some unique pieces that make The Norwood Suite so comforting. 4/5
The game world feels like an interactive surreal art exhibit born directly of the awkward era of CG from the 90s and early 2000s.
Had an amazing time, great walking sim whose audio and mood was really reminiscent of that wonder era of cg before the brown poop wave of the xbox fps hit us.
The Norwood Suíte é uma sequência espiritual e direta de Off-Peak, o primeiro jogo gratuito do desenvolvedor Cosmo D, mas que pode ser jogado de forma individual sem problemas. Aqui ele mantém sua identidade visual completamente única (meio montagem dadaísta/galeria de arte virtual), sua trilha sonora contagiante de eletro jazz e seu foco em exploração, mas dessa vez incorporando mecânicas de jogos de aventura que eu achei que resultaram em uma experiência mais focada e satisfatória de se explorar.
O hotel aqui é grande e surpreendentemente denso, e a atmosfera e a construção de mundo do jogo são excelentes. Pra quem quer uma experiência surreal e curta com uma otima trilha sonora, recomendo muito.
This game is something else. Simple controls. Easy puzzles. But the atmosphere is incredible. It's not a game for everybody, but I enjoyed the fever-dream surrealist escape.
super fun little adventure game, again great music and atmosphere
Так и не удалось заставить её работать. Игра либо крашится, либо превращается в кашу из ассетов, где вещи подгружаются или не подгружаются по принципу рандома. Перепробовал все бета-бранчи и найденные способы решения проблем — ничего не помогло. Хотя мило, что в версии «на случай, если игра крашится на старте» игра крашится по ходу геймплея, а в версии «на случай, если игра крашится по ходу геймплея» она крашится на старте. Получается, всё честно.
Автор три года назад обещал всё перекомпилировать и отполишить, но либо до сих пор не успел, либо забил болт. Печально, это выглядело как что-то интересное.
This game is what happens when David Lynch accidentally hits his DMT vape instead of his THC vape, passes out while watching Pee Wee's Playhouse, and then writes the script for a game based on the wild and crazy dreams that resulted. I loved every second and wish there were more secrets to find. :D
most I can say is, wtf...?
Probably my favorite of all of Cosmo D's games, very very fun and quite a few secrets off the linear path you can miss
Extremely interesting game. Entertaining.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀•⠀•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀♱⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀♱⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀•⠀•⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕹𝖔𝖗𝖜𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝕾𝖚𝖎𝖙𝖊 | ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ 🖤🖤
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀•⠀•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀♱⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀♱⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀•⠀•⠀
This game was... interesting. I enjoyed every minute of it, but it is absolutely a weird game. I'm not sure how to put it into words but I think the sound design and music in this game is my favorite out of anything I have played. It felt very trippy at times and just scratched an itch in my brain. I'd give my interpretation of the games deeper meaning but I think for this one its more fun if you go in blind and then read the dev's thoughts afterward.
I enjoyed my stay
In contrast to "Off-Peak", here we actually have a proper game. It’s nothing too complex: it follows the structure of a classic adventure game (those traditional point-and-click titles), where you explore an environment, talk to characters, and use items to solve puzzles, either by combining them or using them in a specific order. Exploring the hotel is engaging, and there is indeed a touch of immersive sim to it, including small interactions like opening doors and drawers. I found it interesting to go back and play through the developer’s catalog in order to see their evolution. If, in "Moves of the Diamond Hand" (the next announced game), they manage to truly combine the exploratory and immersive sim elements of "The Norwood Suite" with the more mechanical, RPG-focused side of "Betrayal at the Club Low", expectations are high.
Pure vibe city. love it
Love the atmosphere of this game and all the others :)
I guess in one word, "[b]Disappointed[/b]."
The way everything was set up, I guess I expected a lot more considering there is no voice acting and gameplay is exceptionally basic.
It's just, run through dialogues and find stuff and do very very simple mini-games and the only thing that had me hooked was the fact that there is a story here that might go somewhere or even a great music or something but it never happened.
The game started and ended abruptly. It's a short game but the build-up never truly is banked upon.
And, before you say it, no it's not because it's a indie game or it requires a lot of reading or the graphics are basic. I will throw this game in your face where I wanted to [url=steamcommunity.com/id/ni6hant/recommended/589780]kiss the developers when I completed the game[/url].
https://store.steampowered.com/app/589780/The_Red_Strings_Club/
[h1]Review of the game is ignoring these issues:[/h1]
[h3]1. Crashes and somewhat remedy[/h3]
Use [b]beta branch[/b] for game not booting up or crashing but even after doing that it will still crash later so [b]Save & Exit every 30mins or so[/b] so that you don't lose progress since this game doesn't have auto-save and no save on crashes.
Even after these crashes when Shift+Tab or Taking a screenshot with F12 are also persistent.
[h3]2. Motion Sickness Warning and somewhat remedy[/h3]
Use [b]external large cross-hair[/b] because the inbuilt cursor is too small. This will severely reduce motion sickness but there is still motion sickness in the game due to the variable speed of the character. That becomes really really trippy if you're used to playing FPS games. Again, [b]Save & Exit every 30mins or so and also reduce the mouse senstivity & also disable Head Bob in settings[/b]...
Great
This Game is a unique ride through a, atleast i think so, shroom inspired coding session. I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ loved it for its weirdness, but you gotta vibe with it for it to work. Its absolute Art.
Try it out and feel it for yourself.
[h2]Absolutely incredible experience, through and through.[/h2]
Cosmo D's visual story telling is top notch. Their art direction is more refined than in Off-Peak, but equally as mystifying. [spoiler]The themes of artistic monetization/corruption and corporate expansion were not over stated, but prove to ring more true by the day in the modern age.[/spoiler]
I cannot wait to jump into Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 [i](I hope the basset hound makes a return)[/i].
[b]Great work Cosmo D![/b]
I dont think i've ever dabbled in games like this ever, and all i can really say is, what did i just play
The Norwood Suite is a very surreal exploration game where you play as a visitor of the hotel, assisting fellow patrons, walking through eccentric hallways and making sandwiches
Very short game, however the main charm comes from its creative choices, visual representations and quirky characters
If you're into these kind of games, walking simulators, or surreal experiences, give it a go
OK that was....weird. Interesting gameplay and background music. Kind of freaky graphics but in a good way. If you're into house/trance music, this game's for you.
In one word, this game is “weird.”
It’s not too hard, but it’s not easy either — it’s simply strange. The environment is strange, the overall feeling of the game is strange, but in its own way I can’t imagine this game being any different.
For a while, I wasn’t sure whether to give the game a positive or a negative review. From a technical standpoint, I can say that the game was not in a good state. Even switching to the 32-bit mode in the settings as recommended by the developer, didn’t help. After about ten minutes, the game started to stutter, FPS dropped, the game crashed, and my save file got corrupted, forcing me to start over. And even when the save file didn’t get completely deleted, it was still “broken” — things I had already done were no longer completed, items I had in my inventory were gone, and in many cases I couldn’t progress at all because of this. This really hurt the experience of a game that I otherwise genuinely enjoyed.
However, through Discord I managed to get in touch with the owner of the game. I sent him my save file, and within two days he fixed the game for me and made it fully functional. Because of that, I’m giving the game a positive review despite the technical issues — they were addressed and fixed, for which I’m very thankful.
Another thing that bothered me a bit was movement speed. Due to the technical problems, I had to restart the game several times, which was frustrating but manageable. What bothered me more was that your character cannot move any faster. Basically, the whole game feels like a “slow walking simulator.” Even when you already knew where to go and what to do — because you had been there four times already — you couldn’t do it any faster since your character simply can’t run. In some parts of the game, this would definitely have been useful. Still, this wasn’t a huge issue — as they say, everyone has their own taste.
A weird and slow-paced game with a strong atmosphere and a unique charm. Despite some technical issues, I really enjoyed my time with it. I only wish the game was a bit longer, because I genuinely enjoyed the experience.
weird and excellent
played for 8 minutes, crashed 3 times. I really wanted to enjoy this game but it's unplayable
can't even ask for a refund :')
10/10 - there is nothing out there like it.
There is something about this music-focused game that brings me back to it time and time again. I just can't get enough of just wandering around.
Stunning surrealism and surprisingly cozy acid trip. 10/10
Mindblowing surreal experience, pure art
fantastic follow up to off-peak
I think I’m a fan. I just love Cosmo D’s unique quirky writing and surrealist art style. I’m really looking forward to playing the next chapter in their upcoming game. Hopefully, it will be released this year!
sehr unterhaltsam
Feaver dream, but you need to do some people favors and bring them things.
Most secrets you will find just by exploring the building, and only one is time-limited.
73 minutes into the game it crashed to desktop, preceded by a rhythmic stutter for a handful of seconds, no idea what that was but it turns out the game doesn't save at all. Upon restarting the game, not only was the progress all lost, the game was now visually glitched with all the ground just gone.
Had the game really captivated me I might have re-installed and speedrun the game up to the point where it crashed, but alas, it didn't.
The game is a walking simulator with a heavy focus on aesthetics and dialog. But the aesthetic is often pretty hideous, and the dialog is just dull, and it always goes on, and on, and on, and on...
This was a strange game. Having finished it, I'm not sure if I liked it. I don't think I did. I usually do like strange things but I guess this one didn't click to me. It's odd for sure.
Lovely little game. It's quite short, only took me about 3 hours with me taking my time, but it's still very rewarding despite its shorter length.
If you aren't into artsy, surrealistic games, this'll probably be meaningless or silly to you. If you are looking for innovative gameplay or thrills, you're also out of luck. For those who adore artsy games like me, this is a wonderful one. It's quite immersive, the soundtrack is lovely and the story's oddly touching.
Wonderful game, Cosmo D
I ran into lots of bugs. Nothing in the game was horribly broken, but some of the NPCs would load without skins, and at one point my gameplay slowed to an absolute crawl, even on a beefy system. A save and restart fixed this.
Overall, its just kind of a quick walking sim, puzzles aren't too difficult. Theres not a great story here, and I was ultimately just left with a 'meh' feeling about the whole thing.
The whole game felt like a strange fever dream but I thinks that's what gives it its charm honestly. I just wish I could play it for the first time again.
Came back to add that this game inspired me to become a game dev and work on my own projects. This game will always be on my top 5 list because of that
It’s… okay. The theme and environments are certainly esoteric and full of surreal imagery, but the process of actually playing the game is nothing you haven’t seen before from the genre: find the things, talk to the NPCs to find out what they need, then give them the right things to unlock more rooms containing even more things.
4.5/10
yeah dude
it's like off peak, but with added gameplay. i'm willing to bet that sandwich really did taste like home.
One of the weirdest games I've played part of a series of games. But if you like weird and abstract ideas this is a great game for it. I do like abstract games so I thoroughly enjoyed it. Strange scenery and awkward conversations add to it. Not that long, but worth the play.
This is one of the best walking sims ever made. Turn off the lights, sit in the dark with headphones and let the characters suck you into their world. Cosmo D keeps making banger after banger. Love it. 5 out of 5 Matt faces.
amazing very creative 1000/10
I don't know what to write about this game, but I want to leave a positive review for the Steam algorithm. It's Cosmo D. Play Off Peak, and if you like it, play the rest of his games. An original game dev making cool surrealist games.
it's super trippy and out there if ur looking for a really immersive dreamlike experience
A fantastic trip though a clever and surreal art project. Any time I pick up this or other Cosmo D games, I'm left feeling inspired to create and experience art more, and that's the mark of true art. It infects you and spreads itself through you, couldn't recommend this game enough to someone who is open to the experience. I could understand if someone bounces right off of it, but if you're in, you're in.
I'm totally digging this surreal game. Definitely will be tripping to the rest of Cosmod back catalogue.
i'm goin g to Kill the Modulo
Wow, that was strange... but not in a good way. I really don't understand the "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews rating (which TBH, is why I bought the game). I recall another reviewer mentioning that the game was really weird before I played it. Well, there's "weird" in a cool kind of way, where you just kind of get into the weird vibes, let it flow and have fun with it, and then there's, "Wow, WTF was that all about?" kind of weird that wasn't really all that fun or entertaining. This game falls in the latter category. I finished the game, got my 100% achievement score which wasn't all that hard to do, but damn did I just feel like I wasted my time on a weird, boring, pointless game. I cannot recommend this game.
Nice rooms and atmosphere but one of the guests was very "hugsy" and it made me very uncomfortable. 4 out of 5 stars would visit again.
I got to the part where you have to make The Sandwich, and I suddenly got very hungry, so I paused the game, went out and bought stuff to make a sandwich, and ate it while playing. It was a really good sandwich.
10/10
Cosmo D really knows how to compile a museum. This game presents sincere, surreal experience in a jazz-pop, pseudo-noir themed setting. Hekkin' love these guys' games!
The game looks great and I love the layout and design, but there's a memory leak or something that absolutely kills the game, and keeps making it crash, even when using the "32-bit_mode" (use if game crashes at start) beta. None of the other betas even work for me, all of them plus the regular game build crash immediately on launch except 32-bit_mode.
The 32-bit_mode one works to a point, but eventually slows down to a bog and then crashes. It seemed to be even more unstable when I was streaming it, and got a bit better (but still did crash) once I stopped streaming.
That's not the worst part thoughl Crashes can be worked around if there was a save option. There isn't a just-save option in the beta I had to use, only a save-and-quit, and the opening sound was super loud everytime i open the game. But even when I used save-and-quit to try to get around the crashes, loading the game would leave me with all sorts of strange state issues -- items would sometimes be gone from my inventory, some quests would reset but some would not, some doors that I had opened through a quest would be re-closed, some NPCs would be gone so there's no way to get their items again, and so on. Very frustrating.
There's both a super memory leak as well as a super state saving problem with this game. Or at least the only version of the game that I could run.
The closest I got to completing the game was 7/8 items for the mannequin, the 8th item is apparently in the band members' room but their quest was completed, the band NPCs were gone, and their room door was shut due to a crash and load.
I hope Moves of the Diamond Hand works better. I did play that demo in SNF and it played perfectly fine for 3h with no issues, which was a good sign.
what
Really fun and entertaining game. Loved the dialog, environment, and attention to detail. The only negative thing I can say is that I wish I could have nosed in all the rooms. -Some of the noises coming from them were...concerning!
Recommended for anyone who loves a good story and surrealism. :)
An incredibly weird but interesting experience that has great exploration, simple and easy puzzles and an overall weird vibe that i find fascinating.
It's entirely a fetch quest start to end but the way the game handles it makes it feel interesting and kinda fun as each quest you complete slowly explore more into this abstract and visually appealing hotel that raises more questions than answers with an interesting conclusion.
Do you like WTF? This is WTF. I loved it. But...WTF
great game
I am reminded of three things: Pee Wee's Playhouse; The Residents (everything); and The Manhole (the Cyan game from way back when).
This is less a game than a playground to click, experience, and absorb a truly ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ world filled with oddity. And we need more ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ oddity to counter the rapidly deteriorating world in which we live.
it's kind of weird
This game is a dope vibe.
.
Oh, it was weird. You had to be there. Explore an old hotel steeped in fictional music history; it's going out with a banging soundtrack. Make some naturalistic-ish conversation. And don an intricate costume to become the impostor you were meant to be.
The style is great. The music is a vibe. The characters are weird. 10/10
masterpiece of vibes, just the peak of vibey exploration
I've never done drugs in my life but I think playing this game is as close as I want to get. I'm basically hooked on Cosmo D now and will need a regular dose ever couple of years in order to survive.
the best musical surrealism simulator
Surreal Hospitality, Strange Harmony
The Norwood Suite isn’t just a game — it’s an experience. A surreal, narrative-driven adventure with a unique artistic vision, it invites players into a world that feels part dream, part stage play, and entirely unforgettable. Set in a bizarre mountaintop hotel once owned by a legendary musician, this title from developer Cosmo D defies genre conventions in favor of mood, tone, and atmospheric storytelling. On Steam, it’s a hidden gem celebrated by players who appreciate games that color well outside the lines.
What Makes It Stand Out
From the moment you step into the Norwood Hotel, you're immersed in a world that doesn’t play by traditional rules. The environment is striking — full of peculiar architecture, offbeat characters, and objects that seem to hum with strange significance. The art style leans heavily into the abstract, with bold colors, stretched proportions, and shifting perspectives that give the game a dreamlike texture.
Positive reviewers on Steam frequently highlight the music, and with good reason. The soundtrack — composed by the developer himself — is one of The Norwood Suite's strongest assets. It blends jazz, electronic, and ambient influences to create an atmosphere that feels alive and reactive. Sound design and musical cues aren't just background; they’re part of the world-building and emotional flow.
Gameplay-wise, the focus is on exploration, conversation, and puzzle-solving — but it’s all loose and fluid. You aren’t collecting gear or facing off against enemies; you’re discovering secrets, uncovering past events, and piecing together the lives of the hotel’s eclectic guests. There’s a constant sense of curiosity pulling you forward, not through challenge, but through intrigue.
Where It Falters
As bold and expressive as it is, The Norwood Suite won’t be for everyone. The story is intentionally fragmented, and the logic of its world is surreal — which can be disorienting if you’re expecting clear answers or a traditional plot structure. This abstract storytelling can feel aimless to some, especially those looking for resolution or goal-based progression.
The controls and UI, while functional, feel minimal and occasionally stiff. There’s also a noticeable lack of quality-of-life features, such as objective markers or journal tracking, which can make exploration feel more cryptic than immersive at times.
Visually, the game's distinctive aesthetic might not appeal to all players. It favors style over polish, and the low-fi textures and unconventional character models can be jarring if you’re not already sold on its offbeat charm.
Final Verdict
The Norwood Suite is less about “winning” and more about absorbing — its strength lies in evoking feeling through sound, setting, and suggestion. It’s a game that rewards players willing to let go of control and surrender to something strange and poetic. Like a jazz composition, it’s not always straightforward — but that’s where the magic lives.
Final Rating: 8.3 / 10
A beautifully bizarre and musically rich narrative that embraces the unconventional. It’s not for everyone, but for those drawn to surreal storytelling and mood-driven design, it’s a stay worth booking.
If you liked my attempt at making a professional review of this game, please leave a like for this review and if you think I should continue doing professional game reviews, then click on "Award" in the bottom right corner. Thank you!
Yeah
Amazing <3
surrealist masterpiece
Brilliant game, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of gameplay and will be checking out the other games in this series! Highly recommend.
trippy
That was neat.
You walk around, talk to people and look for stuff, enjoying this beautiful and absurdist world. Cosmo D games are art and this one is one of the most beautiful i think. Also music everywhere.
Much like games such as Jazzpunk, this is a first-person adventure with bizarre and often confusing puzzles. You explore a hotel, searching for clues to gain access to the mysterious rave party downstairs. I finished it in just over an hour and had a good time.
The game is completely surreal without feeling forced or overly quirky, and the writing is surprisingly solid. I might replay it at some point to piece together more of the strange narrative. Overall, I'd give it a strong 6 to a light 7/10. It had been sitting in my library for years, so I’m just glad to have finally played through it—especially given its short length.
my fav cosmo D game
I don’t think that calling this game an adventure was a good choice, neither I think this game implements surreal elements properly.
[list]
[*] “Adventure” is just a dozen fetch quests that requires basically no thought put in the process and offers next to no entertainment.
[*] “Surrealism” here feels like a bunch of barely connected ideas thrown into the pot and thinking that this will do. As a result you don’t have any immersion into the game, most of those surreal elements evoke no feeling but that of indifference.
[*] The world (hotel) the game feels like a missed opportunity. An establishment with a long and mysterious history - but we see nothing except for a few “surreal” corridors, there is simply nothing to explore and nothing to look at.
[*] Absurdly long loading times. I have no idea what the devs did but the game takes ages to load even on a modern PC on SSD. At least with a total game time of 2 hours you will not load that often.
[/list]
Overall: the game is simply not worth its money. And, to be honest, playing it wasn’t worth the time.
Quite the experience. Nice music. I really enjoyed it!
A walking simulator in a strange world based around music.
Interesting only to experience / explore the odd vibe of the world. Easy to pop in, play 5-10 minutes, transporting yourself to the strange world then head back out in to real life.
génial
This is a 2 hour hotel wandering "game" with a nonsensical plot, a single missable achievement, and offensively long load and save times for an 8 year old game playing on a modern pc. You spend your time wandering about the hotel, chatting with other guests, doing fetch quests as you build a costume, and crashing a party. There is a hint person that you have to speak with to get a key item, which is extra confusing as I tried to not use hints for such a simple game.
This is not overwhelmingly positive. Don't waste your money, even on a sale.
I need an IV drip of this game into my veins right ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ now
nothing short of a masterpiece. incredible atmosphere and music, funny gameplay, and an eerie narrative that goes to some very conceptual/metaphorical yet surprisingly real places. very often like a dream, and sometimes like a nightmare, equal parts comedy and horror but never going full force into either, the result is its own unique and uncanny thing. as someone who adores esoteric videogames and has something of a musical background, this game means a lot to me. there is so much detail and art and its just absolutely spectacular start to finish.
Certainly one of a kind
Much in the vein of games like Jazzpunk, it's a first person adventure game, though which much more confusing and bizarre puzzles. You investigate a hotel and looks for clues on how to get into the mysterious rave party downstairs. Beat it in just over an hour and I had a good time.
It is completely bizarre without being zany or quirky and has some really solid writing. Will probably play it again at some point to get even more context as to what the hell is going on, but it was okay. A strong 6 to a light 7/10. I've had it for years so I'm just glad to have gotten it over with, especially with how short it is.
best game i have ever had the opportunity of playing
[h1][b]Not Recommended[/b][/h1]
Great atmosphere, great music (especially Norwood's Last Disciple), very charming. Played while I was sick with the worst dry cough ever.
odd and fun game! the world is so unique and absurd but you can teel it has its own internal logic, which keeps you playing.
Hard to explain this one, it is kinda weird/odd. Fun to play and experience. Doesn't overstay its welcome. Just a fun little ride.
