Nirvana Noir: Everything We Know

Feral Cat Den’s award-winning mystery game Genesis Noir is on the verge of receiving its well-needed sequel, Nirvana Noir—a cosmic adventure in which players take control of No Man, “a watch salesman stuck in a deterministic hell.” The game, which will pave the way for several new plot points and underlying issues around the interconnected realities of Black Rapture and Constant Testament, will feature an entirely separate storyline, as well as some never-before-seen characters and locations.

So, what more do you need to know about the upcoming mystery game? Well, if you are planning on returning to the boots of the tenacious watch salesman, then be sure to read on for a few quick updates. Here’s everything we can tell you about Nirvana Noir ahead of its hopeful 2024 launch.

What Is Nirvana Noir?

According to its creators, Nirvana Noir “is a seamless blend of animation and interactivity and is overflowing with unique puzzles and interactions.” Similar to the first game that popped out back in 2021, the sequel will feature a wide range of on-screen prompts, all of which will tie in with a traditional point-and-click blueprint. So, think of Nirvana Noir as a 2.0 of Genesis Noir, basically.

“In Genesis Noir, did No Man travel through a dying universe to prevent the death of his lover or did he stop the affair before the fatal gunshot was fired?” the blurb reads. “No Man must confront the consequences of this decision in Nirvana Noir, as his world branches into two reflected realities, Black Rapture and Constant Testament.”

To answer the question, will Nirvana Noir follow on from the story depicted in Genesis Noir? No, it won’t. Having said that, “the additional references and background on the characters might make for a richer experience.” In other words, you won’t need to have played the first chapter in the series to be able to make heads or tails of Nirvana Noir — but it will help, apparently.

Story

Nirvana Noir will transport its players to two alternate realities: the Black Rapture—a charcoal-smothered universe in which a mysterious clock tower allures the protagonist into tweaking its mechanisms; and Constant Testament—an “explosion of color and sin” in which the same protagonist, No Man, must work to unravel the secrets behind a new type of drug. Lost in both realities, players will need to head out to complete the environmental puzzles and other obstacles set out before them, all whilst working to unlock other underlying issues.

“The city of cosmic beings is under threat in two parallel realities – one where the Big Bang was never fired, the other exploding in color and sin,” the blurb reads in part. “It’s up to you to solve the mysteries of the Bigger Bang in this follow up to the award-winning Genesis Noir.”

Of course, you won’t have to play Genesis Noir in order to play through Nirvana Noir, but for the sake of knowing all there is to know about No Man and the world’s lore, you should definitely consider romping through the 2021 chapter first. It isn’t essential — but it’ll help you out in the long run, for sure.

Gameplay

In a similar fashion to its first chapter, Nirvana Noir will adopt a mixture of point-and-click and side-scrolling, as well as a myriad of light puzzle-solving and platforming elements. Also like Genesis Noir, the sequel will allow for players to make crucial decisions and unlock important dialogue options.

“Whilst set following the events of the original, Nirvana Noir is a standalone story,” the game’s description adds. “It takes a deeper dive into the city and the cosmic beings who live there and brings in a deeper level of gameplay, exploration, and mechanics, expanding on all the things that made Genesis Noir so compelling.”

“You can expect another amazing soundtrack that reacts and responds to the game, this time with both noir and neo-noir, jazz and psychedelic influences, as well as music-focused puzzles and interactions,” the developer explains. “Nirvana Noir features the music and sound design of Skillbard, a London-based team of composers and sound designers who work in film, television, games, sound art, pop music, and sonic branding.”

Development

If you happened to miss out on the initial announcement back in 2023, Nirvana Noir is being developed by Feral Cat Den, an indie studio based in New York City. According to their portfolio, Nirvana Noir will be the studio’s second active title, and if all goes according to plan, it will arrive on its chosen platforms (more on that shortly) at some stage in 2024. Fingers crossed.

Trailer

The good news is, there is a trailer of Nirvana Noir already afloat. Need we say more? You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Nirvana Noir is currently slated for a rough 2024 launch on both Xbox Series X|S and PC. Does this mean that we can technically chalk out the possibility of it arriving on PlayStation 5? For the time being, yes. Having said that, as Genesis Noir did go on to launch on Nintendo Switch as well as Xbox and PC, there’s a good chance that the sequel will be receiving a handheld port at some point in the foreseeable future. For now, though, it seems that Microsoft fans will have the initial bragging rights.

As far as editions travel, Nirvana Noir will only launch with the one standard version on consoles and PC. You can go ahead and bag that for your wishlist on Steam by visiting the appropriate handle here.

Interested in staying up to date with Nirvana Noir? If so, then be sure to check in with the folks over at Feral Cat Den for all the latest developments via their official social handle here. Alternatively, you can register for their newsletter, which includes frequent updates and other useful information. If anything does change ahead of its 2024 debut, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Nirvana Noir when it arrives on its chosen consoles? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.