Almost 4,000 indie reviews in, I can assure you I’ve probably played just about every variety of game there is at this point. What I’ve learned is that, especially in this generation, the definition of what constitutes gameplay has broadened pretty substantially. With smaller budget titles, there’s room to experiment and try new things. Of course, this could result in surprise hits, for sure, but it can also lead to experiences that merely leave you scratching your head a bit. Unfortunately, for me, Nour is the latter.

The concept, encapsulated by the tag on the title, is undoubtedly a little odd… with you playing with different food and other elements in over 20 varied vignettes. The good news is that, in general, you can count on there being a different sort of primary hook to each of them, whether involving the equipment or food you’re able to use. Depending on how playful a spirit you have, you may end up being entertained by these, taking the opportunity to treat each of them like its own visual toy to some degree.

The bad news is that while there could be some room for amusement here, I found it all to be more of a light appetizer of play, but hardly a meal. The controls, in particular, don’t really do the experience many favors either, as though they’re workable they’re also not terribly intuitive or helpful. You mostly learn to live with them and work through it. While I appreciate the effort here to do something truly unique, and there’s obviously some effort here to add some variety to the experience as you progress through each scene, it’s still asking a lot of you to stick around after you’ve played through a couple of them. Sadly, there’s just not much rewarding about playing them for any longer period of time.