What I’ve described probably doesn’t sound like it has much in common with Sony’s other first party fare, which tends to sit comfortably in the AAA space. How Does This Fit in With Other Sony First-Party Games? It’s a joy to paint over every inch of Denska, and Concrete Genie’s ability to make you feel like an artist, no matter the skill level, is an impressive trick to pull off. New pages allow for new artistic expression and different ways to approach the blank canvas of each wall. The way Denska, dark and rundown at first, is brought to life by your art is pretty special to watch.Ĭoncrete Genie’s painting mechanics, accessible via DualShock motion controls or via the right thumbstick (the motion is, surprisingly, my much preferred way to play) don’t demonstrably change over the course of the adventure, but they are consistently fun. Its art has a unique style to it, and by allowing the player to put their own spin on each piece of his artwork, something universal instantly becomes personal. Yes, it may not have the fidelity of detail that something like God of War does, but Concrete Genie makes creative use of its limitations. There are beautiful messages in their own right, and Concrete Genie’s story, world, and gameplay reflects these themes in dazzling detail.įor a game all about art, it certainly helps that Concrete Genie looks so damn pretty. But for my mileage, it’s one of those games where every piece feels like it’s working in concert to make the whole better.Īt its heart, Concrete Genie is primarily about the cycles of bullying and how we can break them, and the empowering nature of art on both a personal and societal level to impact our lives. You can read our Concrete Genie review to find out why Joe Skrebels’ thought Pixelopus’ new game is great. These “battles” are more about containing the threat and saving the genie rather than beating it to a pulp. But rather than fighting them to the death, combat feels more like taming a wild beast before it can hurt itself and others. Combat does come into play toward the third act, as dark genies begin to appear. Those choices can affect their personalities, and finding yourself with an army of cheerful paint friends, who act like loyal pups or mischievous rascals, bonds you to them. My version of Denska will likely look a lot different from yours based on what art designs you’re drawn to, and everything you paint is persistent throughout the game.Īs for those genies, though you choose from predetermined base builds, you can add tails, ears, horns, and other design elements to make them your own, while also deciding on their size and scale.
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Strands of light will come to life as you paint on the walls around them, but other than your genies specifically asking for a certain drawing here and there, you’re largely free to paint whatever you want. But you can affect size, orientation, position, and, depending on the piece of art, the path “living” elements, like that flock of birds, will take.Īs you go from one part of Denska to the next, you’re effectively painting the lights back on, while pushing the darkness out. The base design is always the same - that moon, for example, will look like Ash’s moon. Some play into the titular genies and their designs, while others are anything from trees to moons to birds. Throughout Ash’s journey, you’ll collect scattered pages of his journal, each with a different design attached to them. Instead of fighting as a means to progress, Concrete Genie is all about painting life back into Denska.
It’s a non-confrontational game - and even when it introduces combat (more on that in a second), it has a tone and tenor to it unlike most any other combat system. There, he finds a drawing of his, Luna, has come to life, as well as a magic paintbrush that allows Ash to bring his sketches to life on the walls of the lighthouse - and pretty much every building in Denska.Ĭoncrete Genie has no combat for the first two-thirds of its story. One day, Ash’s bullies go a step too far, tearing the pages out of his sketch book and sending him off to Denska’s abandoned lighthouse. And there’s a mysterious dark purple-and-black undergrowth starting to infect the city to boot. Concrete Genie tells the story of Ash, a bullied boy who loves to draw and lives in Denska, a city that’s become dilapidated and rundown.
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