Instead, Ash will need to move around rooftops, zip between buildings, hide in shadows, and use his brain to avoid getting caught by the bullies. So, if he runs into them, he has to run away and hide, otherwise they’ll push him around and there won’t be much in the way of recourse. He has no interest in getting into altercations with bullies. He wants to paint and rid his home of the darkness that’s moved in. It’s a third-person action-adventure, but there’s nothing in the way of combat. Ash must stay one step ahead of Denska’s bullies, otherwise they’ll tear pages out of his art book and he’ll need to chase them around in order to get access to specific brushes and creature “pieces.” What kind of game is Concrete Genie?Ĭoncrete Genie is a game about being creative, dodging bullies, and making broken-down spaces a little more beautiful through color and whimsy. We had a chance to preview PixelOpus’ game at a Sony event in New York City and it’s certainly become a title we’ve put on our wishlist. Concrete Genie, a PlayStation 4 exclusive coming to the console this holiday, is about a boy named Ash who escapes into art and wants to bring his sleepy, broken-down town, Denska, back to life with a little whimsy (and a lot of color). As in, it’s not the only thing about the game that matters. Somehow, Concrete Genie is a game about bullying that isn’t, well, centered on it. ![]() Couple that with whimsical art and creatures and we've got a winning formula that isn't just about teaching. ![]() The combat is even worse, as it’s suddenly introduced in the last third of the game and allows you to move by skating on your paint and shoot fireballs at enemies, but that only last for a peculiarly short time until you’re suddenly into the final battle and the whole thing ends after five hours of constantly seemingly like it was about to get going and then never actually doing so.Games about bullying are often heavy-handed, prescriptive, and usually juvenile. Occasionally you have to distract the bullies, so they move away from a particular area, but what threatens to be an interesting stealth element is – like everything else in the game – never given the time to develop properly. ![]() With some light platforming as well, the scene is set for what could have been a fun action puzzler but the game never leaves you alone for more than a few seconds without telling you exactly what you need to do next, so there’s no real skill or brainpower required. If you make them happy, by drawing objects they ask for, they can also imbue you with ‘super paint’ which is the only thing that can remove Darkness from walls. ![]() You can also bring to life differently coloured genies, which have unique abilities such as being able to set fire to certain objects or activate electric power circuits. An accident with a shipping tanker has polluted the water, except not with oil but with a strange magical substance called the Darkness which… makes everything a bit miserable? The game isn’t too clear on what the Darkness is or what it was doing in an oil tanker but the upshot of it all is that everyone has evacuated the town, except for Ash and a gang of bullies. The problem is we have a feeling we’re going to forget about it again just as quickly.Ĭoncrete Genie casts you as a young boy named Ash who used to live in a small fishing village called Denska. In fact, before our review copy turned up, we’d completely forgotten Concrete Genie even existed. The PS4’s latest exclusive mixes Jet Set Radio with a touching coming of age story, but how does it stand up against other Sony classics?ĭid you know Sony were releasing a brand new first party exclusive for the PlayStation 4 this week? If the answer’s no we’re not surprised, because they’ve made absolutely no effort to promote it. Concrete Genie (PS4) – lighting up the darkness… slightly
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