
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.
#Concrete genie ign free#
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. Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, who has enjoyed what he's played of Concrete Genie so far.As you go from one part of Denska to the next, you’re effectively painting the lights back on, while pushing the darkness out. For more on the upcoming action-platformer, be sure to check out our hands-on impressions of the included PSVR Concrete Genie mode and, after its showing earlier this year, we discussed how Sony's first State of Play did and didn't work.

Sony first revealed Concrete Genie in October 2017.
#Concrete genie ign Ps4#
While not going into any detail, it appears the skill will allow for fast traversal on skates made of luminous paint.Ĭoncrete Genie is PixelOpus’ second game, following up its previously PS4 exclusive Entwined. Given that Concrete Genie offers players the same painting parts but the opportunity to draw and blend them together as they please, Photo Mode will let players show off their artwork, and the creative process behind those pieces.įinaly, PixelOpus has also revealed a new skill that players will be able to use in the game: Paint Skating. Players will be able to publish not just still photos of their creations but also timelapse-esque videos that showcase how a particular work came together. "It's something we just can't stop playing with, it's so much fun." "Once you've lined up your shot, you can press a button and it will replay, like a timelapse, all of your painted elements," Dominic Robilliard, Creative Director at PixelOpus, said. But given that players’ artistic expression, painting scenery and genies on the buildings of the fictional town of Denska, Pixelopus’ Photo Mode has a twist. In addition to the price and date, PixelOpus also confirmed Concrete Genie, like most Sony first-party games, will have an included Photo Mode.
