Concrete Genie Review

Concrete Genie

Release: October 8, 2019
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Pixel Opus
Genre: Action, Adventure, Family, Genres, Other, Platformer, PS4-Categories
PEGI: 10+
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In Concrete Genie, you play as a boy who draws monsters and scenery on walls to bring a town back to life. If you read our preview of the game, you already know that the game is magical and has a certain charm to it. But does that magic and charm last the whole game? Is Concrete Genie worth checking out? Here is our review of Concrete Genie for the Playstation 4!

Note: Concrete Genie includes VR modes that we were not able to cover in this review. The following review covers the main Concrete Genie game and free painting mode.

Concrete Genie is a beautiful game. The 2D art on the walls, especially, is amazing. There is only one flaw to it and thats that occasionally the monsters get stuck in between corners, though they always find their way out. The 2D animated sequences in this game are great. Though yes, the game’s 3D graphics are good too! Together, the 3D and 2D combine to create a game perfectly tailored to an all-ages audience.

The game’s story may be seen by some as a kids story because it stars children. However, Concrete Genie has an all-ages story; anyone can enjoy it. Kids and adults will find the story interesting. The gameplay is the same way.

You do not have to be an artist to play Concrete Genie. Most of the artwork in the game is pre-made. The monsters are the main thing you make and you can be as creative as you want to with them. The player uses motion controls to paint the walls. For the most part, the motion controls work well. There are some issues with the on-screen cursor being misaligned on occasion, but its very easy to reset the curors with the press of a button. The game’s non-motion controls are perfect.

Some of the moves that the player pulls off in Concrete Genie will remind players of games like Marvel’s Spider-man and Prince of Persia. And just when the game starts to feel a little repetitive, Concrete Genie introduces new gameplay mechanics that make the game even more exciting and add a bit of challenge to it! We’re being vague because we don’t want to ruin the surprise of these new mechanics. They are so much fun!

And after you finish the game completely, you can revisit the wall paintings you created or create new ones via the free painting mode! The game also has a photo mode that you can use through the game (and after) to create really cool pics that you can share online. Concrete Genie isn’t a long game, but it is utterly delightful.

Then there’s the game’s soundtrack. The music in Concrete Genie is subtle and calm. It doesn’t really stand out but it fits the game well. The voices and sound effects are much more impressive. The voice acting is on par with an animated movie. The sound effects, especially when painting and later in the game, are excellent.

Overall, Concrete Genie is an fantastic game.

If you’re looking for something different, something thats full of charm and whimsy, then you can not go wrong with Concrete Genie. The story is neat, the graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay is a ton of fun. Concrete Genie is a wonderful game.

Thank you to Sony Interactive Entertainment Canada for providing a digital code for this review. Concrete Genie is out now at retail and on the Playstation 4 store!

Trailer