Concrete Genie in the Test
Video games call all sorts of emotions in all of us awake from the adrenaline kick in strategic or action-Packed Battles extend beyond the satisfaction of having difficult Puzzles solved, up to a proud feeling to be a real (virtual) Hero who alone can save the world and all its inhabitants. And then there is games, the us simply happy – with wonderful, touching stories, a fairy tale-like presentation and a healthy Dose of magic and Concrete genius strikes in the latter notch.
A world in grey and colorful
The Setting of Concrete genius leads us to the once idyllic fishing village of Denska, after an oil Spill gradually died out, and now a less friendly youth gang as a headquarters serves. Our character, Ash, once lived here with his family and sits right at the beginning of the game, in the nostalgic thoughts of luxuriating in the less pretty, eerie, violet defaced vines, the shore, to his favorite Hobby to pursue: Painting of cute monsters and more. The apparent peace, but only briefly, because already faced in the Rowdy gang, takes him his sketch book and shredded it into its individual pages. Ash, however, is encountered in a cable car, it made a Beeline to the lighthouse of Denska brings – along with some of its pages, which they weave with their own free will next to him to switch. Arrived, follows them to Ash and makes an incredible discovery: The Monster that he once painted on its sides, and on the streets of Denska, can be brought to life by his paintings to life and help him to save the city: with a color, which can even ban the use of the violet strands of darkness, and searching for home.
To life painted
Concrete Genie ranks in terms of game feeling under titles like Flower, Okami , or Tearaway Unfolded , and offers us an experience that, thanks to colors, positive message, beautiful audio-visual presentation and a relaxed Gameplay almost meditative effect. Your task in the game is using your magical brush all sorts of forms (Djinn or Genies with all their possible parts of the body, to the painting of natural elements such as grasses, trees, flowers, stars, moons, or suns, but also more abstract things such as rain and Thunderstorms) to the various walls of Denska to bring the bulbs of the entire city to radiation.
The forms you receive by your sides, and swirling around in the streets, while her painted in all of the is always of your and brought it to life Djinn will be accompanied. These come in several variants, such as fire, electricity, or Wind, and will help you in several ways: For one, they tell you again and again, what forms would you like to see in the corresponding walls and reward you for the work of art, with super color, also can paint on the walls, which are overgrown by the violet strands of darkness. On the other djinns can burn away but also barriers, electrical connection boxes, and thus a variety of machines to activate, or all the Trucks blow.
You brought the light bulbs to a whole Region finally, the lights, the latter wakes to life again, even the most stubborn dark strands disappear, and Denska comes closer to its former glory, a small piece.
Negative Emotions
So wonderfully relaxing to Paint in the Concrete Genie is, without an active adversary is allowed you to the color game, but not surrender: While your paintings met her again and again, through the streets of the city moving gang, it’s on you apart has. The easiest way to avoid it: you have to climb over the roofs of Denska. Up there you have not only a great view, and a further page of eures sketch book for more possible Malformen, often the way in breezy heights is also the only one to enter new areas of the place and also to paint and to bring all of the bulbs from it.
The young bullies will not let this go and follow you again and again in the new zones of Denska to deface your masterpieces again. Fortunately, you can get it by distraction briefly of passages, pages, and your in her presence, staring Djinn lure. You discover you, to hide you for a while, until you lose the trail or your trail runs just in front of you, what works almost always without problems.
If the gang is so easy to get around, could you ask you now, why was she even in the game? Now, to match the game concept of Concrete genius, seems to be the group first and foremost as a Story, because as a Gameplay Element to serve. After you find out that the true disease, the Denska haunted, and all the inhabitants expelled has, not even the stranded Ölplage, but the negative emotions that followed – and now in the Form of the violet dark strands in the city make. And the gang represents this, which is also made in Cutscenes during the game, in which you can learn more about the members of the creep group, clear.
Collection of fun ahoy
Concrete Genie sets, as already mentioned, primarily on atmospheric Storytelling and simple Gameplay that is, but not for a long time that the title quickly monotonous it is. Quite the contrary: The of cute monsters who interact with you inter, to play and to help you accompanied the painting makes an unexpectedly addictive, and if you look between the color a little bit of a challenge to conjure up the power to explore Denska – because there is a lot to discover!
In each Zone you have to make you remember, the hidden sketch book to find pages, but also ways of interacting with your Djinn, such as opportunities for games. Also memories you may awaken by you on the lookout for small white paintings on the walls of the city, and then the Motif of your companions, with your requests.
Who is called PSVR, you can also make use of special VR modes, more specifically a mini-game with the Djinn BLOB, as well as the “Free Paint”mode that you can free switch.
Magical Presentation
In keeping with the theme of the game, was also the presentation of Concrete genius chosen: In terms of graphics, builds on the comic-like characters in fairy-tale-like environments, the first, gray and grim, through your Malkünste however, in colourful, vibrant colors. The sound effects under the action flick perfectly, and your paintings are ringing, rustling, and more, while the cute grunts, laughs, and Gurrer this screws your Djinn the cuteness factor again belonging to the top. The Soundtrack is also coupled with your paintings, so the help of you created masterpieces Denksa not only visually bring to life, but also to the unique sound of the village, and the atmosphere thus also increase.
CONCLUSION:
Titles such as Flower or Tearaway Unfolded have already proved in the past that it is a great game, often nothing else needs to as an atmospheric Setting and a little magic – and Concrete genius closes with the same formula in the same impressive way. Demanding Action passages, it is not in vain, miss but – instead, the magical color affects the game with his fantastic forms, sounds, and sweet Djinn as a meditative excursion into a world in which everything is much simpler and yet full of magic. Concrete Genie lives of its atmosphere and the feelings it evokes, and at least I could fully captivate. Of us there are, therefore, a clear thumbs-up for the cute Monster-Time-of adventure, and his positive Message.
What Concrete genius? Story – and atmosphere-focused Monster-Time-adventure with a positive MessagePlatforms: PS4
Tested: PS4 Version on your PS4 Pro with PSVR
Developer / Publisher: Pixel Opus / Sony
Release: 9. October 2019
Link: Official Website
