Inciting the events of Concrete Genie, our main character Ash is granted with a magical paintbrush that can bring his sketches to life and is tasked with saving the dreary port of Denska from some kind of encroaching darkness.Ĭoncrete Genie isn’t concerned about the “hows” and “whys” of its story, I think it’s all the better for it. It’s about the creative process, how it creates and destroys lives and how those of us gifted with an eye that can see beyond the crushing darkness surrounding us can turn the world into a place that’s special.

Concrete Genie isn’t meant to be a blockbuster game, designed to ship millions of copies, it’s far too quiet and experience for that and divorced from the expectations of what many might heave onto a Sony published game, I think Concrete Genie is small, deeply personal that should evoke a great deal of child-like whimsy in anyone proudly still has a heart beating in their chest.Ĭoncrete Genie is a game about creativity and life, told through a story that’s tingling with the twisted darkness of Neil Gaiman infused with the magical wonder of Enid Blyton. One of the smaller Sony first-party titles to launch on development, it has the aspect of “prestige gaming” that’s become quite the buzz word at the moment, the sort of experience that places cinematic storytelling over its core mechanics and for the most part it succeeds. I’m not saying those reviews are wrong, mind you there are certainly aspects to this game that can easily be taken for more…industrial rather than whimsical, yet I think to hone in on those factors would being doing Concrete Genie a disservice.

There are plenty of things in Concrete Genie one could point at and shout, “Yeah, it’s pretty BUT…” and I wouldn’t be surprised if many reviews do end up taking that route. It would be exceptionally easy to write this review from the mindset of a cynic.

Concrete genie rating