4/5 ★ – Austion_Ernie's review of Concrete Genie.

Backlog Reviews: Concrete Genie Bite-sized Review Initially, Pixelopus’s Concrete Genie seemed a typical game overcome by an idea. A piece that goes all-in on a mechanic, but not the game as a whole. I expected a dull plot with a paint friendly mode. I was wrong. Whether you are looking for an artistic experience, a more than serviceable heartfelt story, or fun gameplay with a much-needed change mid-game, Concrete Genie offers something for you.  In a small grungy port town named Denska, you play as Ash, a bullied teenager struggling with escapism. In this stop motion style action-adventure, you attempt to evade your bullies by escaping into your journal. Ash has a knack for sketching what he calls Genies of whom eventually come to life within the walls thanks to a magic paintbrush.  In classic fashion, Ash’s bullies take his journal and scatter the pages all about Denska. You progress by finding your lost pages in a rewarding collectathon, reinvigorating the town by painting the walls ridding it of a mysterious black sludge, and stealthily evading your bullies. Each and every beat seemed average, but after getting into the thick of them I found them becoming more enjoyable.  The writing though paced well, appeared predictable, and merely serviceable. However, as you progress the way in which it’s told improves adding much more depth and execution. It encompasses a powerful message filled with bullying, forgiveness, and coming of age.  Even though the message is effective it isn’t flawless. Story beats and throughlines are set up effectively but rely on the player to fill in the emotion. You catch on to what they are going for, but the payoff is barely there or not there at all even though Ash and the bullies act as if it is. I believe this to be linked to the game length as it just wasn’t long enough to establish powerful character to character moments.  Overall, Concrete Genie could have hit much harder if only it gave a little more. An artistic delight filled with a powerful message coupled with gameplay that appears simple, but ends up being utilized creatively in a way that carries you through its narrative cut just a bit short. 👍