Concrete Genie is a puzzle/platform/painting game released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4. The game was developed by Pixelopus, an in-house developer for Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Concrete Genie follows Ash, a teenage boy with a love of art who used to live in a fishing town called Denska. However, Denska was mostly abandoned after an oil spill ruined its fishing industry, and anyone who stayed was soon chased off by a strange force known only as Darkness. Denska has since become a place where Delinquents gather, and a group of those delinquents- Zack, Chuck, Janie, and Beatrice (accompanied by Froggy, their personal punching bag)- bully Ash whenever he comes back to Denska.
During one of his visits back to Denska, the bullies corner Ash, rip up his sketchbook, and lock him in a tram going to the abandoned Lighthouse, which is believed to be haunted. In reality, however, the "ghost" turns out to be a creature named Luna, who leads Ash to a magic paintbrush that will help him restore Denska by driving out the Darkness.
Gameplay mainly consists of painting. The player selects designs, which come in four categories (a fifth one was released as DLC) and can be picked up as collectibles, then draws them on walls and other surfaces by moving the controller. At certain places, you can create Genies, creatures that can interact with Ash and the world around them. When the Genies make requests of you, helping them rewards you with Super Paint, which you can use to clear out the Darkness on certain walls. Genies can also help you complete puzzles. There are also platforming elements, as Ash can climb up buildings to reach new locations or avoid the bullies. VR compatibility was later added.
Concrete Genie provides examples of:
- Anti-Frustration Features: If you're getting annoyed with the motion controls, there's an option to turn them off and use the right stick to control the paintbrush.
- Bully Turned Buddy: The four bullies quit being mean to Ash during chapters 5 and 6 after he (somewhat reluctantly) saves them from the Darkness and they help him defeat the Final Boss. The credits sequence shows them becoming closer to each other.
- Cassandra Truth: The newspapers around Denska and Ash's diary entry upon first entering the Hydroelectric Plant reveal information about a man named Professor Lee, who basically became a laughingstock after he tried and failed to get hydroelectric power from the ocean. However, Lee was also the first to theorize that the Darkness was caused by all the negativity surrounding Denska's slow economic death following the oil spill. While he was brushed off, Ash believes he was right about that one thing.
- Cute Kitten: There's a cat living in a cardboard box in the Hydroelectric Plant. Interacting with it will have Ash pet it, and nearby genies will do the same.
- Downloadable Content: The only piece of DLC released for the game was the "Pond" design set, which added new designs such as waterfalls, dragonflies, and cattails.
- Down the Drain: The Waterways level takes place in the sewers below Denska, though the name and level design are more pleasing to the eye than the trope implies.
- Everyone Has Standards: Even though they've all been jerks to Ash throughout the entire game, the other bullies react with surprise instead of laughter at Chuck kicking Ash in the ribs when they already pushed him to the ground and broke his paintbrush, and both Zack and Beatrice tell him off for it.Zack: Not cool!
Beatrice: Chuck! He was already down!!
Chuck: So?
Zack: Really, dude?
Beatrice: So, up 'til now we've just been messing with him. Not trying to put him in the hospital. - Freudian Excuse: With the exception of Froggy, whose family status is never mentioned, all of the bullies have Parental Issues. Zack's parents fought in front of their son constantly, Chuck and Janie's parents went through a messy divorce, and Beatrice's father was in jail for most of her life.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Ash takes this stance after seeing the bullies' Freudian Excuses, as while he feels bad for them, he doesn't think it excuses what they've done.
- Gang of Bullies: Chuck, Beatrice, Janie, and Zack form one, with Froggy only tagging along because if he doesn't, they'd likely bully him instead of Ash.
- Ghost Town: Denska. People had already started to leave when an oil spill ruined the town's fishing prospects, and the Darkness served as the final nail in the coffin for Denska being well and truly abandoned.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Luna pulls one of these to repair Ash's magic brush after the bullies break it. It makes it stronger, but Luna disappears. She comes back after Ash defeats the Final Boss.
- Kick Them While They Are Down: At the end of the Waterways, the bullies push Ash to the ground and Chuck kicks him in the ribs. The other bullies think this is going a little too far.
- One-Time Dungeon: Well, area, but once you complete Chapter 6, you can never go back to the Caves. They'll still appear on the map, but you cannot go back.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Froggy. Apparently, he got that nickname because... well, he likes frogs. His real name is never stated.
- Roofhopping: Once Ash gets onto the roofs, he can easily traverse on top of them, though not every area is connected this way. It's one of the best ways to avoid the bullies, as Ash himself lampshades that they don't seem very good at climbing, and it's required to get most collectibles.
- Sprint Shoes: The Paint Skate, unlocked in Chapter 5. It also lets you jump gaps you couldn't before.
- Shout-Out: The game design, mechanics, and characters are reminiscent of a certain game set in Seattle.
- Token Good Teammate: Froggy is this with a side of Tagalong Kid, as he's only sticking with the bullies because he doesn't want them to turn their bullying towards him.
- Unexpected Gameplay Change: The game is, for the most part, a fairly chill painting game with some platforming and puzzling. However, after the original brush is broken and the Darkness corrupts Ash's genies, it suddenly switches over into having combat mechanics. The combat mechanics disappear for a brief period in Chapter 6 and return for the Final Boss, but after that, they're gone for good. Though you get to keep the Paint Skate.
