I can still vividly recall the moment I first used a paintbrush by moving my PS4 controller in Concrete Genie. The opening stages of the PixelOpus' heartwarming adventure have you swiping a wash of color into the pages of protagonist Ash's sketchbook, and while the DualShock's motion sensor simulated the art of painting surprisingly well, the greater joy was yet to come. Concrete Genie tells a touching, delightfully moving story of a young artist who sets out to restore the seaside town of Denska. Once home to a lively community, the small port town now sits as a shell of what it once was following an environmental disaster.
Using the purifying powers of the magical paintbrush, you paint the town to rid it of its darkness and bring light and hope back. But there's so much more to it than that. For me, it delivers a meaningful message: creativity and artistic expression can help us through dark times. Of course, for Ash, that's in a very literal sense, but it applies in figurative terms, too. As the story progresses his art and painting allows him to escape his own troubles, and even eventually confront them. Concrete Genie is one game that left a lasting impression on me, and I've been thinking about it a lot lately after the sad news that the studio behind it is being shut down. So, now feels like the perfect time to reflect back on this PS4 exclusive gem.
