Genesis Noir Review

I have taken more screen caps of Genesis Noir than any other game on my Nintendo Switch. Genesis Noir's opening moments to its final sections are visually stunning. You can see everything from New York City to the edge, from a snowy forest, to a fleet spaceships, all the while keeping your eyes peeled.

Genesis Noir is, in broad strokes of the word, a mystery. The title's 'noir" is a hint at the game's influences. You play as a lonely man (or 'No Man') and hock fake watches on the streets until you meet an old flame. This kicks off a bizarre journey to prevent a murder. This is the basic setup of Genesis Noir. Now, let's get to the real fun part. You will need to take a metaphysical journey through time and space to stop the murderer.

Each chapter begins with a screen of text that explains the astrophysics happening beneath our daily lives. This includes topics such as the Big Bang, temperature inside black holes, and what might happen to all life in the universe. Are you with us so far?

Genesis Noir is a narrative-driven film that doesn't require you to read every word. You can simply scroll from one screen to the next and enjoy the entertainment.

You can play the game as a puzzle or point-and-click adventure game. Your cursor will move around the environment to find things for No Man or manipulate the layout of one screen's reality. There are many new mechanics in the game: You can do everything from assembling 3D puzzles to planting magic seeds and performing a call-and response jazz routine all in one hour.

The majority of the game uses minimalist colors. There are deep blues, glowing golds and other bright colors that complement the black-and white. The characters shrink and grow as they lose control of scenes. There is a sense of novelty in moving around the game's areas as you discover how rotating the control stick can control the passage of time or finding previously-hidden routes.

Each character is drawn in large, almost single-stroke lines. Every person and place feels alive. Genesis Noir feels like a decade-late sequel to Disney's Fantasia. It showcases fascinating animation experiments and the creative power of 2-d animation.

The soundtrack is also outstanding. It includes everything from moody jazz to interstellar sounds. Each track is captivating and emotional, which pairs perfectly with the decadent visuals.

The game's design is great, but the gameplay is less so. Although the game is constantly evolving, it's easy to get frustrated and impatient at the inability to skip sections. Some mechanics can be tedious. For example, you might have to fiddle with complicated machine dials in order to find a solution that is only vaguely described on a whiteboard.

Genesis Noir appears determined to preserve the point-and-click tradition of incoherent puzzle solutions. Many puzzles aren't clear and don't give hints at solutions, so you have to scroll across the screen looking for anything that might be interactable. Some screens don't even have a mechanic. To make something happen, you simply need to press A or move a control stick forward. It doesn't matter how beautiful the onscreen action may be, Genesis Noir can leave you in the dark so it becomes difficult to enjoy.

Although the game lasts for around five hours, it quickly runs out of steam towards the end. There are many false endings, which can lead to a feeling of delayed resolution that gets annoying around the third or fourth time. It is particularly disappointing considering how thrilling Genesis Noir's first third was, but this momentum doesn't last the entire game.

The game's narrative fails to connect all its various strands, not only are there inexplicable puzzles and sections that don't require player interaction, but also the game's narrative is a mess. Although it deserves credit for making such a big swing, the science fiction and detective noir halves of the game never quite mesh. It tries to keep the narrative flexible enough to be able to wear both genre hats. However, the ending is not detailed. Perhaps choosing one lane in the middle and sticking with it would have been more helpful.

Genesis Noir had some technical problems for me. It crashed often and was frequently late in chapters. This meant that I would have to start them again. It happened right at the end of the game. This didn't help my frustration about the long final act.

Whether or not you're a fan of point and click games, Genesis Noir absolutely deserves to be seen. This is one of the most striking and visually stunning games I have ever seen. However, it might be more enjoyable as a movie than a video game. I felt that the game's visual style was charming and it was worth all the frustrations and technical glitches. But then, frustrations started to pile up and made me wonder if it was really worth the effort.

Genesis Noir is still a great game. It's unique and has a clear ambition. Even though they look lush, these screencaps lack the game's wonderful sense of motion. You can still enjoy Genesis Noir, even if you haven't played it. This game will stay with me for a long period of time. Its grandeur is more important than the annoyances it caused.