GENESIS NOIR
DEVELOPER FERAL CAT DEN • P RICE TBA genesisnoirgame.com
It’s rare I’ll play a game/demo and have no idea how to start explaining it. I mean, there was a nude photo above my bed and a giant phone that made my house disintegrate when I dialled the number written on some trash. Then I fell for a long time, viciously smashed a door and I think the gal I love might have gotten shot by a gigantic gun. I planted some seeds, created the creepiest of moons from a psychedelic sunflower and, really, thought it was a great experience. It wasn’t until I googled Genesis Noir that I learned the game is set before, during and after the Big Bang. That’s pretty cool.
I didn’t finish the demo. It’s very early in development, so it crashed a bit. But I did play the opening three times and was surprised to notice additional
narrative moments that had initially gone over my head. The story is crammed full of visual information that is more easily interpreted when you’ve started understanding the context. The artwork, from an elongated protagonist to a beautiful tree growing on a kind of dynamic, cosmic ledge, is unusual and distinctive. The sound design, combining jazz with electronica, reminds me of that British children’s show that traumatised me in the ‘80s, Chocky.
I’m not sure I’d call Genesis Noir a point and click adventure. It’s more like the Samorost games, where you click everything and see what happens, then stumble on solutions. Or like Plug and Play, with less, but probably not zero, sexual innuendo. Think of it as an animated short film that you can explore, as well as watch. It’s interesting to see developers experimenting with interactivity and stories that don’t have to eschew detail just because they’re told without words. I may not have understood what was happening in the demo, but I loved it, and I’m sure everything will become clear, as the universe expands.