I'm struggling with whether I really liked Genesis Noir, or merely just liked it. For now I've gone with really liked it because the experience of the game, especially visually, sonically and conceptually, was very enjoyable. I enjoyed the various visual metaphors that played into a discussion of cosmological forces through the lens of almost pre-Noir visuals.

The game arguably borrows heavily from one of film Noir's predecessors, German Expressionism to convey inner states and emotionality through setting and visuals. But even with what I think is that pre-Noir influence, the game leans heavily into articulating itself via film Noir sensibilities, with a struggle between cosmic beings that influences creation, expansion and eventually retraction on a cosmic scale is represented through a classic love triangle and murder, the latter to be solved or prevented by our detective-like protagonist.

The game is visually and sonically arresting, and there are big and small moments alike that will take your breath away. However there is a significant obstacle to the enjoyment of the game that prevents me from loving it, and even from contemplating a lower score than I have currently assigned. The controls in this game are mediocre at best, downright frustrating and a hindrance at worst. I played Genesis Noir on console, so I hope some of these problems are alleviated on PC with a keyboard and mouse (although I've read that might not be the case). While many people's biggest complaint about this game will likely be the frustrating pixel hunt aspect, my frustration ran deeper. Aside from pixel hunting, the game rarely cooperates mechanically.

To be clear, Genesis Noir is not a difficult game. I am almost hesitant to call it a puzzle game. It's more of an experience than a series of puzzles. Even what you may call a puzzle is simply a series of click-through sequences. There is very little to deduce and solve in this game. Yet you will constantly hit walls when playing Genesis Noir, because most often the game fails to cooperate with the player. More often than not you'll easily deduce the solution to a problem, yet the game won't permit you to apply that solution.

On many occasions the game just simply ignored my input. Clicking on what I assumed was the element to click on resulted in no action. Clicking on the same element ten or even twenty times finally registered an action. On multiple occasions I couldn't exit a segment of a puzzle despite clicking everywhere on the screen. I had to exit the game and restart the segment for my actions to register. It's often a deeply frustrating game and I completely empathize with people that either bounced off Genesis Noir or didn't enjoy their experience.

So in the end, why four stars/really liked it? Simply because despite the frustration I still appreciated the experience. The strength of the visuals and sound design, the score and artistry, were enough to carry me through to the end. I'm on the precipice of rating it one star lower because of the various frustrations I had with the game, but I came out of the experience pleased nonetheless. It's a hard game to recommend because it can be obtuse and will put people off, but I think that it will still appeal to those with a penchant for a certain aesthetic.

I had low expectation for GN, expecting it to be a fairly short gimmick of some kind, but it's more than that at the very least. While it isn't long, and it is a fairly 'on rails' kind of adventure game. It's smooth and lean and doesn't have most of the pitfalls that other point and click adventure games have (and that's basically what it is, fite me!) (it's like film noir and Gnosticism had a baby, such a bizzarre inspiration)

It is a multi-dimensional (literally and figuratively) point and click with shifting camera angles, which only adds to the visual spectacle. It combines the buttery smooth animations and rendered video visuals with audio feedback based on your actions. These compoents are fantastic, and mesh with both the overall style, that is very artistic, with a story that has philosophical/thoughtful depth to it. I very much enjoyed.

However, at times some of the games 'puzzles' are longwinded, and somewhat obtuse. I would not want this game to be longer, maybe even would want it shorter. The laboratory equipment puzzle got really annoying by the end...

In nay case it's one of the most interesting point-and-click type adventures I've ever played. The story in this game was smarter than me, and my ability to understand or fully appreciate, (and not in what i feel was some pretentious way) and I have to respect that. It was also overall fun to play. Not perfect but highly recommended.

When Genesis Noir's trailer started making the rounds, several friends and acquaintances reached out to ask if I'd seen it or not. They were right to think I'd be interested: It's a "weird adventure game" with heavily stylized visuals, and I'm a sucker for media that uses genre as a familiar framing device for examining unfamiliar ideas. A big bang film noir? Sounds great!

The game's presentation certainly lives up to that potential. Evan Anthony's creative direction is stunning, easily the highlight of my playthrough. It has such a clear and consistent voice, blurring the lines between which elements are "2-D" and "3-D," and I was really impressed by its creative use of animation frame rates, perspective, iconography and color.

But I couldn't help feeling that Genesis Noir wanted to keep me at arm's length. The game's characters were a bit too broad for me to form an attachment to, functioning more as metaphors than personalities or even archetypes. The areas allowing free movement felt a bit clunky, especially when I mistakenly strayed from the intended path. And the sections with more limited "on rails" interactivity felt strangely paced: I often wondered why certain moments would linger (or even repeat themselves), while others I'd have preferred to stop and take in seemed to fly by.

The Collision chapter is a noteworthy exception. The puzzles are simple but encourage a mix of problem-solving and improvisation, and the pay-off for completing them is a bit of endearing character interaction. I'd have loved to see similar elements peppered throughout the whole story.

I think Genesis Noir is a beautiful and distinctive example of visual storytelling, and that alone is a tremendous accomplishment. But as a stylized film noir adventure game about big cosmic questions, there's a lot it could still learn from Grim Fandango.