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PS4 exclusive 'Concrete Genie' is delayed again, this time to fall 2019
PixelOpus hasn't said much about Concrete Genie since its 2017 reveal and last year's gameplay clip, but the studio is nearly ready to show its hand... hopefully. The PS4 title is now slated to launch in fall 2019, or considerably later than the earlier spring 2019 window (which was itself a delay). However, it'll come with an as yet undescribed PlayStation VR mode to spice things up. Also, an accompanying trailer (below) gives you a good summary of the story. You play Ash, a bullied child whose street art is instrumental as both his escape and, of course, a game mechanic -- he has to paint his hometown back to life while dealing with the bullies trying to make his life miserable.
'Concrete Genie' is a game about bullying and street art
Back in the Dreamcast era, I fell in love with a game called Jet Set Radio. It was about a group of rollerbladers who leapt around a colorful, futuristic version of Tokyo spray-painting everything in sight. I consider it a classic and one of the best games Sega has ever published. Coincidentally, so does Dominic Robilliard, creative director of Sony studio PixelOpus. In fact, his first job in the games industry was at Sega, testing Jet Set Radio prior to its release. It's no surprise, then, to hear that his next game, Concrete Genie, is heavily inspired by the cel-shaded platformer.
Entwined Challenge adds unlockables, new scoring system
You can play on-the-go matchmaker by guiding an unlikely partnering in Entwined Challenge, a mobile version of developer Pixelopus' twin-stick matchmaker on the PS4, PS3 and Vita. Aside from a meager 99-cent price in comparison to the $9.99 journey found on PlayStation platforms, Entwined Challenge adds a new scoring system to Entwined's Challenge Mode and, as noted by its store description, offers "never before seen" unlockables in the form of concept art, sketches and video clips. Weekend Editor Sam Prell soared through the original release, finding simplicity to be "simultaneously Entwined's greatest strength and its biggest weakness." A "relatively bare construction" kept the experience short and visual hiccups also occasionally hindered Sam's flight patterns. Still, for anyone that finds short bursts of relaxed gameplay inviting, Sam remarked that Entwined "utterly succeeds" on that front. [Image: PlayStation Mobile Inc.]
Entwined tunnels to PS3 and Vita today
Entwined is now available on PS3 and Vita in North America, and will float to Europe tomorrow. The game launched on PS4 in June on the same day it was announced during Sony's E3 2014 press conference. Developed by a group of Carnegie Mellon University graduates, Entwined has players controlling two characters at once - a fish and a bird - flying through a colorful tunnel and collecting memories. The brief getaway elicits "a sense of serenity and peace," according to our review, and is also easy on the checkbook: The $10 game is Cross-Buy compatible, so those that own the game on PS4 can download it for free on PS3 and Vita. It's also Cross-Save capable, so Entwined veterans will be able to carry their progress across the three consoles. [Image: Sony]
Entwined coming to PS3, Vita in 'very near future'
Entwined's pursuit of love is beautiful and challenging, but with Vita and PS3 versions on the way, it's about to add "portable" to its list of adjectives. Developer Pixelopus' Dominic Robilliard posted an introspective of the twin-stick matchmaker on the PlayStation Blog, which concluded by mentioning Pixelopus' intention to get both versions to fans "in the very near future." Weekend Editor Sam Prell's review notes that Entwined's strengths lie in its "sense of serenity and peace" rather than competing on leaderboards, which sounds like a healthy mindset for a relationship-focused game. Still, Prell noticed a problematic hiccup with Entwined's visuals when an attempt to pair its characters is botched: it's something that "persists for only a fraction of a second, but it makes lining up your targets difficult, and is enough of an annoyance that it becomes frustrating." [Image: Pixelopus]
