After a successful Kickstarter in 2018, the Genesis Noir game developed by Feral Cat Den was on a good track. Like most crowdfunded projects it missed its launch window to move from late December 2019 to early 2021 but we won’t hold that against them.

Genesis Noir is the work of a small number of people including Evan Anthony and Jeremy Abel, as well as Mercy Lomelin, David Szmit and Adria Navarro.

Now that you have an idea of the size of the team, you can continue reading this review to find out more about this original game.

Lore

Genesis Noir is an interactive adventure between point & click and contemplative travel. The game offers us to carry out an investigation that will take us through time and space, both in our memories and in those of our planet.

This single-player experience hooks us first of all thanks to its graphic choices where we oscillate between 2D and 3D, but also by the tone of the game.

Between a police investigation and a walk in the middle of the Big Bang, your journey will not be easy. And yet, the proposed adventure allows us to escape in a few moments.

Game

Genesis Noir tells us a story like a film noir, letting us discover the characters ourselves through the vision of the protagonist, and where we will only fully understand the story once the adventure is over.

We play as an unnamed character who is going to witness a murder. The murder has not yet taken place and time stops when the bullet leaves the gun, that’s when our game really starts.

Our character with his detective airs will then go in search of a solution to stop the bullet before it reaches its target and far from going to the easy way, it is a race through time (and space) that he begins.

Indeed, to stop this Big Bang (the shooting of the gun) you will have to visit key moments of the creation of the world but also key moments of our civilization.

An interesting marriage between scientific history and mythology, where the gameplay changes at every moment to make us live the adventure in a different way depending on where we are.

If Genesis Noir tries to illustrate in the simplest of ways the fundamental concepts of the Big Bang story, it also takes pleasure in letting us marvel at the size of the elements that surround us.

During one chapter you are smaller than a watch (an object chosen on purpose) and the next moment you are standing next to the stars while the planets fit in the palm of your hand.

We interact with the scenery, we progress in our investigation (at least we hope so) and we contemplate these fantastic worlds that come to life around us as we discover them.

The game is not linear because it takes us both to the discovery of the history of the universe but also in our own past. Little by little, we recover memories that allow us to understand how we arrived at this point (in the face of this murder that is taking place at the moment).

The story is mostly told without words and this forces us to be attentive to our surroundings.

Don’t expect an action game when you launch Genesis Noir, but an interactive adventure where you travel through time to understand scientific concepts (but not only) and find the solution to this deadly riddle.

We pick up a stray object, we follow footprints, we play with electronic devices, we are not idle.

In addition to its simply masterful graphic style, the game relies on a perfect choice of music. If the atmosphere is successful, the music is an integral part of the game since the plot starts in a concert hall/café/restaurant and our protagonists all play an instrument.

Lifetime

The adventure ends in a few hours (4 or 5 hours max) and you can replay the chapters of the game at will. Unfortunately, once the investigation is over, the interest of the “replayability” lies mainly in the contemplative side.

It’s a straightforward investigation. There are no interrogations, no objects to be missed, here we are told a story and we interact to move forward.

Verdict

Les points positifs

  • The graphic style
  • The music is superb
  • The story and the narrative

Les points négatifs

  • Uneven pace of play

Mentions spéciales

En résumé

Genesis Noir offers a relaxing experience that allows us to travel through time and space. From the origin of the universe to an uncertain future, we follow the evolution of our civilization to solve an enigmatic murder. A beautiful and unique experience that will appeal to lovers of storytelling.

Where is the score assigned to the game in this test?
It's simple, there is none. We believe that the experience offered by a video game cannot be reduced to an arbitrary rating as complex as it is. We invite you to read the whole test and the verdict which give a fairly detailed idea of ​​the experience provided by the game.