Genesis Noir

2021-03-31T00:30:25Z

135.0.55.62:

{{Infobox video game
| title = Genesis Noir
| released = March 26, 2021
| publisher = Fellow Traveller
| developer = Feral Cat Den
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| genre = [[Adventure]], [[Puzzle game|Puzzle]]
| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[MacOS]], [[Xbox One]], [[Nintendo Switch]]
| engine = [[Unreal Engine 4]]
| image = File:Genesis_Noir.jpg
}}'''Genesis Noir''' is an adventure video game developed by American<ref name="presskit">{{Cite web|title=Press Kit|url=http://genesisnoirgame.com/presskit/sheet.php?p=genesis_noir|access-date=2021-01-24|website=www.genesisnoirgame.com}}</ref> studio Feral Cat Den. The game follows the main character, No Man as he visits different parts of the universe while trying to save his love. The game was released on [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[MacOS]], [[Xbox One]] and [[Nintendo Switch]] on March 26, 2021.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-09-28|title=Genesis Noir - Dev Update: Genesis Noir Coming Early 2021 - Steam News|url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/735290/view/2769108226060450626|access-date=2021-01-24|website=store.steampowered.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Genesis Noir|url=http://www.genesisnoirgame.com/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=www.genesisnoirgame.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Genesis Noir for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Game Details|url=https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/genesis-noir-switch/|access-date=2021-03-25|website=www.nintendo.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Gameplay==
[[File:Genesis_Noir_Gameplay_screenshot.png|left|thumb|No Man exploring one of the game's city environments ]]
''Genesis Noir'' is a point-and-click [[adventure game]], played out across a number of vignettes. The player is prompted to move their character or interact with the scene through various on-screen prompts.<ref name="eg review" />

==Plot==
''Genesis Noir'' plays as a metaphorical narrative between a [[film noir]]-style detective movie and aspects of the creation and potential destruction of the universe. It plays out the events of the [[Big Bang]] as a metaphor between a broken romance between No Man (representing time) trying to stop Golden Boy (representing energy) from killing Miss Mass (the mass of the universe).<ref name="eg review">{{Cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-03-25-genesis-noir-review-an-adventure-spanning-all-of-creation| title = Genesis Noir review - an adventure spanning all of creation | first = Malandy | last =Hetfeld | date = March 27, 2021 | accessdate = March 27, 2021 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref>

No Man, a watch maker, has fallen into depression after breaking up with Miss Mass, a night club singer. He tries calling her and hears her crying for help, and racing to her apartment finds that she is about to be shot by Golden Boy, the saxophone player from her band. After touching the spent bullet casing with a strange spiral marking, No Man finds he can pause time, and determines he can stop Golden Boy's bullet by creating a black hole. He then proceeds to track down more of the spiral symbols through events that would occur without the black hole and turn them golden; these are told through various vignettes that follow the creation of the universe and stages of life on Earth to obtain these. Among these, No Man befriends the Huntress, the Ronin, the Musician, and the Scientist. Further, these vignettes reveal that Golden Boy has found his fame through Miss Mass, and became jealous of when No Man started a relationship with her.

Eventually collecting enough spirals, No Man converts their energy to create a black hole, but which begins consuming all of reality. A white figure, an amalgamation of the Huntress, Ronin, Musician, and Scientist, appears to comfort No Man, and shows him he can see all the possibilities in time, and that he does not have to save everyone. With this revelation, No Man returns to the point where he first had his encounter with Miss Mass, and forces himself to turn away, changing the timeline to allow Golden Boy kill Miss Mass, and allowing the universe to be created.

== Development ==
According to the creative lead Evan Anthony, the idea of ''Genesis Noir'' came about around 2013 after he and Jeremy Abel, the game's technical lead, had read [[Italo Calvino]]'s ''[[Cosmicomics]]''. They spent about two weeks in 2014 to create the initial prototype for the game. The prototype got a positive response from other members of the indie game community, leading them to plan out expanding the game.<ref name="vice dev">{{cite web | url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5b4my/genesis-noir-brings-a-jazzy-silver-screen-vibe-to-the-story-of-creation | title= 'Genesis Noir' Brings a Jazzy, Silver-Screen Vibe to the Story of Creation | first = Lewis | last =Gordon | date = March 25, 2021 | accessdate = March 27, 2021 | work = [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] }}</ref><ref name="tyf interview">{{cite web | url = https://www.theyoungfolks.com/video-games/115939/interview-evan-anthony-on-the-genesis-noir-kickstarter/ | title = Interview: Evan Anthony on the Genesis Noir Kickstarter | first = Travis | last = Hymas | date = January 30, 2018 | accessdate = March 27, 2021 | work = The Young Folks }}</ref> The early prototypes for the game was created in [[Unity (game engine)|Unity]] which had various animation issues, leading to the development team to switch to [[Unreal Engine]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Making it in Unreal: how Genesis Noir's generative art birthed a story in the solar system|url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/genesis-noir/making-it-in-unreal-genesis-noir|access-date=2021-01-24|website=PCGamesN|language=en-GB}}</ref> They continued to work part time on the game through 2016, after which they had enough personal funds to continue full time development on the game.<ref name="tyf interview"/>

The game was originally announced with a teaser in February 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Adam|date=2017-02-23|title=In Genesis Noir, Earth is shrapnel aimed at a god's heart|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/02/23/genesis-noir-game/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|language=en-US}}</ref> A Kickstarter for the ''Genesis Noir'' was launched on January 17, 2018, with a funding goal of $40,000.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cox|first=Matt|date=2018-01-18|title=Cosmic adventure game Genesis Noir is on Kickstarter|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/18/cosmic-adventure-game-genesis-noir-is-on-kickstarter/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|language=en-US}}</ref> The game was originally set to be released in Fall 2020, but was delayed to early 2021.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Watts|first=Rachel|date=2020-06-13|title=Cosmic detective adventure Genesis Noir will be out this coming Fall|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/cosmic-detective-adventure-genesis-noir-will-be-out-this-coming-fall/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=PC Gamer|language=en-US}}</ref>

In addition to Calvino's works, the game's art style was influenced by animation studios [[Buck (design company)|Buck]], Giant Ant, and Golden Wolf,, artwork by [[Kevin Huizenga]] and Marc-Antoine Michel,<ref name="tyf interview"/> and the video game [[Windosill]].<ref name=":1" />

The game's music is provided by Skillbard, a London-based duo that has provided compositions for other indie game developers.<ref name="tyf interview"/>

== Reception ==
{{Video game reviews
| MC = PC: 81/100<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/genesis-noir/critic-reviews |title=Genesis Noir for PC Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Feral Cat Den]] |access-date=March 25, 2021}}</ref>
| Edge = 8/10
| Destruct = 8.5/10<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/review-genesis-noir-623783.phtml|title=Review: Genesis Noir |website=[[Destructoid]]|access-date=March 25, 2021}}</ref>
}}
Genesis Noir received "generally favorable reviews" on [[Metacritic]], ending up with a score of 81.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Genesis Noir|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/genesis-noir|access-date=2021-03-25|website=Metacritic|language=en}}</ref> Critics praised the visuals and story, but criticized the puzzles as being confusing.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
Awards
!Year
!Award
!Category
!Result
!Ref
|-
|2017
|NYS Game Dev Challenge
|Independent Developer
|1st Place
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-05-08|title=Governor Cuomo Announces Winners of First-Ever Statewide Game DEV Challenge Competition|url=https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-winners-first-ever-statewide-game-dev-challenge-competition|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Governor Andrew M. Cuomo|language=en}}</ref>
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.genesisnoirgame.com/}}
* {{IMDb title|12504028}}

[[Category:2021 video games]]
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:MacOS games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Xbox Cloud Gaming games]]
[[Category:Xbox One games]]
[[Category:Art games]]
[[Category:Indie video games]]
[[Category:Video games with silhouette graphics]]

{{adventure-videogame-stub}}

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Genesis Noir