Genesis Noir

Fascinating, dreamlike affair, with little actual gameplay, but a worthwhile pastime. Six hours play to complete, for me.

Not really a game. Just found no cloud sync. Lost all data, won't open it anymore.

It was for nothing.

Look, Genesis Noir is a really chill puzzle game that falls flat in the last chapters. Ironically, the visuals, being so rich in black & white, got absolutely killed by four ugly flat colours. Compare this to the subtle touches of gold that don't break the overall style while serving a purpose in the story. The music also changes from relaxing jazz to the worse.

But all that leads to a satisfying ending, right? Umm. I had hoped No Man would have to choose between saving his girl or saving the universe; but noo, he either makes out with her and she gets killed, or he dumps her and she gets killed. Nice.

tl;dr Nice point 'n' click game, great visual style, lame ending chapters

You like Jazz? Great!
I have to admit, the first few hours of game-play I was semi-confused of the plot and story. Tho I don't think its the fault of the game for the most part.

Pros: Visually the game is beautiful, Characters and backgrounds are very well designed despite the modernization style they are in. The music is also a very good plus

Cons: It's a Point and clicker game. Tho I'm sure my super lack of investment really does stem from the fact I have a monkey brain. So tho the story did pick up at the end and was getting to the point of enjoyment, due to the lack of really doing much besides small puzzles it was slightly lacklustering

I really did had to play the game a second round to really enjoy the things I end up missing/understanding. It took me legit a while to realize these characters were analogies for "the universe". Does it have that replay ability value? No not really. Your able to go back to the last save point and achieve both steam achievements at the very end. Is it worth full value?
To me and my monkey brain no. The game is beyond visually stunning and that's nothing to overshadow, but I guess for me it wasn't my cut of tea. I did however enjoyed it when I just want to relax and chill so that's some value. Get it on discount if you can.

What a Shame

I Wish I Could Forget This Game

What a shame. I beat this game (both of its endings) and refunded it. I've always held a personal code: even when I complete a game and could refund it I don't. I rarely refund it because I believe in supporting the developers who pour their heart and soul into their creations—even if the game isn't perfect. But with Genesis Noir, it was different. Despite having finished it, the experience was so utterly disappointing that I refunded it. For the past three years, I've wrestled with the urge to repurchase it because I felt compelled since I saw everything the game has to offer, but I ultimately chose not to because supporting a game I truly despise just isn’t something I can do.

The Disappointing Details

Boring and Pretentious
Genesis Noir tries to dazzle with its lofty ideas, but for me, it falls flat. I usually marvel at details and the art of storytelling, yet this game just didn’t click. The narrative feels overblown & pretentious that it ends up feeling empty. I get what it’s trying to say, but it says it in a way that’s blunt and uninspired.

Annoying Gameplay
The gameplay is another letdown. Instead of delivering a satisfying experience, I was forced to endure a series of boring, annoying mini games that I just wanted to skip through. Progress feels like a chore, not an engaging challenge, and every moment spent on these dull tasks only deepens my frustration.

Visuals That Don’t Connect
Visually, Genesis Noir is undeniably stunning. There’s no denying the craftsmanship in its art. Yet, despite their beauty, the visuals don’t resonate with me. The vibe is off; they seem designed to impress, but somehow, they fail to draw me in the way I’d hoped. It looks like something I should love, but it just doesn’t.

A Developer's Passion, Lost in Translation

I do have a soft spot for the effort behind Genesis Noir. It’s clear the developers poured their heart and soul into every detail. And yet, even that passion can’t save a game that isn’t fun, exciting, or clever. Sometimes, even when you know the creators have given everything they had, the final result simply misses the mark.

3 Years

It’s been three years, and every time I think of Genesis Noir, I’m reminded of how awful it was to play through. It’s a shame that a game with such promising elements could end up feeling so hollow. I stand by my decision to refund it.

Stellar

Ok, there's so many wonderful things about this game, but ultimately it is unplayable because of bugs. I can't count the number of restarts I've had to do to get through each and every level (and without video walkthroughs would not have been able to do many of them because the game mechanics don't work/freeze). It's a real shame, because it is an intriguing beautiful game but after 4 hours of game play (?) most of it spent restarting I just can't invest any more time or energy into finishing it. Playing on a Mac airbook running Sonoma 14.4. I'm really glad I bought it at a very reduced price, otherwise I'd be asking Steam for a refund.

Let’s be clear: *Genesis Noir* isn’t a game—it’s a TED Talk disguised as an interactive screensaver, crafted by someone who unironically quotes Carl Sagan at cocktail parties while sipping lukewarm kombucha. This cosmic snoozefest masquerading as "art" is what happens when a physics undergrad with a thesaurus tries to *solve the universe* while jazz saxophones moan in the background like a tortured algorithm.

The game’s obsession with quantum babble and noir aesthetics feels less like a creative vision and more like a desperate cry for validation from the "I-read-Hawking-on-the-subway" crowd. Every pixelated supernova and pseudo-profound dialogue tree ("Time is a melody… but what if we *flattened the waveform*?") reeks of a dev team that conflates *ambiguity* with *depth* and *randomness* with *meaning*. It’s the gaming equivalent of a black turtleneck-clad hipster explaining Schrödinger’s cat to a barista—**performative intellect**, polished to a hollow sheen.

And let’s talk about the gameplay—or lack thereof. Clicking on nebulae to trigger existential monologues about entropy isn’t "innovative"; it’s a screensaver with a superiority complex. The jazz soundtrack? A calculated ploy to trick you into thinking staring at a slowly rotating dodecahedron is "transcendent" instead of what it really is: **a screensaver with a PhD**.

In its desperate quest to be *interstellar Faulkner*, *Genesis Noir* forgets one thing: games should **engage**, not lecture. Save your $20 and just rewatch *Cosmos* on 2x speed—it’ll be equally profound, half as smug, and you might actually learn something.

**TL;DR:** A cosmic ballet of self-congratulatory pseudo-philosophy, best enjoyed by people who unironically use "ontological" in Scrabble.

"Solve a murder where the weapon was the Big Bang." was my understanding of Genesis Noir. This is what the trailers emphasize. The reality, it in many ways, not that at all.

This is a good thing! The plot of Genesis Noir attempts to explore a world where our entire universe is just a spec. In this, it mostly succeeds.

My only real gripe with the game is that its pacing is *really* uneven. The beginning of the game in particular tends to repeat itself thematically, before exploring new ideas in earnest. Additionally, I spent a lot of the game exploring to not miss anything - in reality there's little to miss, and what you can miss doesn't dramatically impact the themes. As far as I'm aware there is no reward for being thorough.

But still! It's great. You should play it.

I don't know what to say about this. I just haven't progressed at all through it and can't get the vibe. I hope it'll click one day, it seems to have been made with care.

A feverdream that explains how the universe was created that you have to travel through in order to try and stop the murder of the lady that you are sleeping with... 8.1-10

A great game, really enjoyed the story, the stunning visuals and the music. However the game would be even better if the game play was more intuitive of had more tips on what the player should do. I think I spent 3 times the time on like one-forth the puzzles because I couldn't figure out what should I do. Also some times the visual cues were a bit confusing, for example sometimes it wasn't obvious if I should keep holding the or mouse button if I should let go already. Plus repeating the circular motion for that long was kinda annoying. But all in all it was worth it, would recommend but keep in mind that the game play itself isn't perfect

pretty gud

Honestly, I didn't understand half of what was going on. It was strange. The concept of no words is cool only if your topics are tangible. The story was too confusing and this game should be rated higher as there was some pretty explicit scenes. I would not call this a kid's game at all.

A poetic narrative about the creation of the universe, Genesis Noir is a non-traditional adventure on a grand scale stretching from the beginning to the end of all things that still finds time for the moments that make life worth celebrating. A soulful journey worth taking.

I liked, I bought it on the release date, and it was amazing

“Genesis Noir” can hardly be called a full-fledged game - it's more like an animated comic book with minimal interaction. Gameplay is reduced to the simplest actions, and the rest of the time you just watch what's going on. At the same time, the story is full of complex and confusing scientific inserts, which makes the game quite hard to grasp and definitely not suitable for everyone.
On the plus side, there are nice, stylish graphics and a great jazz soundtrack that create the atmosphere. However, that's where the pluses end. The game is definitely designed for a narrow circle of fans of space, astronomy and experiments in game format. For the majority of players the project is likely to seem boring and uninteresting.

A stunning adventure through the beginning, end, and continuation of our universe. A very casual playing game, with a lovely jazz score, and mind bending visuals.

Simply spectacular. A true masterpiece.

Noir in aesthetics only. This is a game about being in awe of the evolution of the Universe, presented in black and white with jazz. There is nothing noir about this game in story or theme. There are no relationships of exploitation, no cynicism, no paranoia. No fear of powerful people who could crush you like a bug (in fact, you are the one with that power in this game). What's more there is no dialogue, meaning there is none of the wry wit that is iconic to noir stories. Also the puzzles are either braindead simple, or simply guessing games.

Genesis Noir is a wonderful adventure game with an amazing story who talk about love, life and death. The designs are really beautiful and the ambiant is cozy. I highly recommend it!!! 🖤🤍🖤

Delightful.

7/10 - A Beautiful Art Piece that feels too long and feels like it overstated it's welcome at times.

This game is an experience you don't come across much due to how pretty the visuals are across the whole game especially the ending. The Jazz music that is played across this game feels magical at times and creates an experience that perfectly ties in with it's visuals. The story is also interesting with how it portrays certain subjects and I enjoyed the variety of gameplay that it has even though it wasn't perfect. My biggest gripe with this game is how dragged out it feels at times as I felt glad that the game was over. There are other small issues such as glitches across the game but nothing major that ruined the experience.

Overall it's something that I don't recommend to everyone but it's a game that has so much art and creativity put into it that I have to recommend it, just go into this game expecting a storybook type game which excels in the visuals and less in the gameplay!

I had a vision of what this game was going to be, and I suppose that is why I'm a bit disappointed.

Most of my review involves spoilers, so just know that I wanted to do something for entirely selfish reasons that would turn out to be impossible in the twists of this game, and it ruined my personal experience of it.

The game is beautiful and intriguing, with lots of fabulous cosmic visuals, as well as a fantastic soundtrack, so if you want an interesting experience, then definitely try this game out.




I first fell in love with the concept of this game. Cosmic beings, falling in love, betrayal, and the inevitable, but the resulting blast is The Big Bang, creating the universe. It creates the conundrum: destroy all of existence, messy and vile and glorious as it is, for the love of one.

I LOVE that premise. But, for those who have gone through the game know, as this story continues, the main character becomes tangled in the lives of these mortals and the story, as a result, becomes distracted. But I never lost sight. I persevered, knowing that sooner or later, I'd have to make a choice, and that choice might tear me to shreds, but I knew what I was going to choose.

I was deprived of that choice, however. At the end, the choice is between loving her, going through with everything that follows, including her demise, just to bring about creation, or never loving her at all, but she survives. I felt a bit betrayed. That wasn't what I signed up for, and though I understand the message the writers were trying to convey, all of that love fell on a hardened heart.

I was going to choose her. I'd have chosen her in a thousand lifetimes, damned untold numbers of souls, over and over, for her. In this story where there are few words and most interactions are portrayed visually, it is easier for the player to see themselves in the part of the main character, or any character portrayed in this manner. I saw Miss Mass and I saw me. And I wanted to save her so, so badly. I wanted her love to be worth a spotlight in the story. I wanted her life to be worth a perfect, delighted ending. I wanted to hear her song and see the joy of her dance. I wanted her to be important, not just to creation as a victim of domestic violence, but as a beautiful artist, a cosmic being so resplendent as to warrant the destruction of a universe. That is my perfect love story, and that was what I thought Genesis Noir was, but I was instead greeted by a message of acceptance.

But I don't want to accept losing the ones I love anymore. I want to fight and fight for love, and tear apart anything that would stand in my way. I wanted to escape in this game and destroy Earth itself for me. I wanted to rip creation from memory for me. I wanted to make a cosmic being to destroy everything - for me.

Without that message, this isn't the game I thought it'd be, and I don't think it's the game for me.



I will be playing Genesis Noir again with a different perspective at some point, and might change the recommendation.

If a astrophysicist who likes jazz made a puzzle game:

If you like stories, jazz, physics, astronomy and noir movies...this is perfect thing for easy exploring in 2 days. Puzzle are relatively easy, so this is more watching story and beautiful design and listening music.
I put on wish list their next announced game.

One mighty trip through time, space, and jazz.

그니까 가수인 여자가 골든보이라는 남자와 밀애관계에 같이 공연도 한 동업자였는데 둘이 사이 좀 안좋아진 동안에 주인공 노맨하고 야스를 깠고, 골든보이랑 여자랑 사이가 더나빠져서 골든보이가 여자 집에 들어가서 총을 쐈다, 노맨은 마침 그 순간에 여자 집에 들렀다가 총 쏘는 순간을 목격하고 그 총에 담긴 막대한 에너지(?)에 휩쓸려서 시공간을 여행하며 여자를 구할 방법을 찾는 과정..이 스토리 인 것 같은데???
골든보이는 사실 신이었고? 노맨은 골든보이의 자취를 좇아 태양계의 흐름을 쭉 여행하면서 블랙홀을 만드는 힘을 얻었고? 그 블랙홀로 지구를 없애다가 세이렌 뭐시기한테 '님 도르신?' 듣고 빡쳤다가 둘이 신나게 댄스 한 판 벌이더니 기분 풀렸고? 세이렌은 '당신이 구할 필요 없다'고 말하지만 사실 '구할 방법은 없다'가 본의 아닌가 싶고?
결론은 '우주의 흐름은 막을 수 없다'는게 주제인걸까?

[좋음]
독특한 그림체. 색감. 재즈사운드.
[안좋음]
스토리 전개: 이리 갔다 저리 갔다 중심이 없다. 원시인, 음악가, 무사 이런 애들 이야기가 굳이 있을 필요 있나?
종잡기 힘든 캐릭터: 가수, 골든보이는 인간이 아닌가? 세이렌 뭐시기라는 우주적 존재는 왜 나와서 노맨이랑 루트 탄 것처럼 끝나는거지? 힌트가 너무 없는 것 같다.
버그와 호환성: 첫 챕터 씨앗 던지는게 안 돼서 껐다 켬. 아니 3D그래픽도 아닌데 세이렌이랑 댄스파티 하는 장면에 프레임드랍 모냐고...

Quite astonishing, a total labour-o'-love gig. Perhaps less a game than an extended jazz improvisation on a bundle of aesthetics, wrapped around a noir detective puzzle which is also a cosmological science fiction romance? A couple of the puzzles are a bit infuriating, but overall it's the sort of deep and involved art-trip that makes me wish I still got high; if this sort of thing had existed when I was in my twenties, I'd have probably decided I wanted to make games rather than to write books.

9/10

It was uhhh... very interesting game. Love the music and artwork. Really random scenes. Unique puzzles without any instruction. I think I had enough after I beat the game, lmao. Still, it was worth a journey.

what the hell what any of this I loved it

The game play is nothing special; the biggest part of the game is storytelling, and the ending is repetitive and gave me a headache. However, it's visually stunning and the story is amazing.

The truly spectacular art direction and music saved this game for me. Many moments I've had to hover my finger over the screenshot button, it's a complete stand out and like nothing I've ever played before. I cannot even start to imagine how the devs built each chapter and level, it's mindbending.

The gameplay is very simple and to be honest, got quite repetitive after the first 40 mins. I pushed through because I needed to see what happens, and to grab many more screenshots. The story is so abstract that I could not understand what was going on, I was just here to spectate and enjoy the trippy experience. In the end, I'm left satisfied enough to recommend this game and I hope the sequel will have stronger gameplay design.

my head hurts...

Nice mix of Storytelling. I like it.

It was a lovely journey through time and space.

Ugh, I just couldn't get into this. I love the art style and soundtrack, but the puzzles often felt incomprehensible. The game overall just felt like it was preoccupied with trying to be clever, to the detriment of it being fun.

On paper this is a game I would love, it's a Jazzy Noir Detective story tied into a story of Science and Spacetime. All of these things I love and find interest in. That said, the game tends to just feel like a chore. I don't know if I just wasn't looking deep enough into the story, but I've never wanted a game to be over as much as I did with Genesis Noir. Every mission/puzzle seemed to drag on for far too long and there is way too many of them. Each mission I thought "okay, so what was the point of that?" until eventually it became "how many more of these am I going to have to do?" None of the progress you make in the game seems to really mean anything, it just feels like a bunch of disjointed ideas trying to form some sensible plot. If there was any explanation for it all towards the end then I really didn't care enough because the final mission is pure torture. I'm not going to go into spoilers but you could cut out half of the end mission and it'd be a drastically more enjoyable game. Again, maybe I just don't see the pure genius of it all as I was too tunnel visioned on getting it over with, but it was hell trying to push through.

All of this isn't to say that there aren't good aspects to the game... The art style is phenomenal along with the soundtrack, and the mini games on their own can be quite satisfying. I also really enjoyed how the music reacted with some of the scenes, it was well thought out and there was a lot of talent there. Unfortunately, the plot and monotony of the game just tended to overshadow the enjoyable parts. I wouldn't recommend this to a single person who values their time.