Visions of Concrete are dancing in my head!

When it comes to an action packed game of bloody knuckles meets fisty cuffs running around a literal concrete jungle. Concrete Visions is a debut game by Sam Marshall and Published by VoxPop Games it was released on April 2nd 2024 and retails for $1.99 and took me about 90-120 min to play.

The game is a PS1 style - pixelated fast paced beat em up thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat till the final showdown. You play as our unnamed hero in the town of Stonybrook, you set our on a quest to rid the town of an unruly, cruel boss by the name of Malone! His goonies line the streets and you must use your fists, bats, guns and any other method to end their reign of terror and bring peace and serenity back to Stonybrook!

The gameplay is melee based, fast paced and not for the faint of heart. it uses WASD to move and R&L mouse buttons to control your fists. You can pick up a plethora of weapons (my personal fav is the bat) As you move through the multiple levels you inch your way closer and closer to the final boss. The game itself is not hard per say, but it is fast paced and if you don't pay attention to your health or ammo, you can most certainly die. ALOT.

The character design and overall world building was great and really brought back that same feeling of playing a classic PS1 title. The world wasn't so pixelated where I wasn't able to clearly see what each thing was, but it was defined enough for me to make it out. The music and sound effects were fitting and reminded me of games I would play with my cousin at the arcade. I was smiling the entire time I played it.


SOUND DESIGN & VISUALS:⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 /5

GAMEPLAY: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5

CONTROLS:⭐⭐⭐⭐4/5

STORY:⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 

CHARACTER DESIGN:⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 /5

Overall Score: 3.9 / 5


Final thoughts: 

Concrete Visions is a game I did not think I would like - it was not my cup of tea. However I had an absolute BLAST with it! Sam Marshall did an amazing job wiyh this project and I am so honored he included me as one of the first people to play it! I have had the pleasure of getting to know Sam and I have to say - he is definitely a dev to keep your eye on in the coming years. Not only does he have FEARZINE - a magazine dedicated to the Indie Horror Gaming Community but he is a dev, scout and so much more! He is one of the busiest dudes in the industry! He was so welcoming to myself and community by hanging out in streams and discussing the game when we played it! He so graciously answered questions and engaged freely with everyone in chat!

I highly recommend this game if you're looking for fast paced fun and an arcade theme feel to your games! I promise you - you will be on the edge of your seat till the very end. 


Pick up CONCRETE VISIONS on steam here

Comments

  1. SamTheDOSManApril 20, 2024 at 2:45 AM

    So glad you had a good time with it! Thanks for playing and for all the kind words Van!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Nigh is Grey and full of wolves....

  The Night is Grey is a slow burn, hand drawn, indie point and click adventure game blended with dark undertones of childhood trauma and PTSD and overcoming those traumas through finding yourself through caring for another. TNIG was developed by Whalestork games, releasing on steam in January 2024, it has a run time of about 3-6 hours and has a price tag of $15.99.  I had the absolute pleasure of playing TNIG over the course of 2 days and I enjoyed every single hand animated moment. I would be remiss if I did not start this review with the sound design and visuals. Whalestork games meticulously crafted environments with a precision that I have not seen in quite some time. I was enraptured with just how breathtaking the backgrounds were and how well the characters overlaid into it. The sound design on the other hand, exceeded well beyond my expectations, the swells of beautifully composed music and alluring visuals transported me on the journey with Graham and Hannah as they quested fo
Read more

Hi....I'm alive, dont worry!

Quick update friends!  Mentally i am not in the best of places, but i need yall to know that ill be okay.....let me explain.... I've been a bit off lately don't worry I am OK. I had some things happen to me while at work, I can't talk about it yet, but again rest assured I am OK. My CFS has been particularly bad as of late and the pain i deal woth on a day to day basis (without any pain managament) is insaine. Some.days the fact I'm able to function is a miracle.   Reviews will be jumping back in next week with "Rewind or Die". I will also be uploading a no commentary playthrough part 9 of WTC: Loves Labours Lost VN as well as working on a secret project for you all.  Every Thursday (when I close or am off) we will be doing Tomb Raider Thursdays toll I work my way through the Remastered series. It was such an important part of life and I have Loved Lara since I was 10 years old. Indie games will occupy the other stream for the week - I have some demos to get t
Read more

The Blockbuster from hell: Rewind or Die

Have you ever wanted to work at a local video store (complete with spicy section) while out running a bloodthirsty serial killer? The Rewind or Die is the game for you! This game was launched in April 2023 and is currently available for $11.99 is developed by comp3-interactive and published by Torture star video. It took me about 4 + hours to complete.  Rewind or Die features PSX retro style graphics, full voice acting and a killer soundtrack that would make the metal gods gleeful. The style of the graphics took me back to a better time, when I only had to focus on beating a game and not the existential dread of being an adult and paying bills. Visually it was fantastic and really captured the late 90s aesthetic, color themes and overall tone, most of the time I prefer a more basic graphic style and I love more of the focus on the story. The sound design was fantastic especially when we were in the video store, or the dark dingy tunnels, the developer really captured the ambient sound
Read more