However, all of these games pale in comparison to Drawn to Life, a game for the Nintendo DS that came out a couple years ago (I think 3 or 4), which is entirely based on the customization of your game world. Before I begin, however, I need to explain a unique circumstance that this game puts you in. When explaining this game to people, I often use the word "you," but there are three people that "you" can apply to. First, there is you the gamer, the person actually pressing the buttons. Second, there is you the Creator, the deity of the game's world, who created everything in it by drawing it in something called the Book of Life, and who periodically interferes with his world to help the main character. Speaking of whom, there is finally, you the Hero, the main character who you control throughout the game. He is unique among video game characters, because whereas the main character in a game such as Knights of the Old Republic, you choose your appearance from a set group of predetermined appearances, the Hero in Drawn to Life is fully customizable -- because you draw him, and therefore you are only limited by your imagination.
Now, if you are worried because you stink at drawing on a touch screen (like I do), don't worry. For one thing, you can set up a grid, allowing you to make your creations pixel by pixel using the D-pad. In addition, when creating your main character you are given the option to use a number of templates, which you can mix and match parts of (or draw in your own parts), recolor, and then animate, making sure that you have a character who will better fit into the game world's art style.
Unfortunately, this feature is only for the main character, but you are on your own for the other things you draw (at least in this game). Regarding these things, periodically, you will be asked to draw a platform or weapon, or switch, or other things. All of these will have different effects, for instance, some platforms will move, some will disappear, and some will fall when you land on them.
Well, we'd best get on with the story. A prologue explains the story behind the creator, the omnipotent being who drew everything, including the Raposa, the main inhabitants of this world who look a little like foxes (at least, according to Wikipedia, but I never saw the connection). As far as we know, all of the Raposa live in a village (meaning that there are only about fifty-something in the entire world). The most important inhabitants of this village are the mayor (who is just about the only one I actually like, all of the others are too minor for me to care about or annoy me at some point), his daughter Mari, and her best friend Jowee. Mari is just about the only person who still believes in the Creator, as all the others gave up when the Creator appeared to abandon them (although, trust me, the second you actually do something they are all to happy to act as if they never lost their faith in you). Jowee sort of does, but that is mostly because he's not-so-secretly in love with her, and just says yes to everything she says.
We enter the village in dark times, as Isaac the shopkeeper and his family are apparently the last three Raposa to leave the village (apart from the aforementioned three), having given up hope after the Eternal Flame disappeared. Mari says that the Creator will help them, but the Mayor says that that's stupid and leaves to try and convince Isaac to come back. Mari prays, however, and you (the Creator) talk to her, saying that you have decided to help. You lead Mari and Jowee to the Hall of Creation, where you create the main character out of a mannequin.
The Hero tries to leave the village, but is confronted by Wilfre, a shadowy Raposa who claims to be the mastermind behind the snow covering the ground and the darkness that engulfs most of the village. Recognizing your (the Creator's) hand behind the village's new champion, he covers the bridge in shadow. However, Mari says that there is another gate out of the city. You take this gate and find the Mayor, who is trapped in a cage made of some sort of black substance. You return to the village and the Mayor explains who Wilfre is. It turns out that he used to be a respected inhabitant in the village who decided that if they were to draw there own ideas in the Book of Life, they could make the world a better place. The Mayor said that this was forbidden, but failed to actually take Wilfre seriously, so it was easy work for him to steal the Book (yeah, that was a good idea, leaving the book on which reality itself is based completely unguarded, as far as I can tell they didn't even lock the door) and begin experimenting. However, all of his creations turned out shadowy and evil, and he was discovered by the Mayor and the police. Angry, Wilfre fled the village, but tore all of the pages out of the Book and threw them to the winds, which is the reason that everything is disappearing (except that is, for the Raposa and most of the buildings, conveniently).
From this point, you go into a very repetitive cycle. You go into the first main level in the snowy region of the world after the Mayor reveals that he found the page in the Book for a snowball gun (your first weapon). The way levels work in this game is that you go through a 2D sidescrolling level. Your main objectives are to kill enemies to earn money (which can be done by jumping on them, punching them, or hitting them with a weapon), find the three Raposa lost throughout the level (this is required to finish the level), find the four pieces of a page in the Book of Life (also required; by the way, isn't it convenient that the scattered pieces of a page are from the same page?), clear out the shadow goo covering parts of the level (you get money for doing this, but I don't think that it's required).
There are also three secrets in each level, which allow you to unlock secret moves, songs, and color pallets (all of which can be bought in Isaac's shop). When you get back, you make whatever the page you found was for, maybe clear out the shadow from the new Raposa's place of work or some other part of the town, listen to some Raposa complain and then go off to satisfy them. Mostly they complain that the village is missing something, so you go to get it, only to learn that now there is a new problem which needs your immediate attention. Here's an example: in the first "chapter" (what I'm calling each grouping of levels behind a gate) you bring back Isaac and the Eternal Flame, which allows you to clear out the shadow around his shop. Isaac then complains that the village is too dark and gloomy, and asks you to find the Sun. You find the Sun and some farmers, who complain that they have nothing to grow and send you to find crops. After you bring back the crops, the farmers complain that the Sun is drying the crops out and send you to bring back rain (yeah, because in the real world, farmers sit in a land of perpetual rain, and don't bother with things like irrigation; also, it only rains once in the entire game, but the farmers never complain again). At this point Wilfre gets annoyed by your success and wakes up a dragon to wipe out the village. Then you fight your first boss, after which you rescue one character.
The story progresses on much like this for the rest of the game, but the requests become more about wants than needs (like, "Oh, I wish we had an observatory. Hey! Why don't you find the page for one because we're too lazy to build one on our own!"). After four levels Wilfre gets annoyed again and awakens some new monster to kill you. The second set of levels is in a forest, the third in an ocean, and the fourth in a city. The fourth has only three levels before the boss, but this boss has two phases and actually has a level before it.
After the three levels in Chapter 4, Wilfre finally figures out that his monsters can't do anything (one of them is even a tree . . . that can't move . . . threatening), and shows up personally to kill the Mayor and steal the Book of Life so he can destroy it again. Mari blames the Hero for failing to defend her dad (mostly I think she's mad because now she has to be the mayor and do actual work, a prospect she finds horrifying; also, I fail to see how she can blame me because the Mayor sent me off to find another page in the Book), but promptly changes her mind when everything starts disappearing and begs you to stop it.
You confront Wilfre in one of my favorite final battles in a game. Why is it my favorite? Well, the music is amazing, and the intro fits perfectly with the opening cutscene. Also, the first round consists of your swordfighting with a gigantic scorpion! In the second round you fight Wilfre himself, who floats around throwing various creations of yours at you (I especially liked how the game actually explores the concept of a villain having a book in which you have drawn everything) while you jump around and hit him until he dies.
I actually do like this game, but there are some things that annoy me. I enjoy the concept and overall story idea, and the gameplay is somewhat satisfying, though could be improved (it later was), and I love the soundtrack, especially the music surrounding Wilfre and his actions. What I don't like are the characters (like I said, the Mayor is the only one who I like), because they are all whiny and lazy (Mari spends most of the game petrified over the fact that her dad intends to actually give her responsibility, and none of the characters ever, EVER solve problems on their own, but rely on you to do everything, something for which they aren't even grateful). In addition, almost none of the characters actually serve any purpose other than one single event in the game (my favorite is the doctor you find in the last normal level of the game, who I think has the sole purpose of pronouncing the Mayor dead when you find him).
Also, I don't like the endless plot holes. The game makes a big deal about the fact that everything is drawn in the Book of Life, and that everything that is not attached to the bindings disappears, but none of the Raposa disappear, and only a few of the buildings do. In addition, they get out of a couple of problems by pulling solutions out of thin air. For instance, before you go into the forest, the Mayor says that the forest is too big to jump through. "Oh no! How will you ever get around? Oh, wait, I just realized that I have the page from the Book of Life for wings in my pocket! What a coincidence!" (by the way, yes, a character with no special abilities whatsoever manages to get through one of the levels faster than you even though you have wings).
The gameplay also has issues. Touching water causes you to lose one unit of health, except in Chapter 3, where you have a breathing thing (which the Mayor just happened to have in his pocket), but even after getting this breathing thing you don't get to use it in any world other than the third one (so all of the water in Chapter 4 will still hurt you). Also, only two of the four weapons in the game work well. The snowball gun from the beginning works like a normal gun, but in Chapter 2 you have a gun that shoots bouncing acorns, and in Chapter 3 you have a starfish gun, which is horrible. It supposedly has homing projectiles, but a lot of the time they will completely miss. What makes this even worse is the fact that it is your only way to damage things underwater. The only weapon that also works is the sword which you only get to use in the last four levels. I simply don't understand why you can only use certain abilities (wings or breathing underwater) or weapons in certain levels, instead of choosing according to your preference. In all, however, I mostly noticed these in retrospect, and genuinely liked the game.
Unlike the sequel, which is so bad that it is now being packaged with the first game in order to get some money out of it. But that's a topic for another review.
Are there any sequels that are actually good?!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting concept for a game. Too bad they didn't pull it fully off.
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