Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter

Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter

While Scribblenauts has you writing the names of random objects into the game then drawing them for you on screen, Drawn to Life presses the pencil into your hands instead. From designing the game’s Hero character, to drawing the bridges, platforms, hearts and extra lives that make up its levels, Drawn to Life is a platformer that asks its player to pitch in with the actual artwork from which the game itself is built.

You’re cast as the Creator, an artistic supreme being who must help redesign objects when they start to go missing in Raposa Village. This is generally done via a Microsoft Paint-style interface. You’re given a virtual blank piece of paper, a cursor, a palette of colours and asked to get scribbling. With sliders to change the size of your paintbrush, an eraser, a zoom function and a little time and effort, it’s possible to create some impressive results. Once you’ve designed your Hero, by filling in predefined areas for his head, arms, legs and torso (allowing you to make him anything from a robot to a ninja, pirate or fuzzy bear) you take control of your creation in what largely amounts to a side-scrolling platform game, in the style of Super Mario or Klonoa.

However, certain crucial items in the game world have mysteriously vanished. Black outlines show where these items used to be and, by clicking on any nearby painter’s easel, the Paint interface pops up and you’re able to replace the empty space with your own design. Draw a spiky bridge, for instance, and it retains all of the contours you expect in play, ensuring that the game you play becomes uniquely yours. Occasionally you’re asked to draw an item directly onto the game environment, where it sits for a short amount of time only, adding some urgency to proceedings.

It’s an ingenious idea that’s been well developed for this sequel to the DS original (which incidentally was also made by Scribblenauts' developer, 5th Cell). The platforming elements are surprisingly accomplished, and Drawn to Life can stand toe-to-toe with some of the big hitters in this regard. As you progress through the game new areas open up with puzzles that scale pleasingly in complexity. You even get to design weapons and vehicles in the latter stages, which can be especially hilarious if your art skills are lacking.

Ultimately, Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter is a relatively simple platformer that relies heavily upon genre traditions for its core play, and upon its gimmick for appeal. The result is a solid game that will appeal to younger children as well as adults who have always wondered what it might be like to design the characters in their games, rather than just role-play as them.

3 out of 5