In short: a charming and imaginative take on The Legend Of Zelda that’s full of cleverly original ideas and a deceptively serious script that packs a real punch. If there is an advantage in being released so close to E3 it is that it shows how important a big budget is for the quality of a game and above all for its artistic creativity. It has boss battles and even a local co-op mode, but more than that it has originality and heart. But there is a deeper meaning to both the mechanics and the story, something that may go almost unnoticed by those who aren’t interested in these things, but which hits hard if the topic strays from home.Ĭhicory: A Colorful Tale is one of the best indie games of recent years and certainly deserves to be talked about at the same time by the likes of Celeste and Night In The Woods. compared to the kind of a triple A title that can’t stop idolizing its own cut scenes that are too long, non-interactive.Ĭhicory doesn’t process its messages and for the most part it’s exactly what it sounds like: a fun and original Zelda-style adventure with a clever twist and engaging characters. If this sounds odd for a game where you play a cartoon dog with a magic brush, it says a lot about video games that it’s actually much more common for such problems to be tackled in a low-budget indie game, with abstract imagery. Your artwork is constantly subjected to constructive criticism from the menagerie of game characters and how you and others deal with this becomes one of the main themes of the game, along with issues like being a workaholic, dealing with doubts and even sexual identity. The most unexpected success of the games (though perhaps not if you remember the involvement of a Celeste veteran) is how influenced the narrative is. your GIFs, using a built-in editor.Ĭhicory: At Colorful Tale some of the puzzles are really clever (photo: Finji) The whole concept seems to have been inspired by the adult coloring book craze a year or two ago, and much of the sweeter entertainment comes from what’s the video game equivalent, except here you can also create your own. You are encouraged to paint simply for pleasure, with the other characters commenting on your efforts and the game trying to teach you real painting techniques. Everything you’d expect from a Nintendo-inspired puzzle adventure, but the game’s art theme goes deeper than just puzzles. The cast of anthropomorphic creatures is fascinating, as they offer their own side quests and requests, with a range of stamps, patterns and clothing as rewards. The right stick is used to direct your artistic flourishes, but in reality the controls, for both painting and movement, are a bit clunky and can often take a couple of tries to do exactly what you intended. Rather than simply filling in color to make it come alive, as in kami, painting in Chicory is the key game mechanic and while puzzles are never incredibly difficult, there are some very clever problems that force you to think about using your range. This can be used to do things like activate trampoline-like mushrooms or smash rocks, while later on you’ll have the option to swim through paint like Splatoon and light up dark areas. Things start off quite simply, with the ability to draw or erase one of four different colors. In terms of level design and structure, Chicory is the closest to the 2D games of Legend Of Zelda, with an equally languid pace but less in terms of action. The solution to the black and white problem is to use the brush to fill everything again, but of course it’s not that simple. This explains how the game manages to present unique and engaging gameplay mechanics and a surprisingly thoughtful story, the kind that is far more nuanced than almost all triple-A games and, most importantly, manages to weave gameplay and story in a much more intriguing way fashion. Only five people, led by director Greg Lobanov, made the game, though they include veterans from both Celeste and Night In The Woods, so these aren’t newbies making their first game. The fact that Chicory: A Colorful Tale exists has almost completely come under our radar, but we’re very glad it doesn’t as this is easily one of the best games of the year.Ĭhicory is the work of such a small team that it seems like they haven’t even given themselves a name. Here’s a tip for indie developers: If you want your game to get noticed, don’t release it during E3 week, especially if there’s no marketing or PR for it. One of the best indie games of the year sounds like an innocent comic adventure, but its coloring book concept also has a darker side. Chicory: A Colorful Tale without black and white solutions (photo: Finji)
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