Bust out your Crayola skills in this interesting 2-D platformer for the DS. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18782 One of the more interesting-looking titles in THQÂ’s booth was Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter on the Nintendo DS. Although I am unfamiliar with the first DS game, this sequel is a traditional platformer at heart with some interesting ideas.
The big draw for the franchise is that players can customize the world with their own doodles: you can muck around with how the playable character, weapons, floating platforms, and other interactive parts of the level look. It doesnÂ’t affect gameplay, but it does a good job of involving the player in the gameÂ’s world to the degree the player wishes, and the craven, hand-drawn and crudely animated look (well, at least for my creations) has its charm.
The main character can take multiple shapes in this game. In his humanoid form he can wield a sword, yo-yo, or a gun. According to the THQ representative on the floor, you will start the game with one of your choice and can buy the others, and upgrades for these weapons, with the money you collect in the game.
The other forms are unlocked as the player progresses through the four worlds, consisting of 40 levels in total. In blob form you can squeeze through narrow passageways to progress and access secrets, as well as encapsulate baddies to temporarily make yourself more massive. I found the spider form to be more enjoyable: you can climb walls, shoot spider webs to encapsulate and then jump on top of enemies, and grapple-swing from the ceiling like Spiderman. Of course, how all of these weapons and alter-egos look is up to the player. Someone had drawn an amusing octopus-like creature for the spider form. Since these forms are unlocked as you play through the game, the developers aim to encourage re-exploration of earlier levels with these new forms by including secret areas.
ItÂ’s not mind-blowingly original, but based on what I played, I look forward to the full game. Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter looks like it will be an engaging, old-school platformer.
Topic: IMPRESSIONS: Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Read 1905 times)
