It’s getting closer to the December 7th release date of the next chapter in the Drawn to Life franchise with Drawn to Life: Two Realms! I was lucky enough to be given a review copy and it looks so far that it’s doing the franchise justice while adding some new flavors. We hadn’t seen anything from this series since 2009 so I’m glad that this doesn’t seem to just be something that cashes in on nostalgia. I’m not going to lie though and say that it didn’t feel nostalgic to color-in my own avatar again. I have a positive feeling about this game and I’ll get into that as we go.

Gameplay

I won’t speak much on the story as I want to save that aspect for my full review next month. What I can say is that the story takes place a few years after the last game, leaving its characters asking the “Creator” to once again help out and bring a new hero into the fold. So far the story I’ve played is somewhat intriguing but I’m personally not here for the story anyway. I came to draw and platform. So how are the drawing and platforming elements?

I was worried that the move from something “pen” based like the Nintendo DS and its stylus to the PC was going to be clunky. Luckily, a mouse and keyboard actually felt very intuitive and I didn’t have issues with it. You’re able to create just about any kind of hero you can imagine. Using the paints, presets, and stickers, the customization possibilities are endless. You’re even able to find new stickers in the wild as you traverse the world of Raposa!

After the drawing aspects comes platforming, and it’s definitely something new. Fans of the older games will remember that they were very platform-heavy. This one feels a little different with each platforming area being a little stage. Each filled with enemies to smash, coins to collect, and doors to mark your completion. Some have objectives like eliminating all enemies to clear the level or actually placing them to create a path to the door.

I liked these building segments because it gave me the creative freedom to go at them and try to solve the problem my way. I only wish there were more options shown off here in the early hours of the game. There are only ever a handful of enemies or platforms to place and it just seems slightly lacking. I will say that there is some great difficulty in figuring out the puzzles and how to not only make it to the door but also collect the level’s coins along the way.

The movement that you have in this adventure is also really smooth. Jumping, smashing and bouncing all feel really weighted, offering the best movements possible. As much as I like these little platforming areas, I’m really hoping to see some bigger ones like what I’m used to in the earlier titles. Even if just expanded themselves, this would make the great platforming shine. I’m also very interested to see what other in-game mechanics are integrated as the game goes.

Raposa has a really bright-looking town that you can free roam in to pick up quests. There are some collectibles that you can find around it but so far it hasn’t gone much further than that. I’ve liked what I’ve seen of the town because of the characters and art style but I’m hoping that ultimately there are some more traversing and unlockables. While there are a few collectibles strung throughout, there just aren’t too many.

Expectations

I’d like to see the platforming open up a bit as I play the game further. The segments just seem kind of short and there’s a lot of potential set within them because of the building aspects. Other additions of drawing as we’ve seen in past games would also be a welcomed sight. Going back to the town of Raposa, that too is hopefully expanded upon. It seems sort of underutilized as it stands. I’m also eager to see if there are more collectibles to be found within this little town.

Verdict

So far I’m really enjoying my time with Drawn to Life: Two Realms and am over-the-moon that this franchise has been revived. The character creator is better than I remember and the new building points of the platforming are really cool. I do want my expectations met because there are some fundamental parts of the older games that I have yet to see fully come to life. I have faith though so hopefully the game just slowly reveals itself versus putting it all out on the table at the beginning. You can expect to see our full review for Drawn to Life: Two Realms in just a few weeks!