The Drawn to Life series has always been one of my favorite franchises on the Nintendo DS. The series had remained silent for years and there wasn’t much hope for a return. All of that changed about a month ago when Drawn to Life: Two Realms was announced for PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. I was overjoyed to hear that one of the more beloved game franchises from my childhood was being resurrected again. While this return to the world of Raposa is an enjoyable journey overall, it came as a bitter-sweet experience.

Story

Drawn to Life: Two Realms is a return to the world of Raposa and its colorful cast of characters from the original titles. Even the original protagonist, Mike makes a return to the game as well. You, the creator, are asked once again to create a hero to bring into the fray as a new evil lurks in both the real world and the world of Raposa. Only your hero has the ability to bring peace back once again to both realms.

Honestly, I had a difficult time getting into the story. It goes off on too many different paths instead of focusing on the main story. It takes a great while for it to gain any momentum and by the time that it did, I didn’t bother to care at all. A lot of the dialogue is throwaway and I actually groaned a few times because there are instances where characters just ramble on. This happens often and feels like an infinite loop of clicking through nonsensical ramblings.

Gameplay

The game too seemed to take a bit to really gain its footing. I would’ve liked to learn everything the game has to offer in a tutorial mission at the beginning of the game. Unfortunately, the developers opted for giving you new things to do bit by bit and it tends to make the game feel like it’s going at a crawl. I never really knew when the game was picking up because of this and the first 4 hours or so still felt like I was supposed to be at the beginning of the game. I felt like I hadn’t achieved very much.

The gameplay itself can be both hit and miss at times but I’ll get more into why I personally feel that way. Personally, I think that the game shines brightest when it embraces its drawing moments. They seem to be limited in this title but when they pop up, it’s so enjoyable. You can draw things like shop signs, make statues, or draw items for characters. It really makes me wish that they would’ve had more of this be implemented in the game. It is called Drawn to Life after all. Using a mouse to draw with also felt very good. I was hesitant at first about it but that fell away almost immediately upon playing it further.

The character creator is still my favorite part of any Drawn to Life game and here it’s absolutely amazing. Not only can you create a hero from scratch, but you can also use preset models and stickers to decorate each one further. It’s limitless, especially when adding the fact that stickers can be found around the two realms, earned in completing objectives, or purchased through shops in-game. It’s a great time and something that I sunk a lot of time into, gleefully. The editing features within the character creator also make it extremely helpful in making your character look perfect.

Drawn to Life: Two Realms’ main drive is its platforming. Maneuvering around its platforming segments is really smooth and feels true to the franchise’s established mechanics. The areas that you’ll explore throughout each platforming segments are well designed and often times had me scratching my head. They can be very difficult. It could be a bit harder for younger players but I don’t see it being an impossible feat for them. It’s great to see games that are open to give difficulty to younger players. Most developers feel that they need to dumb down games like this and I have to give kudos to these devs for being a little more daring.

Besides the average jump and attack elements of the platforming genre, you actually get a chance to alter the playing field in many different ways. When it comes to clearing specific gameplay areas, the platforming is broken down into 3 parts. Each one offers enough difference to shake-up the platform slightly but becomes the ongoing trend for the majority of the game without deviating at all. There’s the normal “get to the end” type of segments, the defeat of all enemy segments, and the building segments.

The regular platforming ones are the tried and true platforming areas you’ve been playing for decades at this point. Your goal is to make it to the door at the end of the level while finding coins and killing enemies along the way. This is the type of gameplay that the original Drawn to Life titles are known for. While they were my favorite part of the actual platforming portion of the game, they don’t seem to have the same type of charm that I’ve come to know and love from the OG games. They’re really short segments that are broken down into only 3 small puzzles to complete.

These complaints ring true in the other types of levels that Two Realms has to offer as well. The next type is the “kill all enemies” version of these levels where you just kill every enemy to progress to the next. You can do this by jumping on them, hitting them, or even using them against each other. One thing I actually love about the platforming is the enemy types and things that the game allows you to use to your advantage. Most enemies have their own powers and attacks, making each one extremely important to how you may interact and clear a level

The last part of the triple-threat is the building levels. These seem to be the most prominently featured types that are featured in most of the game’s promotional videos and such. It’s a great addition to the formula but I feel that it comes in a bit underdeveloped. Basically, you’re given a set of enemies to place throughout the level’s path with each one being your key to passing through it. You can also purchase a couple of extra ones with your coins if you just can’t seem to crack the code. My issue with these is that just like the other types of levels, they’re so short and they also don’t allow you to do much else than placing enemies and a couple of trampoline blobs.

This entry to the series does allow players the freedom to free-roam both in the real world and in Raposa in a very slight way. The areas are small but do offer things like stores where you can cash in your coins for stickers, new models, and toys used in the building levels. You can also pick up other kinds of missions that have you help out characters. This is done by going into a platforming area, placing, and then killing all of the enemies in a way that scores the most points. Getting so many points will unlock more stars and unlocking all 3 stars will give you a reward. Getting more stars is integral to the gameplay as well because certain story missions only unlock once you’ve gained a certain amount of stars.

Visuals

You can expect that this game is quite the looker. It’s a beautiful retro-looking title that has a popping color palette that complements it perfectly! I’ve missed this game’s art-style terribly and I’m glad to see it back in full-swing yet again. I don’t have any complaints here because I genuinely loved what I saw.

Audio

The score in Drawn to Life: Two Realms is extremely light, and I mean that in a positive way. Games like Minecraft have a lighter score to offer a bit of levity and serenity for players. This game does the same and it pays off well. It’s a peaceful experience and a lot of credit goes to the score because of it.

Replayability

While there aren’t a lot of different level types, the game kept pulling me back in with its creative aspects. I loved looking at the game, experimenting with what it had to offer, and then giving it my own personal spin. It’s fun to see how you can clear a level with what the game gives you in its level building pieces, even if sparingly. I think this game does the rest of the franchise justice by using what we know of the already established gameplay and implementing fresh ideas. I only wish more of the older bits stuck around longer.

What It Could Have Done Better

I think that more drawing pieces would be very much so welcomed for this title. It’s what I mostly came for and in that regard, I feel underwhelmed. The other negatives I have with the game fall at the feet of the short level design and the modest building levels. I like what I’ve played but I wanted more. It seems like everything is just short of being great and that’s really all I can say.

Verdict

If you’re someone who misses the Drawn to life series and wanted to see it refreshed with new ideas and gameplay, then this will be right up your alley. While it does feel like it slightly misses the mark on what it aims for, it hits the target enough to make it feel like a worthy successor to the beloved franchise. The drawing aspects of the game will bring your nostalgia and creativity both to great heights, and that alone is worth the small asking price of the game. I’ll be watching with an eager eye to see what comes next for the Drawn to Life franchise in the future.