In the land of Picnic, which is full of talking anthropomorphic animals, there is one special individual who wields a paintbrush.  This ‘Wielder’ is in charge of all the colors in the land, and the brush has been passed down from generations.  The new wielder is a rabbit named Chicory.  But you don’t play as her.  You play as her janitor, a little dog named after whatever you put as your favorite food.  So in my game you played as Pizza.  One day while cleaning, all the color disappears from the world so you go check on Chicory.  She’s locked herself in her room, but the brush is outside.  So you take the brush and become the new wielder, but all of a sudden, black corrupted plants fill the land and you must use your new brush powers to stop them and find out what’s happened to Chicory.  Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a top down viewed adventure game that combines elements from classic Zelda games with paint and drawing puzzles like Okami.  And since every screen is black and white at first, you can color in every single area like a coloring book if you like!  The game is available on Switch, PlayStation consoles, and PC, but reviewed on Switch here.

There are two ways to control the game on the Switch.  Docked to the TV you control your character with the L stick and point the remote at the screen to paint.  In handheld mode you can use the touch screen to paint.  Both ways work fine, but I found it easier to play in handheld mode.  You can also use the R stick and shoulder buttons to paint in both modes.  You’ll travel around the land similar to a 2D Zelda game as you visit towns, explore countrysides, and solve puzzles in cave mazes.  At the end of each chapter you’ll usually fight a boss, which is just eyes or an animal head that you have to paint all over while avoiding attacks.  But there are no other enemies in the game.  After defeating a boss you’ll earn a new power for your brush that gives you a new skill.  You’ll be able to swim through paint (like Splatoon) to go under obstacles or up walls, jump, and more.

Not only will you use paint to solve puzzles and bypass obstacles, you can use it to color the land if you like.  In fact, the paint tools in this game are more robust than some dedicated paint programs I’ve reviewed!  You can change colors and brush sizes, and many of the sidequests in this game have you earning different brush strokes, patterns, colors, and more!  Speaking of sidequests, there are a ton more where you search for hidden outfits to dress up your character, furniture to decorate your house, and lost kids to find.

The game has a few minor problems, but most didn’t phase me.  Goals and objectives can be a bit unclear sometimes, but luckily there is a hint system in place.  Scattered about the land are phone booths where you can call your parents to get hints (another reason why this game reminds me of Zelda titles like Link’s Awakening).  You can choose vague or detailed clues, and while I hated to have to use the hint system so often, it never steered me wrong.  Some may complain about the lack of challenge since there are no enemies in the game and bosses can’t even ‘kill’ you.  But I don’t think that’s what the game is about.  It’s just a chill puzzler action title.  Sometimes the puzzles can be a bit tedious, but I still saw the game all the way through.  Even though it only took 8 hours to beat, I only completed it with about 62 percent, so there is plenty of replay value for those who want to discover everything.  Overall this is really one of the better indie titles I’ve played in a long time, with fun gameplay and a good story about friendship.

Kid Factor:

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is rated E for Everyone with ESRB descriptors of Cartoon Mischief and Mild Fantasy Violence.  You don’t really fight anything in the game except bosses, and they’re just crudely drawn eyes and animal heads that you paint on to damage them.  If you get hit by the bosses’ paint enough times, you’ll just sit down but get back up again.  Reading skill is a must for the text, and younger gamers may need help with some of the tougher puzzles.

Tags: Game Reviews