#Chicory a colorful tale gameplay full

It's difficult for me to explain why Chicory affected me so personally without getting into spoiler territory, but I think it's critical to highlight the story and character-centered reasons why it is elevated beyond being just a well-made Zelda-like with a clever paint tool. It is impressive in its exactness.ДЄll this alone would make for a very good game. Chicory never overstays its welcome, concludes all its moments in a satisfactory way, and offers more for those who wish it without guilting or pressuring you into pushing past natural stopping points.

All of Chicory, from its length (10 to 20 hours, depending on how much you paint and explore) to its quantity of sidequests and collectibles to the length and difficulty of its puzzles to the amount of dialogue and discovery is just right. Oh, and because color is utterly unnecessary for anything other than fun aesthetic, Chicory is fully accessible to colorblind players.ДЇurthermore, rarely do I encounter games that have so expertly grasped the precise amount of everything they need to have. And while you can paint any area however you like, there are multiple places set up in specific ways to invite explicit creativity, like a huge blank building you're asked to tag, or a mountain viewpoint where NPCs request you color a sky for them to admire. There's a built-in GIF-maker that lets you capture your painting process. You can also design your own brush style and clothing items.

#Chicory a colorful tale gameplay full

If you're feeling limited by the four-color restriction per area, an NPC will eventually give you a brush style that lets you customize your colors with full freedom. An art academy subplot lets you take art classes and attempt to recreate different pieces of art, with your recreations later posted and admired by NPCs around the world. Whatever your skill level, Chicory is full of optional content inviting you to play around with its many built-in art tools. Chicory does this in large ways through story scenes, but also in small ways, like having its funny and adorable NPCs pop up unexpectedly in areas you've been through before to admire the art you did there. But then it offers the tools and encouragement to try anyway, and goes farther to challenge those self-effacing beliefs by rejoicing in thoughtful effort without judgment. It recognizes that its audience, me included, may think they are objectively god-awful at art. It's a thoughtful game that wants you to walk along with it at a pace that feels pleasant, with puzzles that require consideration but never strain, sidequests in measured but not overwhelming amounts, and plenty of fun things to discover or stumble upon that never feel mandatory or guilt-inducing if you miss them. This is emblematic of all of Chicory: it is not a stressful or fast-paced game (apart from a few brief boss encounters). Some will have specific color requests, but for the most part they just want the thing done however you like it, and will react with delight to your work whether you're an auteur or amateur. What's more, characters will frequently ask you to paint or decorate things for them: houses, donuts, logos, furniture, and so forth. It's worth revisiting areas, too, as in typical top-down adventure fashion you'll have powers later on that will unlock more hidden areas you couldn't access before, each containing treasures or little subplots that add further color and personality to Chicory's cast. Your paint is persistent you'll always know where you've been and what you did there based on the splatters you left behind, making Chicory's world stressless and inviting to explore and fill in. What this ultimately results in is a very clever new layer to what would otherwise be pleasant but familiar top-down adventure puzzle-solving. As you progress, you'll gain more powers, like the ability to paint flowing water and swim in it, climb paint-covered walls, or light up dark caves with glow-in-the-dark paint.

Geysers of paint will shoot you across the map, color-filled mushrooms can be used as springboards, and bubbles filled with paint will explode, breaking flimsy rocks standing in your way. Plants might grow into crossable platforms with paint applied, or shrink when erased so as not to block your path.

The world reacts to your paint, with puzzles requiring you to color thoughtfully to overcome obstacles, complete sidequests, and access hidden areas. Pleasant as the world is to uncover, the paint tool of Chicory is more the core of its gameplay than its exploration is.