There are a million games influenced by The Legend of Zeldabut I sincerely believe that Chicory: a colorful history is one of the best of them. It has the fundamentals down pat: a top-down view, mechanics that blur the line between combat and exploration, and puzzle-filled dungeons, but it also stands out for one major reason. Chicory is essentially a drawing book turned game, and for just $10 on Steam Now you can wield the brush that will bring color back to his virgin world.
Dungeon & Dragons' Justice Smith on the Playful Chaos of the Film's Actors
There is no wrong way to color Chicory. The game never penalizes you for going in a different direction. Leaves should be green, right? Well, if you want them to be blue, Chicory I won't tell you otherwise. Grass can be orange, and rocks on land can be red. The world is literally your canvas, and the game never controls what can or can't be drawn, nor punishes you if you choose to leave the world empty in many places. Progressing the story will force you to engage with the mechanics at some point, but for the most part, you're allowed to be as creative as you want. to want to be. For people who doubt their creative abilities (like me), Chicory It was a very liberating experience and I found myself constantly grateful for his willingness to meet me on my terms rather than the other way around.
The story follows Pizza, an anthropomorphic dog who finds himself in possession of a magical paintbrush passed down to the Wielders, a handful of individuals tasked with coloring their respective lands. Chicory is the owner of the Picnic province where the game takes place, but she has stopped coloring and fallen into a depressive crisis. She doubts her ability to color and cracks under the pressure of having to strengthen the Picnic province, at which point Pizza and the player unceremoniously assume this role in her absence.
ChicoryThe main gameplay mechanic of 's is the paintbrush, which is tied to your mouse or one of your joysticks. You can hold down the paint button to fill in a certain element of the world, or you can move the brush and physically paint each part of it. There are puzzles to solve, including filling in paths with paint to light up paths through dark caverns, or coloring a vine so you can use it to quickly travel between points. 90 percent of the time, Chicory is the world's cutest puzzle game, though the solutions are rarely so dense that you'll stare at your screen in bewilderment trying to figure it out.
Otherwise, Chicory is an adventure as sincere as it is painfully honest. It is obviously a game that presents itself as cute and comfybut it's also a deeply empathetic look at the creative struggle and the difficulty of believing in yourself. You'll occasionally take on drawing challenges, and while you're encouraged to do your best, the game refuses to judge you. Chicory Art isn't interested in establishing a hierarchy of art, or trying to define good and bad examples. It welcomes your attempts, and even congratulates you for trying. It's the most forgiving game I've ever played, a work so entirely driven by the belief that art, and whatever form it takes, is one of the best things we do.
ChicoryBoss battles, which are the only instances of combat in the game and include this awesome piecebuild on some of these notions. In each one, you are confronted with the manifestations of deeply held insecurities. Sometimes it’s a fierce battle against warped versions of familiar characters and creatures that turn into bullet hells. Our psyche is often our most damning critic, and unlike most people in the real world, our negative thoughts are rarely spared. The only way to overcome them is to express yourself through your art. In practice, it’s as simple as using the brush to paint over your opponent in most situations, but in real life it can be anything. It’s about going out and taking some pictures or picking up a guitar and strumming until you break through that wall that’s holding you back.
I've rarely played a game where the themes and mechanics were tied together. This GOOD. Chicory is an absolutely stunning game that looks like it will strike a chord with you no matter where you're from. If you want a game that feels like a warm, understanding hug, pick up Chicory now and thank me later.
