Chicory: A Colorful Taleis an upcoming adventure RPG fromindie gamedeveloper Greg Lobanov. Although the primary task inChicoryis to paint anything and everything, this endearing adventure has much more to offer.
At first glance, it’s easy to mistakeChicoryfor just a coloring game. While coloring is an integral part of the game that allows players to interact with its world,Chicoryis a full-blown open-world adventure RPG whose inspirations lie deep within popular franchises likeThe Legend of Zelda. Game Rant recently had a chance to interview Greg Lobanov aboutChicory, and Lobanov diligently explained all the things that players can expect to do in this game aside from coloring.
RELATED:Chicory: A Colorful Tale Indie Game Coming to PS4 and PS5
Zelda With a Paint Brush
InChicory, players get to play as a dog who wields a magical brush which is primarily used for painting though puzzles and traversals are tied to it as well.Wandersongplayers may have an idea of what to expect sinceChicoryfeels like a natural progression of that game. InWandersong,Bard’s singing could be used to solve the game’s smartly designed puzzles. Overall, when asked what could be done other than coloring, Lobanov said,
What makes the game diverse is the fact that different things in the environment kind of respond to your drawings and art in different ways. In one of the very first areas of the game, for example, there are flowers that you can stand on top of, but if you color them, they shrink down. So by coloring, you’re raising these flowers and you kind of open or close paths to different areas of the map. Later in the game, for example, there’s this giant bug that walks around and will eat paint wherever you draw, but you can stand on its back, and it can carry you around, and you can draw plants to carry you to different places.
Lobanov explained how some of these puzzles become more complex as players move further in the game. At some point, players will get a camera to take photos. NPCs will tell players to take pictures of certain items and places for them. If that wasn’t enough, players could also deliver letters to other characters in the game. Delivering letters will open up more story elements, so lore-hungry players shouldn’t miss out on them.
Although coloring is a huge part of the game, the choice of color is purely aesthetic to ensureChicoryis accessible to color-blind people. However, color-enthusiastic people who want to express themselves creatively in the game shouldn’t fret as there are plenty of challenges waiting for them. Players can take art classes where they get prompts to draw specific things and get critique for them later on. As of now, there is no information on the scope of these art classes, though it seems to be a fun and challenging experience for artsy players. SinceChicoryis an open-world game, players will be free to explore to take on activities whenever they want.
Chicory: A Colorful Taleis shaping up to be a vastly different experience from Lobanov’s previous project Wandersong in terms of gameplay and exploration, though a similar focus on its narrative. Add to that an enchanting and dream-like score fromCeleste’scomposer Lena Raine, andChicoryis looking to be an exciting laid-back adventure RPG.
Chicory: A Colorful Talewill be available in early 2021 for PC (Windows & Mac), PS4, and PS5.
