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Drawn to Life: Two Realms
Released On: Dec 7, 2020
50
4.7
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
50
9% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
45% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
45% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
50
9% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
45% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
45% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Drawn To Life: Two Realms marks the return of the franchise after more than a decade, with slightly different gameplay and a story that follows the events of the previous games. It is not a perfect game, but it is a small experience that knows how to mix puzzles, platforms and creativity.
With its vibrant art style, playful atmosphere, plenty of cleverly-designed levels to solve, and some interesting, if uneven, new ideas at play, Drawn to Life: Two Realms is an enjoyable game, but it never quite manages to capture the magic of its predecessors.
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 18 User Ratings
4.7
28% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
22% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
50% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
User Score
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 18 User Ratings
4.7
28% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
22% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
50% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
It isn’t as good as the original 2 but it gives me hope that the series will come back
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Nintendo Switch
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Nintendo Switch
Drawn to Life was, at best, a game of mediocre quality to many but it did resonate with some. Writing this review feels like delivering bad news to this latter group, which has had to wait over a decade for a new game. They had to weather the collapse of THQ, the now defunct publisher of the original Drawn to Life games. On the plus side, the game released at the low price point of $9.99 and there is, arguably, ten dollars’ worth of solid content hidden amongst the more questionable choices. Unfortunately though, Drawn to Life: Two Realms lacks the freedom and novelty of its predecessors, and even though it takes strides to create a satisfying new experience, the end result feels unimaginative.
I am happy to see that Drawn To Life is still mulling around in the minds of the creators. I'm not the world's biggest fan of platformers, but I greatly enjoyed the playful creativity and customisation that the original games offered. That Two Realms has somehow pulled back on a concept that even primitive DS and Wii titles managed perfectly well is very disappointing, but I hope that the low price point means that this was just a token first effort that will lead into a more substantial, and conceptually true, re-boot down the track.
Drawn To Life: Two Realms is likely to serve a niche, but unless you’re hankerin’ for more as a long time fan - or are really starved for some puzzle platforming - beautiful artwork and some occasional brilliance can only get you so far.
Drawn To Life: Two Realms is a sequel that fails to replicate what made the Drawn To Life games so compelling: the actual drawing part. It's pretty (and pretty cheap), but the puzzle-platforming underwhelms and the story drags; if you're a hardcore fan of the franchise then we dare say you'll be able to extract a modicum of enjoyment here, but there's an equal chance that, as a series aficionado, the changes made to the basic gameplay will annoy you the most.
Drawn To Life: Two Realms appears familiar, but when you start to play it, it just falls apart at the seams. Everything that made the originals fun, particularly the touchscreen controls, has been disregarded, leaving a huge disappointment behind.
As someone who adored the previous Drawn to Life titles, I was initially mixed on Two Realms. This is going to be a lengthy review, but I hope it helps anyone who also loved this series as a kid.
The first noticeable change is... definitely the gameplay. Instead of it being an action platformer where you draw your hero, draw your weapons, and draw items to help you with your adventures, Two Realms is more of a puzzle platformer with minimal drawing involved. You still draw your hero and other minor items in the Raposa World, but the scope of how much you actually draw is minimized.
The lack of drawing was disappointing, but ultimately understandable. Seeing as the original Drawn to Life entries were optimized to play on the Nintendo DS, right down to its touch screen gimmick, I never really expected the same experience with Two Realms - a game not only developed for the Switch, but for PC and different mobile devices as well.
It is worth noting that despite having a touch screen, the Switch version of Two Realms is not touch screen compatible. I'm assuming they had issues getting it to work, as the Switch's touch screen isn't too fine tuned, especially in comparison to the Nintendo DS. But, I hear Digital Continue is looking into touch screen support (for those wondering, this was stated in the Drawn to Life Discord Server)... Which is great! But I'm not sure when it will come out or if it will be good.
As for the levels, I personally found them frustrating, but it's important to note I have never been a fan of puzzle games. The puzzles in Two Realms are clever, but not impossible, and I am sure puzzle fans will have a lot of fun figuring them out.
This is honestly where my major issues end. I have always prioritized story, characters, music, and art over gameplay, so that is important to note with my final rating.
Despite issues with gameplay and minor glitches, Drawn to Life: Two Realms feels like it was made with great respect for the plot of its predecessors. When I first found out there would be a new Drawn to Life game after 11 years, I assumed the worst. I assumed this would be a cheap cash grab with a team of developers who would toss the previous entries' stories and characters out the window. Considering how it's been 11 years, and considering the shocking, definite ending of The Next Chapter, I honestly assumed Two Realms would be a soulless reboot of the whole series.
Well, I was wrong.
Two Realms continues right off of The Next Chapter's ending, and does not shy away from the consequences such an event had on the characters. Two Realms' story definitely has a smaller scope... this seems to be a common complaint, but it is one I disagree with. I feel like the smaller scope fits what it was trying to address: a more personal story focusing on Mike coping with the accident. A large, dramatic tale with high stakes and awesome adventure would have felt inappropriate, in my opinion.
Two Realms, in typical Drawn to Life fashion, leaves a LOT vague and can act as either a closing point for the series or a brand new start. Despite minor retcons, characters and important plot points are left intact and treated with a surprising amount of respect.
As for the art and music, they're both wonderful. The original artist and composer are back, and they do a fantastic job. I know some people are not fond of the music, but just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad. I feel like the music matured with the story, and with us. I liked it. I feel like it's down to personal preference, though.
My final thoughts...?
At first I was mixed, but the more I thought about Two Realms and everything the developers had working against them, I have definitely come to appreciate it a lot more.
Drawn to Life was a niche, gimmick game made specifically for the Nintendo DS in 2007. The series' last entry came out 11 years ago and ended on a shocking twist. It was never as popular as Scribblenauts, and it wasn't too well known, even in its prime. THQ went bankrupt, Drawn to Life was sold to 505 Games, and it seemed like it was the end.
But, "[it was] not The End".... For Drawn to Life to come back as it did was AMAZING. This thing had everything going against it: a gimmick game for an outdated handheld device with a VERY niche fandom. Developers interested in continuing the series had proposals shot down all throughout the 2010s. I'm not surprised Two Realms had a smaller budget and was forced to play on mobile - it was a risk and acted as an interest gauge for bigger and better entries.
Ultimately, Two Realms was an enjoyable experience that rekindled my love for the series. It is not the same as older entries, and felt disappointing at first, but considering the circumstances of its release, I came to appreciate it. Old fans should approach this game with an open mind. The game is different, and has a smaller budget, but is not bad by any means.
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Nintendo Switch
Drawn To Life: Two Realms is a game with beautiful Sprite artwork, a decent story, and is unfortunately a glitchy mess. The artwork is on point, and makes me nostalgic for a time when more games looked like that. I don't mind the gameplay change, it's justified in story why it's different from the previous games. The problem is that the game is super glitchy. The framerate stutters constantly for no real reason, the game tends to get stuck on the loading screen when transitioning screens, and for me at least the game just straight up skipped the final level and went straight to the end cutscene. So while I really want to like this game, it's really just a piece of half-baked nostalgia that really needs a patch or five
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Nintendo Switch
I feel disappointed that even Drawn of Life is still a good series, Two Realms is not good. Fun at first but it gets boring later on.
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Nintendo Switch
It's boring and repetitive you'll spend your time doing puzzle platforming missions. the only reason why I didn't give it a lower score is because the hub world graphics are amazingly well done and creating your character is the best part of this game.
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Nintendo Switch
It was a ok game untill the puzzle levels kept coming. And coming. And coming. With little to no variety in gameplay it got boring and frustrating quickly. It could have been much better.
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Nintendo Switch
Summary The quirky Raposa and your drawn hero return in Drawn to Life: Two Realms, the next installment in the beloved franchise! Uncover the mystery of the Shadow and save Mike and his friends.
Rated E
for Everyone
Platforms:
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Initial Release Date: Dec 7, 2020
Developer:
- Digital Continue
Publisher: 505 Games
Genres: