Chicory: A Colorful Tale Image
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

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  • Summary: Something terrible happened. Chicory, superstar artist and wielder of the Brush, is missing, and all the color in the land vanished with her. It's up to you, Chicory's number one fan, to pick up the Brush and fill in for her. It's a big job but you're ready for it! Probably!

    Chicory: A
    Something terrible happened. Chicory, superstar artist and wielder of the Brush, is missing, and all the color in the land vanished with her. It's up to you, Chicory's number one fan, to pick up the Brush and fill in for her. It's a big job but you're ready for it! Probably!

    Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a top-down adventure game in a coloring book world where you can draw on anything. Use your painting powers to explore new places, solve puzzles, help your friends, and change the world!
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Dec 23, 2021
    90
    As an adventure game, Chicory is quite sincerely up there with the very best of the genre. There’s plenty to see and do and a full completion run will probably take you 25-30 hours. The characters and their travails are rich and likeable, the game’s sense of humour is generally inspired, and it’s all very sweet without being sugary-twee and talking down to the player. It’s also an affecting little tearjerker that will definitely strike a chord if you make art, and almost certainly will even if you don’t – so long as you’re capable of pretty basic empathy. Chicory is simple to play but impressively long and complex, with perfect controls, performance and visuals. Throw yourself into painting the world and you’ll be left with a game that’s very much your own and speaks to you directly – a beautiful marriage of mechanics, themes and visuals.
  2. Dec 21, 2021
    90
    A beautiful realisation of the joy of playing, Chicory is an astounding use of the medium of video games that also leans heavily into the emotional weight of expectations and doubt. An incredibly real and human story is told with fantastic gameplay, and bringing the world of Picnic back to life is a journey I won’t forget.
  3. Mar 4, 2022
    90
    Chicory is one of the most charming indie games on Nintendo Switch. With a cute story and cute jokes, this game will give you an experience that will make your heart feel warm.
  4. Jan 3, 2022
    90
    Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an engrossing adventure that you won’t put down. The main story is enough to pull you in, but it’s the world that you’ll crave more of in the moments you’re unable to play, which is why it’s a good thing this game is finally on Switch.
  5. Jan 14, 2022
    90
    The gameplay mechanics, which benefit immensely from touch controls on the Nintendo Switch screen, will grab the players right away and those with creative skills will feel even more stimulated by how the game advances. A real gem of a game that contributes to enrich the Nintendo Switch catalogue beautifully.
  6. 90
    Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an incredibly enjoyable and wholesome experience. Its characters are so charming and endearing; its graphical style and world design encourages creativity and wants you to color the world back in. The soundtrack is stellar and completes the package on display here. It's a game that can be enjoyed for all ages and if you decide to pursue all the sidequests, complete the decorating minigames, and find all of the collectibles, you can certainly spend a lot of time in the world of Chicory. My only gripe is a personal one—that I didn’t play this game last year—because without a doubt it makes for a wonderful late addition to the best of what 2021 had to offer. I cannot wait to see what Greg, Lena, Em, Alexis and Madeline will make next, because Chicory can’t be described as anything other than a piece of modern art.
  7. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 13, 2022
    85
    Chicory is a must-play game – one of the best offerings from 2021 and an excellent antidote to more terrifying titles. Depending on your personal control preferences, the Switch might not be the ideal system to use to play it, but if you've ever wished for a roleplaying game coloring book, you'll quickly fall in love with Chicory. [Issue #58 – March/April 2022, p. 31]

See all 8 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Negative: 3 out of 11
  1. Feb 22, 2023
    10
    I love this game. The characters and sorry are cute but neither are afraid of approaching darker feelings, the brush mechanic was great and II love this game. The characters and sorry are cute but neither are afraid of approaching darker feelings, the brush mechanic was great and I loved how I could use it as much it as little as I want. I found that when I completed the game there were sections I left almost completely black and white because I was so excited to get to the next area or so figured on stopping one of the puzzles. If I had to find something to not pick at I'd say some of the platforming is a bit tricky because it's hard to tell depth in this style of game but there are very few cases where it slowed me down and it feels awesome when it clicks which, again, is most of the time. I'd also say a couple of the puzzles were a bit frustrating but I figured them all out eventually and if it ever was too much you can always "call home" and get some tips (from mom) or even the exact solution if you're really stumped(from dad). Expand
  2. Feb 12, 2022
    10
    I rarely award 10/10, yet this game blew my expectations away. It is a charming blend of an art engine, a puzzle game, and vibrant story aboutI rarely award 10/10, yet this game blew my expectations away. It is a charming blend of an art engine, a puzzle game, and vibrant story about mental health. Whilst not always subtle, the narrative pushes the payee onwards very well. As always, Lena Raine (Celeste, Minecraft) delivers on a fantastic soundtrack. One unexpected bonus of the game are innovative boss fights, which make use of the game’s central mechanic - the brush - to full effect. Expand
  3. Jun 20, 2022
    9
    This game is pretty great and I'd highly recommend it! The concept of of painting everywhere you go is quite clever and is solidly executed. AThis game is pretty great and I'd highly recommend it! The concept of of painting everywhere you go is quite clever and is solidly executed. A limited color palette that keeps the game from getting too overwhelming with choices, and gives each area its own distinct feel. The game has plenty of colorful characters, a thoughtful story, and a great soundtrack. It does have flaws that are worth mentioning though. I experienced several small glitches throughout the game, especially with a certain ability obtained. The game crashed on me 5 times, mostly toward the latter half of the game. Sometimes you can't easily paint objects on the edges of the screen, and there were a few times where objects simply wouldn't stay the color I painted them in. I remember a few conversations between important characters that felt a bit stilted, (this could be intentional due to themes of the game, but it still can be a bit off-putting). It sometimes feels like the developers are speaking directly to you as opposed to characters conversing with one another, which is fine for minor characters, but when story-important characters speak in this fashion it detracts a bit from the story itself. I love how this game navigates ideas of self-worth, the pressures of upholding a legacy, and responsibility towards oneself and for others. How it only ever asks the player to enjoy their time with the game and demands nothing more than that, its really relaxing. I ended up painting the whole map and completing all the side-quests, but the game never pressures you to do so and instead encourages you to only do as much as you feel you should. This encouragement to play how you want is also seen through its its numerous accommodations. There really is so much to praise, but I would rather not spoil anything, so take this review as a hearty recommendation to play this game all the way through!

    About 25-30 hours to 100% complete on standard mode for those curious
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  4. Dec 29, 2021
    9
    Quite probably, my favorite game of all I've played this year. An utterly charming mixture of different influences (Link's Awakening, paintingQuite probably, my favorite game of all I've played this year. An utterly charming mixture of different influences (Link's Awakening, painting games like deBlob, ...) that somehow manages to find its own unique voice.
    It's a bigger and longer game than it may look at first sight, with quite a few optional side quest and collectibles thrown in for good measure. The painting mechanic gives the player lots of freedom, allowing you to paint as much or as little as you wish in whatever way that strikes your fancy, echoing neatly the themes about self-expression found in the story. The Switch version also allows for optional touch screen and motion controls, making it probably the ideal way to enjoy this game.
    Also, great to play local co-op with a kid.
    This is my first ever review on this site, but I simply had to share my love for this beauty. If you feel like playing a game with more than a little influence of 2D Zeldas (with the puzzles and exploration but without the combat) and/or enjoy games about bringing color back to the world, give this little gem a try.
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  5. Feb 5, 2022
    8
    I really enjoyed Chicory. The primary mechanic is using a brush (using either the touch screen or control stick - I used my finger, mostly)I really enjoyed Chicory. The primary mechanic is using a brush (using either the touch screen or control stick - I used my finger, mostly) to paint in areas of the screen, and in doing so, solving puzzles by changing the environment. It re-captures the feeling of playing the original Legend of Zelda, where most of your time is spent moving through bounded screens and exploring what's on those screens. Similar to Zelda, you also get various power ups over time that expand the world and give you that dopamine hit of realizing "ohh, I know where I need to go back to in order to use this!" The exploration makes the game really worth playing. I found the brush mechanic easy to use, as well, and found it super satisfying to paint the world even when there was no mechanical reward for it.

    My only complaints are that the pace shifts pretty significantly towards the end of the game. You stop getting power ups and instead start solving different kinds of environmental puzzles using your existing skills (somewhat reminded me of FIlament). I found the last 2-3 hours of the game to be a bit tedious. There wasn't as much to discover once you understood the environmental puzzle gimmicks. And while the game is primarily "non-violent" without random enemies on the screen (a huge bonus IMO, as the game would have been very annoying trying to paint while getting hit by enemies), there are occasional "boss battles" that I just...don't fully understand what happened during those. They're cool aesthetically, and most of the bosses have interesting puzzles as well, but you can get through the majority by scribbling randomly and not really understanding what happened. They're slow and don't add a ton of value for the amount of time I spent in some of them. I also thought I heard a lot of buzz about the plot and themes, which are pretty simple if you're not 10 years old. The story is great for kids, though. I enjoyed the writing for all the characters, and even the townsfolk NPCs have a lot to say to add flavor to the world. Overall an extremely charming game with great puzzle gameplay. I played around 12-14 hours, which was much more than I had expected.
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  6. Jul 12, 2022
    5
    This game got weirdly universal acclaim, but I found it pretty dull so far. I will be happy to change this score if the game gets better. TheThis game got weirdly universal acclaim, but I found it pretty dull so far. I will be happy to change this score if the game gets better. The puzzles are not challenging, fun or interesting, and the world feels limiting and linear. I think if the pallette weren't so limiting, I might enjoy coloring the world a lot, but at least early in the game, you only get four colors per area, and they are selected for you.

    If you like coloring books then this game is probably for you. If you are a creative person, it will probably not scratch your itch. And to be clear, this game is nothing like Zelda games except it insofar as it uses the top down action adventure style.
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  7. Dec 10, 2022
    0
    It is so boring. I don’t understand the positive reviews. My kids also only played for two minutes and don’t want to try it again. One of theIt is so boring. I don’t understand the positive reviews. My kids also only played for two minutes and don’t want to try it again. One of the worst purchases of my life. Expand

See all 11 User Reviews