Drawn to Life the Next Chapter First Look

Artistic ability may not be a requirement, but it certainly would help in 5TH Cell's follow-up to the original Drawn to Life. Like its predecessor, Drawn to Life the Next Chapter is a 2D platformer in which you come up with your own unique hero--as long as you can draw it with the stylus. At a THQ press event in Los Angeles, we used a premade lobster character, armed with a deadly-looking katana sword and a marshmallow pop gun. If it were up to us, we would have been playing as a stickman swinging a giant club.

The Next Chapter has improved upon the general format of the first game and added new features so that you have an entire virtual palette to work with to come up with a detailed creation. The tools included should make it easier for artists to fine-tune their work. However, for the rest of us, it's fairly straightforward to draw in some kind of mass that might resemble an arm. You can add additional limbs this time around, resize them, or even remove them. Our lobster originally had two legs, but we watched as his artist swapped them out for a tail instead. The animation changes depending on what you've added to your character, so it's cool to watch your creation come to life and move around.

We were taken to a charming little village, which acts as your hub and is situated on the back of an enormous turtle. It's clear that a lot of effort has been put into the quaint town to give it a magical feel, especially with the animated sprites that are spread throughout the area. The general premise of the game is to travel to other islands and help other people to recolor their world. We didn't delve too far into the story; instead, we jumped right into one of the three levels that were being shown. The lava level was a traditional 2D platformer, except that when you come across an easel, you need to draw something to help you get through the stage. In this case, we needed a platform to help us cross the lava. Thankfully, there are templates to choose from so you don't have to spend time doodling. The upside-down turtle shell was our pick, so once we placed it into the level, we were able to continue forward. Since the shell floats like a boat, it shifts when you put weight on it, so we had to jump quickly or we'd fall in.

As we made our way through the level, we snagged coins, which can be used to buy upgrades for your hero. You can upgrade weapons, purchase more templates, and customize your character in a variety of ways. Weapons can be switched on the fly, so on top of punching with our lobster claws, we were able to whip out the katana or the marshmallow gun at any given time. These were all predrawn for us, as well as the tubs of butter that we collected as we progressed through the level to increase our health. For those who want to skip the doodling, there are templates included so you don't always have to come up with something creative.

Our hero could also change forms to access tight spaces or even crawl on walls. Our lobster was able to transform into a spider and climb onto the ceiling as well as swing its way through the level like Spider-Man. For hard-to-reach spots, it could transform into a blob and squeeze into small crevices. The blob form is also useful for encapsulating enemies, so there are clearly multiple ways to get to your goal.

There was a mine cart level that was a lot of fun, though we didn't have to do much except jump over gaps and avoid the bombs that the enemy was dropping. We attempted one puzzle in which we had to use different-colored ink to draw platforms to help our lobster hero reach the top of the ledge. You are given a limited amount of ink, each with different properties. For example, the red ink will draw a platform that will fall once you step on it, the yellow ink forms a platform that moves up, and the black ink creates a platform that will stay in one place. From our starting point at the bottom left corner of the screen, there were no-draw zones as well as spikes above us, so it took a few tries to get everything in the right place and make it to the top.

Drawn to Life the Next Chapter's vivid visuals and unique gameplay are sure to lure some players in. It's definitely something to watch for if you were a fan of the previous game. There is also the ability to play minigames with friends, and we'll update you with the details as soon as they become available. Stay tuned for more information when we head off to the Electronic Entertainment Expo.