I played Drawn to Life on the Nintendo DS for over two hours a few days ago, and I thought I would take some time to write a review of it, given that I have very strong opinions about this game. Just keep in mind that what follows is only a user review and I don’t claim to be an expert on games, or the Nintendo DS, or anything really, for that matter.

Drawn to Life is an interactive game where the player is able to draw certain things that then appear in the world around them. While the concept is fantastic, people with no artistic ability (ie. me) may find it frustrating when their creations look nothing like the lovely illustrations in the game manual. However, when creating the ‘hero’ that you then control, there are a number of templates available. This is a lifesaver if you don’t want to be running around as a stick figure.

There is a lot of dialogue to enjoy (or tolerate, as I did) at the start of the game; fortunately, pressing the ‘A’ button will usually skip ahead and make the process a little faster. You have to create a few things for the world, and then you start playing the actual game. This is where I expected the whole experience to be a little less painful, and frankly, it wasn’t. The game is obviously made for children, or very simple people.

Every time you have to do something, the game shows you how, and you have to wait until you recieve the instructions, no matter how simple the task is. The characters send you back and forth to one another without really advancing the storyline, and the goals seem to be the same for each level. It is, in short, a very predictable game. On top of that, the designers felt it was necessary for the player’s hand to be held all the way though.

The best thing about Drawn to Life? The levels themselves, without a doubt. They are large levels, involve the touch screen a lot, and can be challenging. The gameplay is actually excellent; I wish they had realised the concept could also be sold to an older, more intelligent audience. I think Drawn to Life is going to be one of those games that I play when I need something to keep me amused and don’t have anything else on hand.

Graphics: 4/5 (They’re pretty cute. Similar to Harvest Moon.)
Storyline: 1/5 (Way too annoying.)
Gameplay: 7/10 (Actually kind of awesome.)

Overall Score: 12/20