Game: Draw a Stickman: EPIC
Genre: Adventure, Action, Role-Playing, Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, (Windows, macOS) iOS & Android)
Developers | Publishers: Hitcents
Age Rating: US E | EU 3+
Price: US $6.99 | UK £6.99 | EU €6.99
Release Date: February 3rd, 2022
Review code used, with many thanks to Team Critical Hit.
Draw a Stickman: EPIC is an adventure game developed by Hitcents. It is the follow-up game to a series of stickman drawing games, released on most formats like Draw A Stickman and Draw A Stickman Episode 2.
Lets Draw
As the game starts, the first thing you must do is draw a stick person. You can be as elaborate or as simplistic as you’d like in your drawing. Considering my art skills are non-existent it is just as well you don’t have to be an expert. You can create your stick figure using the ZL and ZR buttons to draw or the touchscreen.
I was quite proud of my very basic Stickman, whom I’d named Bill until the first level started, and I realised I had drawn one leg longer than the other giving him a very distinctive limp. Anyway, limping Stickman and I carried on, the game asked me to draw a friend for Stickman. I gave his friend Bob a nice square head to distinguish between my two wonderful chaps.
Rescue Bob
After that, poor square-headed Bob was kidnapped by a dastardly fiend, Zarp. Bill sets out to rescue his friend, and your adventures begin, questing through a sketched world in the pages of a book.
Along the way, you’ll need to draw to help your Stickman navigate obstacles, defeat enemies, and solve puzzles. But be warned, since Stickman is a stick drawing, Stickman can be killed easily, too easily, in my opinion.
Four Crayons
At the start of each level, you are given access to one or two of four crayons; each crayon provides different powers. Using the coloured crayon, you are tasked with drawing stuff like an axe that chops trees; a fire burns objects blocking your path or igniting fuses. As well as weather clouds that generate rain on the one side, throwing out bolts of lightning from the other side of the cloud.
However, don’t expect the game to be like Scribblenauts or even like Ōkami, as the drawing isn’t as elaborate as in other games of a similar vein. A simple drawn line is enough to use as a key, and instead of drawing a detailed fire, a few squiggles on the screen, and the game thinks it’s fire. I was a little disappointed to find out that there isnt anything to make you attempt to draw better and be more creative.
Environmental Clues
Some of the levels are quite simple, while others require more thought. In addition, most of the puzzles in the game have clues in the environment, so it pays to keep your eyes peeled.
There are also pages and puzzle pieces scattered around for you to collect that are generally more difficult than getting to the end of the level. Draw a Stickman: EPIC isn’t a long game, a couple of hours in length depending on how often Stickman dies, which is a lot. You could replay it to complete all the collectables, which would also take longer playtime.
Niggles, Visuals and Controls
I have a few niggles about the gameplay, the odd time, it is difficult to know how to proceed in Stickman’s quest; it is not always obvious what you must do and where exactly to draw. Also, combat in the game isn’t great; as I’ve mentioned, Stickman dies easily. Once a monster gets hold of Stickman, it is generally lights out pretty quickly, and without checkpoints, it can mean some frustrating restarts.
Visually the game is beige with splashes of colour added to lift the beige. It’s a bit flat. It gets the job done and is passable, but it could be so much better for a game about drawing visually. The joystick controls the game, and the touchscreen can be used for drawing, which was my preference.
Conclusion
While I like Draw a Stickman: EPIC, the actual artistic skill required to play this game is zero. Draw isn’t a game for those looking to flex their creativity as little is needed or allowed in the game. The puzzles are pretty linear, and the crayons are spells but in crayon form. The game was good while it lasted, but I feel it could have been so much better.
Final Verdict: I Like it 