There are rare
gems in the gaming world that offer something far more exceptional than the
usual fare we see released each month and many times these unique games go
unnoticed. Such was the plight of games like Katamari Damacy and Magic Pengel:
The Quest for Color. Both these games offer something beyond the conventional
design of other games and delivered something different. The same could be said
about Graffiti Kingdom, a game with an interesting twist. Yet does bringing a
unique feature make for a great game? In this case, not exactly but at least its
different.
Graffiti Kingdom
tells the tale of Prince Pixel, a young royal who discovers a secret passage
within his castle and finds the long-lost Graffiti Wand. It isn’t until the
Prince meets Pastel (a little girl who has been transformed into a dog-like
creature) that the young man finds out about the Devil that was cast out
centuries ago. The Prince unknowingly unleashes hell in his home of Canvas
Kingdom and its up to him and his ability to use the Graffiti Wand to turn the
kingdom back to what it was and to rescue his parents.
The Graffiti
Wand, you see, has the ability to transform its user into a created form. By
created I mean you can take the wand and draw shapes and parts to design a
creature form from your own imagination. Using the wand itself isn’t hard at
all, although I highly recommend going through the tutorial that covers all the
basics of designing plus a few pointers that will help you design the type of
character your imagination can dream up. Throughout the game you will unlock new
additions to your design tools (color, ability to make limbs and patterns) to
create even more bizarre creatures with their own interesting abilities. For
example, I designed a dog with a mighty Thor-like hammer as a tail and wheels
for feet. You can assign abilities to certain limbs so the hammer-tail can be
used to smash enemies while the wheels allow my dog to race through the areas
more quickly.
It is the
designing itself that makes this game shine and Prince Pixel can morph into up
to three created creatures at a time. While he has the ability to transform into
any enemy that happens to cross his path via a Capture attack, it is your
creations that you’ll be turning to for many reasons. First of all, like most
RPGs, it is wise that the creatures you draw and bring to life have abilities
you would want from companions in any RPG. There should be one shooter you can
use as a sniper, one brawny character you can use as muscle and a creature with
long legs or wings to jump or fly up to grab items that are hard for the Prince
to pick up on his own. Knowing when to use a shooter or a strong character
allows Prince Pixel to level up more quickly and, naturally, makes the Prince
strong enough to take on the more complex bosses you’ll encounter in the game.
Yes, there are
bosses in the game, such as Niss, a pig-type character with a series of forks
sticking out of it. The boss fights aren’t hard to figure out seeing it is just
a question of memorizing attack patterns but at least these fights add some
challenge. The enemies you’ll encounter in the game, even the impressively big
ones, are easy to destroy. Unfortunately, even the oddest of enemies attack the
same way (rush attacks, punches and kicks) and this makes for battles that will
quickly become repetitive and boring. This and the fact that the story isn’t
deep or interesting keep the game from becoming an instant classic. That is
really too bad seeing as the creation process is deep, involving and creative.
There’s even a Vs. Mode that allows you and a friend to create creatures and go
into an arena battle but the fun doesn’t last very long.
The game’s
visual feel is a unique one and, had it been rendered more smoothly and filled
with detail, Canvas Kingdom could have been a marvel. Instead we get washed out
colors in a world that resembles a cardboard cutout universe with wildly
imaginative creatures moving about the environment. The real gem here is seeing
your created characters suddenly come to life and interact with the area and its
creatures. Depending on what you added to their limbs, your creations look and
move amazing enough. This actually does make up for the low-quality cutscenes.
The sound is
another disappointment and this is too bad seeing as there are options to add
“voice” to your creations. The voices are merely just grunts as are most of the
sound effects when other character’s attack. Oftentimes you won’t hear a thing
when an enemy hits you. As for the soundtrack, it’s awful and repetitive but the
worst comes in the form of the game’s voice acting. Think a bad anime film with
poorly dubbed dialogue and you get the picture.
Unfortunately,
and this is despite the creative freedom, Graffiti Kingdom is held back by
uninspired battles and RPG elements that are not done right. It does, however,
possess many unique concepts that are missing in today’s games with the same “me
too” attitude and thusly should be celebrated for at least trying to be
different. I highly recommend playing this game and if you’re looking for
something unique, this is certainly the game to buy or at least rent.
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Gameplay: 6.5
The creative
tools are there and more can be unlocked so your imagination can run wild to the
point that you’ll have a memory card full of interesting creations. However,
Prince Pixel’s plight just isn’t interesting nor are the countless similar
battles you’ll perform over and over again. The boss battles add some challenge
but not by much.
Graphics: 4.5
Visually the
only thing that stands out in this game are your created creatures that move and
attack just the way you design them. Canvas Kingdom, on the other hand, is a
bland place made of cardboard and filled with interesting but poorly designed
enemies and obstructions. The cutscenes are almost crudely done.
Sound: 4.0
The sound is
another sore spot and when it comes to the game’s soundtrack and voice acting
even the youngest gamer will be rushing for the mute button on their television
sets. Even the sound effects are dreadful.
Difficulty:
Easy
Fighting even
the biggest of creatures just doesn’t pose much of a treat so don’t expect the
battles to be overly challenging or fun. There’s a moment in the game where the
boss battles will seem hard but after a try or two it is simple a matter of
memorizing attack patterns. Overall, this is a ho-hum experience because of the
easy difficulty setting.
Concept: 7.5
Once all the
designing options are available, there are enough tools and extras to design
incredibly detailed creations complete with their own abilities be it flight or
jump. The actual drawing bits are actually quite easy so you can be as creative
as you want. The actual gameplay, though, does not offer anything we haven’t
seen before.
Multiplayer:
6.0
There’s a
two-player battle mode that allows you and a friend to pit your created
characters against each another in a battle arena. It isn’t as fun as it sounds,
though.
Overall: 7.0
Despite it’s
repetitive battles and uninteresting story, Graffiti Kingdom is just one of
those original games that inspires hope that its okay for games to stray from
the usual. Unfortunately the brilliance of its creative design just isn’t enough
to keep gamers interested in to plot but for those willing to overlook a poorly
executed RPG, this game is a unique experience worth the look.
