Those who know me know that I'm acutely interested in novel game concepts of all kinds—and so it should be no surprise that Drawn to Life is one of those things I've been paying close attention to.
Drawn to Life is an idea that is pretty simple to explain, yet something so unique that you'd never find it anywhere other than DS: you play through the adventure with a hero you've drawn yourself. You won't just draw the hero; you're also responsible for supplying planets, flora, buildings, and more. As you go along, you see the world taking shape based on your pen designs, yielding a very unique experience.
I recently had the opportunity to ask some questions of 5TH Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka, whose brainchild Drawn to Life is, to give everyone a little bit better handle on the game and how it came to be. You can find this interview below—and when you're done (or maybe before), check out some new screenshots we just posted today of the game, which hits stores September 10.
N-Sider: Hello, Jeremiah. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to ask you about Drawn to Life. It's a title that I know a number of people are looking forward to; it certainly caught my eye back when you were still shopping for a publisher.
Jeremiah Slaczka, Creator, Drawn to Life: Thanks! I'm glad people are genuinely interested in the title.
N-Sider: Tell us about the process that led to the creation of Drawn to Life. What was the inspiration? Was it an idea you'd had for a long time before you were able to make it reality?
Jeremiah: The inspiration for Drawn to Life came from the need to create something really original that used the DS's features in a unique way. The idea itself had been rolling around in my head for about six months before we actually began prototyping it.
N-Sider: So, something that was inspired by the DS itself, not a separate idea that you found the DS was well-suited for?
Jeremiah: Yes, Drawn to Life was designed with the DS in mind.
N-Sider: It's my understanding that the title's primary hook is that the world is something you create as you play, by drawing your character, items you'll be using, and features of the landscape. How does this work?
Jeremiah: It works in two ways: first, the Raposa are asking you to collect pages from the book of life, which are hidden throughout each level, in order to save their village. As more pages are collected, the village starts coming to life. Second, when you're inside a level you are prompted to draw additional items, platforms and vehicles that will help you on your journey. These items are all user created and crucial to the gameplay because without them, you cannot progress.
N-Sider: What other sorts of things can we look forward to, aside from drawing and seeing our creations appear in the world?
Jeremiah: You can look forward to mini-games, multicard trading, an Item Shop with unlockable abilities for your hero, color palettes, stamps, patterns and even songs! There is also the Village Mode to enjoy, where you can follow the story of the Raposa. Drawn to Life has quirky characters that can be rescued, lots of enemy types, unlockable secrets, and unique game mechanics depending on your characters weapons and accessories.
N-Sider: I believe I'd read that you can see how the world's inhabitants react to your drawings appearing in the world. How does this work?
Jeremiah: Yes, the Raposa that you rescue and live in your village do react to you and the world around them through emotes based on their feelings. It's a simple system, but adds a lot of character to the non-player controlled Raposa..
N-Sider: I know you've personally said there's more depth to the game than immediately meets the eye. Can you provide some examples of what else makes the game a deep experience?
Jeremiah: It's the entire package: on the surface, the game looks like a simple platformer with a cool hook. However, as you play through the game you see the deep story, you grow attached to the characters you've rescued and experience unique situations and levels throughout the game. Drawn to Life is full of little extras to make a really deep experience.
N-Sider: Had you considered any ways to make the drawing affect the gameplay? For example, one of my colleagues suggested that coloring your limb red would make it have more attack power, but less speed.
Jeremiah: Yes, we did consider different ideas, but for this title it was simply beyond the scope of the project.
N-Sider: Got any other ideas in the works? Other things for DS or Wii?
Jeremiah: While we haven't formally announced anything, you can surely expect to see more great titles from 5TH Cell in the future.
N-Sider: Thanks for your time today. Best of luck with the game; I'm looking forward to playing the completed title when it releases.
Jeremiah: Thanks for having me. You won't have to wait too long to play the game—it launches on September 10th!
Drawn to Life is an idea that is pretty simple to explain, yet something so unique that you'd never find it anywhere other than DS: you play through the adventure with a hero you've drawn yourself. You won't just draw the hero; you're also responsible for supplying planets, flora, buildings, and more. As you go along, you see the world taking shape based on your pen designs, yielding a very unique experience.
I recently had the opportunity to ask some questions of 5TH Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka, whose brainchild Drawn to Life is, to give everyone a little bit better handle on the game and how it came to be. You can find this interview below—and when you're done (or maybe before), check out some new screenshots we just posted today of the game, which hits stores September 10.
N-Sider: Hello, Jeremiah. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to ask you about Drawn to Life. It's a title that I know a number of people are looking forward to; it certainly caught my eye back when you were still shopping for a publisher.
Jeremiah Slaczka, Creator, Drawn to Life: Thanks! I'm glad people are genuinely interested in the title.
N-Sider: Tell us about the process that led to the creation of Drawn to Life. What was the inspiration? Was it an idea you'd had for a long time before you were able to make it reality?
Jeremiah: The inspiration for Drawn to Life came from the need to create something really original that used the DS's features in a unique way. The idea itself had been rolling around in my head for about six months before we actually began prototyping it.
N-Sider: So, something that was inspired by the DS itself, not a separate idea that you found the DS was well-suited for?
Jeremiah: Yes, Drawn to Life was designed with the DS in mind.
N-Sider: It's my understanding that the title's primary hook is that the world is something you create as you play, by drawing your character, items you'll be using, and features of the landscape. How does this work?
Jeremiah: It works in two ways: first, the Raposa are asking you to collect pages from the book of life, which are hidden throughout each level, in order to save their village. As more pages are collected, the village starts coming to life. Second, when you're inside a level you are prompted to draw additional items, platforms and vehicles that will help you on your journey. These items are all user created and crucial to the gameplay because without them, you cannot progress.
N-Sider: What other sorts of things can we look forward to, aside from drawing and seeing our creations appear in the world?
Jeremiah: You can look forward to mini-games, multicard trading, an Item Shop with unlockable abilities for your hero, color palettes, stamps, patterns and even songs! There is also the Village Mode to enjoy, where you can follow the story of the Raposa. Drawn to Life has quirky characters that can be rescued, lots of enemy types, unlockable secrets, and unique game mechanics depending on your characters weapons and accessories.
N-Sider: I believe I'd read that you can see how the world's inhabitants react to your drawings appearing in the world. How does this work?
Jeremiah: Yes, the Raposa that you rescue and live in your village do react to you and the world around them through emotes based on their feelings. It's a simple system, but adds a lot of character to the non-player controlled Raposa..
N-Sider: I know you've personally said there's more depth to the game than immediately meets the eye. Can you provide some examples of what else makes the game a deep experience?
Jeremiah: It's the entire package: on the surface, the game looks like a simple platformer with a cool hook. However, as you play through the game you see the deep story, you grow attached to the characters you've rescued and experience unique situations and levels throughout the game. Drawn to Life is full of little extras to make a really deep experience.
N-Sider: Had you considered any ways to make the drawing affect the gameplay? For example, one of my colleagues suggested that coloring your limb red would make it have more attack power, but less speed.
Jeremiah: Yes, we did consider different ideas, but for this title it was simply beyond the scope of the project.
N-Sider: Got any other ideas in the works? Other things for DS or Wii?
Jeremiah: While we haven't formally announced anything, you can surely expect to see more great titles from 5TH Cell in the future.
N-Sider: Thanks for your time today. Best of luck with the game; I'm looking forward to playing the completed title when it releases.
Jeremiah: Thanks for having me. You won't have to wait too long to play the game—it launches on September 10th!