Graffiti Kingdom

Written by Chris Reiter  on May 09, 2005

Final Glimpse: All art is misunderstood until the creator dies. Then the masterpiece has reasoning. How does that make sense again?

Tweet

Comments

The year is 2003 all over again. We saw a second Xenosaga pass us by, we've got another Final Fantasy game on the way, and yes...Magic Pengel, the draw-your-own-creature RPG, has a sequel on the horizon of its own. Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color was one very original RPG back in the summer of 2003 when Agetec published the game, combined with the forces of Garakuta-Studio and Taito behind the development chair. Its concept: you could literally illustrate 2D images of doodles (the creatures used for battle in the game) that would then transmute into full-bodied, 3D things come to life. Wanted to see your very own Godzilla lookalike with punching gloves duking it out with a multi-limbed pterodactyl? It could happen. As unique as Magic Pengel was though, the game never received enough attention and became one of the year's best unknowns by those who played it (it was mine, after all). Maybe that's why Agetec isn't returning to publish this release, and instead the rights have been turned over to Hot B. Haven't heard of them either? They're a publishing/development company, whose small rщsumщ has included mainly fishing-related titles and some other obscure games, certainly makes them no giant in the industry. But when it comes to filling in the shoes of a major project -- namely the spiritual follow-up of one of the most beloved overlooked RPGs of 2003 -- you can bet gamers are going to take notice.

There are certain things generally considered idiotic you never should allow to happen in life. Firstly, you never pour boiling hot coffee on your face, chest, legs, hands, or even your crotch. That stuff is scolding hot, sucker! Second, don't cross the street without looking. A car can smash into you like that, and then you'd be bug squash (or souffle -- maggots love feasting on a good old-fashioned meat souffle). Third, don't ever leave a lazy oaf like Prince Pixel in charge. Otherwise, he'll do what he's about to do, which is to unknowingly unleash a devil incarnate from its eternal imprisonment. Because of Pixel's stupidity, his parents get captured and the Canvas Kingdom in which is his home becomes a massive series of perilous mazes. Upon the effects of this mishap, Pixel meets a box dog named Pastel who'll be his guide in cleaning up this mess. Acquiring the knowledge that any of his drawings can become real, and on top of that a special wand that can steal the powers of any enemy it touches, Pixel sets off on his journey along with his companion Pastel to recapture the evil that has disturbed his world.

If you're one of those people fortunate enough to have experienced Magic Pengel two years earlier, you're probably already familiar with the way the drawing system worked. You'd have to enlist your 2D etched, 3D animated creatures into battle in order to win more colors and body part options to draw with. This way the doodles would evolve and become stronger. Adding a set of wings to a character could make it fly, and automatically new flying moves would be implemented into that doodle's arsenal. Wherein Magic Pengel players would have to run back and forth gaining new colors to draw with, in Graffiti Kingdom this function will no longer be as hassling as an unlimited supply of paint options will be on hand at all times. But an even bigger change is that Graffiti Kingdom won't be the simple game it once was.

Becoming more gargantuan in size, Graffiti Kingdom is removing the RPG infrastructure which Magic Pengel initially built in order to compare with traditional RPGs such as Kingdom Hearts. Graffiti Kingdom will star its main character Pixel within a real-time setting, enabling him to complete platforming objectives such as freezing water to cross over it with an obtainable ice breath attack. Enemies will appear in real-time this way too, where stealing enemy properties will allow for Pixel to retain those and change into those. In this action-oriented world, battles will ensue through kicking, punching, and some laser firing methods. Even with these game alterations though, the real meat and potatoes of Magic Pengel isn't dead, as players will still be able to create their own creatures and use them to do battle. A big part of playing Graffiti Kingdom will still involve gathering enhancements for which to allow for sketching new body parts. But instead of being limited to the island, this semi-sequel will take place across bigger and broader navigable dungeons.

Strangely though, from what screenshots have revealed thus far, Graffiti Kingdom actually appears as if it lost the magic that Magic Pengel once held intact. Magic Pengel was a cel-shaded RPG that allowed you to roam a restricted island habitat where few areas were open to the Pengel you controlled (essentially a paintbrush fairy). The game looked nice this way. Graffiti Kingdom, on the other hand, is showing a much less colorful effect. Instead of using a cel-shading technique, the game looks as if it's going for a fundamentally outdated touch. Like if the developers were purposely trying to develop a 32-bit PlayStation game. But being skeptical of Magic Pengel beforehand led to its beauty. Perhaps Graffiti Kingdom will hold a similar surprise.