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Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter

(2009, Video Games - Action/Adventure, Rated E, Play it on: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DSi)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 7; suggested age 7.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Mario-styled action in which you draw parts of the game.

In this game kids can:   battle others, be creative, become a hero, create an avatar, improve hand-eye coordination, kill non-humans (without blood), play in a virtual world, solve puzzles, whack cartoon characters

Why We Rated This on for Ages 7 and Up

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    The controls work nicely for the target audience and the paint tools should be very familiar to anyone accustomed to basic paint programs.
  • Educational value:

    This is a game about drawing what you need in the game, and thus it challenging you to use your imagination and wits to solve problems. By drawing things in this world, you start to see how video game designers animate and create worlds inside of video games.
  • Online interaction:

    Players can use characters they draw to take on opponents online in sports mini games such as soccer.
  • Messages:

    Your mission is to stop an evil character who has drained the world of color. Along the way you'll stomp on baddies to meet objectives.
  • Role models:

    As the "creator" in this game, players control the mood, look, and feel of the game, as well as building their hero. This puts some responsibility into the hands of the player, but objectives for saving the world are fixed, so your mission is always to do good.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    The game lets players drawn their own weapons such as swords and a "shooter" that fires pellets which bounce off and stun enemies.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter was written by Alex Porter

Parents need to know that Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter contains cartoon violence. Your characters can strike with weapons including punching, bouncing off, and hitting bad guys with pellets from a "shooter" weapon. You can expect about the same level of violence found in a Mario game. The game requires players to draw characters, pieces of the actual environments, and many other elements. Drawing skills are not necessary. The game uses simple tools that help kids' creation come to life.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about whether making your own characters deepens your interest in the game. If you played the first Drawn to Life, was this a big improvement? What else would have made the game better?
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More on Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter

What’s the Story?

As the Creator in the world of DRAWN TO LIFE: THE NEXT CHAPTER, players must drawn and bring to life a hero to save the peaceful Raposa people. An evil force has been removing people, bridges, and other objects from their village. You are asked to replace these missing items by drawing them into the game. The core of the game involves taking your self-drawn character around in Mario-like platforming adventues, in which you jump, run, stomp, hit, collect coins, and solve light puzzles. Not only do you create your main character, but you will also draw the sun, moon, and the look and feel of your game. Moreover, you'll have to draw weapons, power-ups, vehicles, bridges, and more in order to complete missions. The game provides a simple drawing tool complete with stamps, brush sizes, zoom-in/out views on the canvas, and a broad palette of colors. The Wii remote serves as the pencil, or, for the DS, the you'll draw on screen with your stylus.  in some instances in the Wii version, players will be required to fill in parts of the game in real time.

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Is It Any Good?

Letting players actually draw and bring to life characters, vehicles, and other objects within a game is tremendously engaging. Even more fun are the moments where drawing is built directly into the game and you'll need create quickly during gameplay to complete an objective. Sometimes, you'll even have to draw while your character is in the air during a jump. The ability to create a custom look and feel to a game is a special experience.

 The drawing using the Wii remote, however, is a bit inaccurate and tough to control. With the DS version, you'll have more control as you're using a styus. Ultimately, it doesn't matter, because almost anything you make will effectively animate, but it would be nice to have a little more control in the Wii version. Also, the platforming gameplay involves a significant amount of backtracking, but young gamers probably won't mind. Overall, the game's innovative concept and solid puzzles, platforming, and charming story and characters make this a great game that the target audience of kids will love. 

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Publisher’s Details

Released on 10/27/2009, price $29.99-$49.99, online enabled
ESRB rating: E (for Mild Cartoon Violence)

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