Chicory is an endearing game about creativity and expectation, that has alot of really good ideas - but the gameplay surrounding creativity isnt one of them.
(More below)
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Is Chicory Fun?
I think Chicory is the most fun when it asks you for creative input, and then uses systems to circulate that input. Like when it asks you to design a shirt and people slowly start wearing that shirt over time as you accomplish more in the game, or when someone requests your help in getting their rooftop party off the ground by setting up furniture.
I think Chicory is the least fun when it turns into a very traditional puzzle platformer, where using your paint is no longer creative input but is now instead necessary mechanical input. It feels frustrating when the game asks you to color the world but then places you in platforming sequences that often require you to be less precious about where color goes (to say nothing of some of the depth perception issues that come with trying to have somewhat serious platforming in a coloring book art style)
Generally tho, Chicory feels serviceable enough to play. I think controlling Dog and Brush independently works as a concept (and they do an alright job of coming up with some challenges uniquely suited for the playstyle) but I think theres ways in which things could have been tightened up. Theres some coloring imprecision, some friction with how limited the color palettes are sometimes - but more than anything I think pacing and length really stress the systems of the game beyond what was sensible or practical. Youll be deeply sick of coloring the world long before youre even half way through the game, and I think thats a significant oversight on the design front for a game where you are cast as The Wielder, sole proprietor of the worlds color.
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What is Chicorys Vibe?
Chicorys vibe, for my moneys worth anyway, is probably the least compromised part of the experience. The expressive character designs, the personality of the world you travel through, the conversations you have and even the atmosphere the music provides (bangers) are charming and entertaining from beginning to end. I dont think theres ever a point where interacting with characters is boring or a chore. When the game wants you to care, you probably do. When the game wants to be funny, it probably is. When the game wants to be nice, it just is.
Alot of people would probably describe Chicory as emotional I think, but I would probably rather say that Chicory is a thoughtful game. Characters respond sensibly to the struggles theyre confronted with, and while the world of Picnic is (rather evidently) often a silly place, it still makes sure to reserves space to take consequences seriously. I think when people think “emotional”, what theyre sense is that Chicory is about compassion, that emotions are impactful and important to consider when structuring our lives around each other.
I genuinely think Chicorys vibe is probably its strongest quality and would likely be the main reason I might recommend it to a person.
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Is Chicory Impressive?
If I review how I really feel about Chicory as piece of media that had to be designed and constructed, I think I would have to admit that some parts of Chicory disappoint me even tho there is definitely some quality assembly to the game as a whole. For example, it appears that whenever you put the brush down to draw or paint something (whether that be on a canvas or out in the world) the game is recording these strokes to empower players to share or chronicle their creative endeavors - and for the most part that works pretty consistently. It was probably difficult to implement but rather important to make sure the game takes your color choices seriously - and that deserves its credit.
But for all the attention some parts of the game received, its frustrating to see how inconsistent alot of the gameplay design is. This was partly addressed above in the Fun section but: why am I asked to paint the world if painting the world is a huge time-ask that the game doesnt even really seem to encourage or expect? Why should I paint the world when painting the world can make it harder to see one of the several hundred collectables? Why doesnt progression in the world involve more of the creative mechanics in a game thats overtly about creativity - and to that point how likely is someone going to take the creative tasks seriously when they are treated as optional chores on top of all the platforming the game is tasking you with? Im not trying to be mean, but theres some very critical disconnect between some of these elements - and the annoying part is that you can tell alot of thought went into the platforming sections! The way things are hidden, the unique mechanics that are paint-activated, alot of work went into making these things, and they did a good job! But it all is actively anti-creative and anti-paint-everything - and even in some cases is actively a negative experience as the later platforming sections fail to offset the depth perception issues created by having a flat coloring book world and a sort of quasi isometric platforming game at the same time.
From where Im standing, Chicory suffers from having 2 wolves inside it, and for the most part these wolves are at peace. Theyre not viciously opposed to each other, but they definitely are opposed to each other. And this isnt like, that big an issue, right? But if the question is “Do you think Chicory does something impressive”, these things, these snags, are unimpressive. I think alot of time and effort was spent on something that did not contribute that much to what makes Chicory good and that really dilutes the overall impression it leaves on me.
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Is Chicory Interesting?
Id say, that Chicory is amusing. Not captivating, not riveting, but amusing. I think theres some authentic depictions of issues here, I think there are some strong themes, I think the main mechanic is novel and unique, and I caught hints here and there of rather inspired moments. But I think Chicory stopped short of the really compelling ideas just over the hill, and I cant help but picture that version of things.
Like for example, picture maybe a smaller world to paint, but the story has you returning to places and fixing or fine-tuning and changing the way things were painted, maybe iterating based on what residents want or what happens in the story. Picture instead of popping balloons (full of color) or exploding mushrooms (of color) or… vine-whips? (of color) maybe some sections of the world require you to design a bridge, or rearrange vines so that you can climb a cliff, or design some sort of water irrigation to clear a water fall or rain that washes your paint away. Picture the designs the game currently asks you to make, like a billboard for a pizza shop or a new treat at the bakery proliferating in more places and having more story relevance as you progress through the game.
Like, as far as I can tell this is something only video games can really do, and yet not alot of games DO capitalize on user input like that - or if they do, they dont have a story as engaging as Chicorys is. These things arent even much more complicated than what already had to be developed for Chicory, its just a matter of priority. Theres the seeds of great ideas there, and maybe those ideas might sprout in future titles, I like but dont love them here.
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Closing Thoughts
For what its worth, I think alot of the issues Ive described with the game would be eliminated and muted completely if the game wasnt afraid to be shorter. I think I would have been perfectly happy with the exact same game but maybe only 15-20 hours long. I dont think 8 different collectables/side quests were necessary or warranted, it leaves me feeling like the game felt pressured to be a “normal game”. But it was fun, worth the money, and gave me some food for thought. X
(More below)
v
v
v
v
Is Chicory Fun?
I think Chicory is the most fun when it asks you for creative input, and then uses systems to circulate that input. Like when it asks you to design a shirt and people slowly start wearing that shirt over time as you accomplish more in the game, or when someone requests your help in getting their rooftop party off the ground by setting up furniture.
I think Chicory is the least fun when it turns into a very traditional puzzle platformer, where using your paint is no longer creative input but is now instead necessary mechanical input. It feels frustrating when the game asks you to color the world but then places you in platforming sequences that often require you to be less precious about where color goes (to say nothing of some of the depth perception issues that come with trying to have somewhat serious platforming in a coloring book art style)
Generally tho, Chicory feels serviceable enough to play. I think controlling Dog and Brush independently works as a concept (and they do an alright job of coming up with some challenges uniquely suited for the playstyle) but I think theres ways in which things could have been tightened up. Theres some coloring imprecision, some friction with how limited the color palettes are sometimes - but more than anything I think pacing and length really stress the systems of the game beyond what was sensible or practical. Youll be deeply sick of coloring the world long before youre even half way through the game, and I think thats a significant oversight on the design front for a game where you are cast as The Wielder, sole proprietor of the worlds color.
o
What is Chicorys Vibe?
Chicorys vibe, for my moneys worth anyway, is probably the least compromised part of the experience. The expressive character designs, the personality of the world you travel through, the conversations you have and even the atmosphere the music provides (bangers) are charming and entertaining from beginning to end. I dont think theres ever a point where interacting with characters is boring or a chore. When the game wants you to care, you probably do. When the game wants to be funny, it probably is. When the game wants to be nice, it just is.
Alot of people would probably describe Chicory as emotional I think, but I would probably rather say that Chicory is a thoughtful game. Characters respond sensibly to the struggles theyre confronted with, and while the world of Picnic is (rather evidently) often a silly place, it still makes sure to reserves space to take consequences seriously. I think when people think “emotional”, what theyre sense is that Chicory is about compassion, that emotions are impactful and important to consider when structuring our lives around each other.
I genuinely think Chicorys vibe is probably its strongest quality and would likely be the main reason I might recommend it to a person.
o
Is Chicory Impressive?
If I review how I really feel about Chicory as piece of media that had to be designed and constructed, I think I would have to admit that some parts of Chicory disappoint me even tho there is definitely some quality assembly to the game as a whole. For example, it appears that whenever you put the brush down to draw or paint something (whether that be on a canvas or out in the world) the game is recording these strokes to empower players to share or chronicle their creative endeavors - and for the most part that works pretty consistently. It was probably difficult to implement but rather important to make sure the game takes your color choices seriously - and that deserves its credit.
But for all the attention some parts of the game received, its frustrating to see how inconsistent alot of the gameplay design is. This was partly addressed above in the Fun section but: why am I asked to paint the world if painting the world is a huge time-ask that the game doesnt even really seem to encourage or expect? Why should I paint the world when painting the world can make it harder to see one of the several hundred collectables? Why doesnt progression in the world involve more of the creative mechanics in a game thats overtly about creativity - and to that point how likely is someone going to take the creative tasks seriously when they are treated as optional chores on top of all the platforming the game is tasking you with? Im not trying to be mean, but theres some very critical disconnect between some of these elements - and the annoying part is that you can tell alot of thought went into the platforming sections! The way things are hidden, the unique mechanics that are paint-activated, alot of work went into making these things, and they did a good job! But it all is actively anti-creative and anti-paint-everything - and even in some cases is actively a negative experience as the later platforming sections fail to offset the depth perception issues created by having a flat coloring book world and a sort of quasi isometric platforming game at the same time.
From where Im standing, Chicory suffers from having 2 wolves inside it, and for the most part these wolves are at peace. Theyre not viciously opposed to each other, but they definitely are opposed to each other. And this isnt like, that big an issue, right? But if the question is “Do you think Chicory does something impressive”, these things, these snags, are unimpressive. I think alot of time and effort was spent on something that did not contribute that much to what makes Chicory good and that really dilutes the overall impression it leaves on me.
o
Is Chicory Interesting?
Id say, that Chicory is amusing. Not captivating, not riveting, but amusing. I think theres some authentic depictions of issues here, I think there are some strong themes, I think the main mechanic is novel and unique, and I caught hints here and there of rather inspired moments. But I think Chicory stopped short of the really compelling ideas just over the hill, and I cant help but picture that version of things.
Like for example, picture maybe a smaller world to paint, but the story has you returning to places and fixing or fine-tuning and changing the way things were painted, maybe iterating based on what residents want or what happens in the story. Picture instead of popping balloons (full of color) or exploding mushrooms (of color) or… vine-whips? (of color) maybe some sections of the world require you to design a bridge, or rearrange vines so that you can climb a cliff, or design some sort of water irrigation to clear a water fall or rain that washes your paint away. Picture the designs the game currently asks you to make, like a billboard for a pizza shop or a new treat at the bakery proliferating in more places and having more story relevance as you progress through the game.
Like, as far as I can tell this is something only video games can really do, and yet not alot of games DO capitalize on user input like that - or if they do, they dont have a story as engaging as Chicorys is. These things arent even much more complicated than what already had to be developed for Chicory, its just a matter of priority. Theres the seeds of great ideas there, and maybe those ideas might sprout in future titles, I like but dont love them here.
o
Closing Thoughts
For what its worth, I think alot of the issues Ive described with the game would be eliminated and muted completely if the game wasnt afraid to be shorter. I think I would have been perfectly happy with the exact same game but maybe only 15-20 hours long. I dont think 8 different collectables/side quests were necessary or warranted, it leaves me feeling like the game felt pressured to be a “normal game”. But it was fun, worth the money, and gave me some food for thought. X
NOWITSREYNTIME17
2 months ago