If the boss has an abstract appearance, it’s hard to know where or how to damage the boss. Combat during boss battles often requires the player to paint on top of elements, such as the boss’s eyes or face, in order to do damage. Some of the boss fights are not always the best at communicating what the player needs to do, but others are crystal clear. The light action combat is almost a symbolic manifestation of Chicory or Taco’s psyche at play that acts as a complement to the story. There are a lot of mood-enhancing visuals that play into the way the story is told, and boss battles do a fantastic job of showing how far the corruption has spread, and how Taco and Chicory are their own self-saboteurs. This is especially apparent in boss battles where emotions and shadows of a character’s self manifest into frightening monsters. Depending on how Chicory or Taco is feeling, there are elements, such as the black blobs, that cause the world to transform around them, creating tons of eye-catching visual effects and events. During moments of self-doubt, players will see black ink spilled around areas of the game, or black blobs that will eat any color that appears on or near them. The story also manifests beautifully in the gameplay. In a lot of ways, the story is about an artist’s voyage, but it is ultimately a story any player can connect with through emotional hardship comes compassion and empathy for both oneself and others. There are so many beautiful quiet moments in this game, where Taco will learn about boundaries, when it is important to take a break, and, most of all, not to be so hard on herself when she fails. The task of coloring Picnic is both part of the revitalization process to try and remove all the black-and-white in the world, but it is also a very personal journey for an unlikely heroine. Taco feels moments of doubt and self-loathing, but when wielding the brush, she feels confident, impressive, and powerful. The story itself, though simple in nature, provides a lot of very thoughtful and introspective moments for both the characters and the player. The theme of loss and grief is very apparent throughout Chicory. Journeying across all the land of Picnic, Taco must find out the source of the corruption, why Chicory has abandoned her post, and why all the color has been removed from the world. Taco begins to paint around the town of Luncheon and notices that while the colors she is painting are beautiful, there is corruption coming from the brush. Depressed and withdrawn, Chicory tosses the brush aside, only for it to be picked up by our heroine. This magical place houses the past and present Wielders of the Paint Brush, with the rabbit Chicory currently holding the position. Players take on the role of Taco, a dog who is a janitor at the Wielder’s Tower. Chicory asks hard questions while creating a truly artistic experience for those who want to color their way through this black and white canvas, and it’s a near-flawless experience. How often have you felt a deep, emotional connection to a video game? The story of a little dog and the rabbit she looks up to doesn’t sound like a story that would punch anyone in the feelings, and yet here is Chicory: A Colorful Tale.
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