The hues go so well together that, even with no discernable artistic talent and no matter how enthusiastically I threw paint around, the result was almost always charming, rather than just messy. Your four-colour palette changes to match your surroundings too, such as giving you cool blues and greys for ice and snow, or burnt orange and brown in the desert. Even the speech balloons are lively, with the words popping in slowly or quickly to fit the mood and the letters forming wobbly lines that literally shake with all-caps emotion at times.Ĭhicory’s setting is expansive, ranging from the neat houses and picket fences of Luncheon to the urban metropolis of Dinners, and from the sweltering Banquet Rainforest to freezing Dessert Mountain. That'll soon change, thanks to you, but this monochrome world is already full of life, with trees rustling in the breeze, butterflies flitting by, and characters swaying as they breathe in and out. The world starts out looking like an empty colouring book, just black-and-white line drawings with some shaded in grey-and-white patterns. The art style is simple, like a highly polished version of a child's drawings, and abundantly adorable. There's an entire blank-canvas world out there to fill in, and a mystery to solve: what happened, what can you do about it, and is Chicory alright? Also, what's that eerie darkness creeping into the edges of the world? Time to venture beyond Luncheon, beyond even your home village of Potluck, and find a way to put things right. Thus begins your first day as the new Wielder, chosen not by Chicory but (seemingly) by fate. Even more worryingly, Chicory's door is locked and her all-powerful brush is lying in the hall – lying there invitingly, just begging you to pick it up, so of course you do. When you come to and look around, all the colour's gone, leaving blank white floors, grey walls and outlined objects. And then a third, much bigger this time and knocking you out in the process. Today, though, as you're sweeping Chicory's studio a small earthquake booms through the room, shaking the tower. You work in the tower too, keeping everything neat and tidy and just glad to do your bit. Or, you know, you could have green grass and a blue sky, but where's the fun in that? Until this morning, the current brush wielder was the titular Chicory, giving her the right to live in the Wielder's Tower as she goes about the important business of keeping Picnic looking vivid in her own unique style. In Picnic, colour is bestowed on the world by a magic paintbrush with the power to turn lush grasslands purple, the sky yellow, and even your neighbours green (and not just with envy). The protagonist (Pizza, in my case, if you're wondering) is a cute and eager-to-please puppy, and providing a name is just the first step in giving the canine its own unique identity, but we'll get back to that later. For one thing, they're all anthropomorphic animals, ranging from cool sheep Oats to anxious gecko Lemon. The characters you meet are likewise a little different. Starting off in the village of Luncheon, you'll venture as far afield as the seaside town of Brekkie, the capital city Dinners, and even the underground insect kingdom called Feast. What does that have to do with anything? Well, you live in the land of Picnic, where all the places are named after meals and all the citizens after their favourite foods, in the first of many twists of fantastical logic. You’ll love splashing paint all around its colouring book world, and it's stuffed with things to do and nooks and crannies to explore, yet it is sure to leave you thoughtful and feeling a little more positive on a deeper level as well.Ĭhicory asserts its unique personality right from the get-go, as it starts by asking about your favourite food. However, that superficial assessment couldn't be further from the truth: it's full of warmth, whimsy, and playful creativity, yes, but it’s all wrapped around a more serious and reflective core with much to say. Greg Lobanov’s tale of a puppy with a magical paintbrush who’s tasked with bringing vibrant colour back into a black-and-white world would be easy to instinctively write it off as fun for kids but without much to entice adults. I doubt I'm alone in that, and that's why Chicory: A Colorful Tale came bounding into my life at the perfect time. Maybe it's just the effect of months of lockdown blues, but life has been feeling increasingly stern and earnest lately, leaving my inner child feeling pretty glum.
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