You wake up one day and the world around you looks a little dull, a little less joyous. It can’t be, but you could swear that the world is being drained of its color, so slowly that you haven’t noticed until now. How is this happening and more importantly what can you do about it? Chromascape is a new cozy adventure game by the Japanese studio Zoo Corporation. You can play it on the PC via Steam or on the Nintendo Switch.

Palette Planet used to be a chromatic utopia where happiness and harmony abounded. A strange phenomena has been observed lately. It has been dubbed the “Color Loss”. The planet is slowly being drained of color. Worse after having lost the last of their color, people just vanish without a trace. Nobody knows where they are disappearing to or why it’s happening. The world is starting to become deeply concerned.

You play as Luna, a young hedgehog and a resident of Chroma Town. She wakes up one day to discover that she has a superpower. She can take color from something or someone and transfer it somewhere else. She might be just what Palette Planet needs to restore vibrancy and balance to the world.

The beautiful hand-drawn artwork uses mostly a soft palette and yet is still very colorful. It perfectly represents the core idea that this world is slowly being drained of its color. At the beginning of the game several objects and characters are totally white. It’s up to Luna and her friends to restore them.

Chromascape encourages you to explore. There is a set storyline and most of the game is pretty linear, but the pace is left at your own discretion. Here and there you can also decide in which order to complete the puzzles. On your journey you will meet a whole cast of characters who need your help, each with their own unique stories. Some of them will eventually become allies and help Luna.

The puzzles are not too complicated and in fact perfect for beginner. The challenge does increase slightly, but not very much. What I like about these puzzles is that they work in unison with the narrative to enhance the whole experience. As an example at some point in Luna journey, she comes across a snowmen that went too far south and is in the process of melting. He asks Luna to help him with his predicament. All of the puzzles use colors in some way. This last one requires you to find which one can cool him down. It’s intuitive, but even if you’re not sure about the solution most puzzles can be solved by trial and error. Even seasoned players might like the slow pace and find Chromascape a good escape from the more complicated puzzle games.

There is however one aspect of the game that I think could be improved for a smoother gameplay. I feel like the length of the dialogues weight down the game. The story is charming, but at time the it drags a bit too long and a more concise dialogue could result in a stronger impact. The excessive discourse also sometimes breaks the flow without adding anything noteworthy to the story progression. Every other part of the game works so flawlessly together that it’s a bit jarring. Furthermore I believe Chromascape is perfect for a younger audience and they are not know to be very patient so it could deter them from finishing what is a pretty good game overall. I do have to add that I played the translated English version so I can’t say whether or not it might be a translation issue.

I had a fun time playing Chromascape, it was not too long and just perfect for an afternoon gaming session. You can explore and progress at your own pace so it’s totally up to you how long you make it last. As previously stated, I believe that the dialogues could be more concise to create a more fluid gameplay. The puzzles are not too challenging, but paired with the narrative and lovely pastel hand-drawn artwork they create a truly relaxing experience. Chromascape is perfect for a younger audience or anyone wanting an easier more forgiving puzzle game.

Positives

• Simple relaxing gameplay
• Cute hand-drawn artwork
• Great for a younger audience

Negative

• Dialogue-heavy that weight down gameplay

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