Review Date: September 1, 2010
Developer: Big Fish Games Studios
Publisher: Big Fish Games
Platform: PC & Mac
Genre: Adventure
Drawn: Dark Flight has a lot to live up to. Its predecessor, Drawn: The Painted Tower, was one of the best casual point-and-click adventure games released in the last few years. Yet somehow, the team at Big Fish Games Studios has managed to outdo itself once again. Dark Flight is simply a breathtaking, beautiful game that will keep you enthralled from beginning to end.
Taking Flight
The game once again stars Iris, who, having escaped the dark tower in the first game, is now trapped beneath it. Though the adventure starts out in underground caverns, eventually Iris makes her way to the surface where she explores the dark and twisted cityscape of the Kingdom of Stonebriar. But thanks to a series of magical paintings, she's also able to explore a wide range of locations, from a wrecked pirate ship to a gorgeous meadow, teeming with plant and animal life. The game does a good job of not overwhelming you with its story: there's enough to dig into if you want, but it's also possible to mostly ignore the story and focus entirely on the gameplay. This also means that Dark Flight doesn't require that players have already experienced the first game in the series, as it stands very well on its own.
In a lot of ways Dark Flight is reminiscent of the classic Myst. Your time is spent exploring a strange world that is absolutely full of puzzles and magic. The game features some hints of a hidden object game, as you'll often have to search areas for clues and usable items, but for the most part it feels like a point-and-click adventure. Progressing through the dark caverns, and eventually the city, is a tricky affair, and you'll have to solve plenty of puzzles along the way.
Dark Flight's puzzles feel creative and challenging, and require you to use both the items at your disposal and the environment in interesting ways. There are also a number of mini-game style puzzles to help break up the action, though these are completely skippable.
A Dark And Twisted Path
One of the game's most unique aspects is its artistic theme, which reveals itself in several different ways. Some puzzles will actually require you to draw the item you need using a magical piece of charcoal, while a large portion of the game takes place inside the world depicted by various paintings. And new this time around are pop-up books. Throughout the game you'll come across several of these books, which you can view in full 3D, and they'll each have to be completed before you can move on.
There's a lot going on in Dark Flight, but the game puts a lot of effort into making sure you don't ever get lost or confused. In addition to the previously mentioned skippable mini-games, you'll also have access to an unlimited number of tips that help push you in the right direction. And if that isn't enough, there's also a hint system that actually shows you exactly what you have to do. These features help eliminate some of the frustration and confusion that's often associated with the adventure game genre.
But even with its intriguing story and solid gameplay, what will grab you most is Dark Flight's production values. The artwork in the game is simply incredible, and shifts seamlessly from dark, twisted cities to bright and colorful pop-up books. And the subtle details make the world really feel alive, from books that flap around like birds to unsettling wooden puppets with moving eyes. Dark Flight is, to put it plainly, quite possibly the best looking casual game ever released.
The Bottom Line
The Painted Tower may have been a tough act to follow, but Dark Flight has managed to surpass its predecessor in nearly every way. With an incredible atmosphere, beautiful production values, and challenging yet forgiving gameplay, it's the type of game that's hard to put down. Whether you've played the original or not, Dark Flight is a must-play for all adventure game fans.