Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an indie RPG adventure game set in a black-and-white coloring book world called the Picnic Province. Players control an anthropomorphic dog named after their favorite food who inherits a magical brush and sets out to restore color after the previous wielder vanishes. The experience blends exploration, environmental puzzles, and light character interactions across a hand-drawn landscape filled with food-themed towns and over 100 animal residents.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on using the brush to paint the environment. Early on, the tool offers basic drawing, erasing, and a small set of region-specific colors. Progress unlocks new brush styles that add patterns and stamps, along with abilities that expand movement options. These include making paint glow to light caves, swimming through painted surfaces to cross gaps, jumping across obstacles, climbing painted walls, and swimming across water after painting it. Puzzles require thoughtful application of paint, such as growing or shrinking plants for platforms, filling explosive bubbles to clear rocks, or using painted geysers for launches. The world reacts persistently to paint, so players see the results of their work as they revisit areas. Side activities include delivering mail, attending art classes, taking photos, collecting clothing and furniture for customization, and locating lost children or litter. Boss encounters introduce the only combat, presented as projectile-dodging sequences where the brush damages targets, though these fights can be skipped or adjusted for accessibility.
Game Modes
The game supports a single-player campaign that forms the main experience. A local co-op mode allows a second player to join on the same screen with their own brush. The second participant can paint freely, assist with puzzles, or simply decorate alongside the first player without altering the core progression requirements. No online multiplayer or competitive modes exist.
Story and World
The narrative follows the new wielder as they explore the province, befriend residents, and uncover connections between the color loss and the missing artist Chicory. Character interactions emphasize personal themes like self-doubt and creativity through everyday conversations and side quests. The setting features distinct regions with themed color palettes, encouraging players to fill in details at their own pace while advancing the main path.
Is It Worth Playing?
Chicory: A Colorful Tale delivers a focused single-player adventure with optional local co-op that suits players who enjoy puzzle-solving and creative expression over combat or fast action. Its mechanics reward experimentation with the brush while maintaining a relaxed pace across roughly ten hours of story content plus additional time for collectibles and side tasks. Player feedback on Steam remains overwhelmingly positive years after release, highlighting the satisfying integration of painting into exploration and problem-solving. Those drawn to top-down adventures with strong artistic themes and approachable challenges will find it a strong fit, particularly if they value customization and character-driven moments.
