As a big fan of games that set themselves apart from the rest, whether by being weird or just forging their own path, it can also be difficult to review titles that go that way at times. When you’re not chasing the well-established experiences that gamers have a shared understanding of, opinions about your level of success are going to be far more subjective, but that’s where I rely on the sheer volume of games I’ve played and reviewed to help fill in the gaps. Even the most original titles out there are going to share some DNA with something, so that helps me inform my decision. I say all of that mainly because The Perfect Pencil is that sort of game that’s a challenge to hone in on, feeling familiar but obviously just doing things its own way.

When it comes to strange imagery and interesting concepts, that is where the experience shines. I doubt anyone could play the game for a bit and say they’ve seen anything quite like it before. Its enemies not only look odd but in general behave and attack in ways that often feel unfamiliar. The landscapes you’ll work through don’t adhere in any way to traditional expectations, but aside from being unique they also have a thematic purpose to the overall experience. Aside from secrets being peppered cleverly all around this world to discover, your periodic ability to scan specific objects can also lead to surprises.

The problem, at least for me, is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to the core gameplay itself. While the controls work well enough mechanically, which is vital considering you’ll be making quite a lot of jumps to get around, considering the amount of combat you’ll be getting into they feels lackluster. I suppose not feeling very formidable may be the point in many ways, that doesn’t mean that your typical slashing away at enemies needs to feel quite so bland. Your method of healing, while it makes sense to some degree, also feels needlessly cumbersome. These missteps end up feeling like distractions from what the game does well, and the world building it’s looking to achieve. There’s the allure of what you may find around the corner, but then the reality that in terms of actively engaging the player in the moment with a sense of satisfaction and fun, it misses the mark more than it hits.