- Publisher: Greg Lobanov , Finji
- Release Date: Jun 10, 2021
- Also On: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Sep 30, 2021Chicory: A Colorful Tale is like a warm hug from a wise old aunt, simultaneously bursting with creativity and offering an unblinking but hopeful look at humanity.
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Jul 23, 2021Despite not everything going off without a hitch, and some systems sure to appeal more to certain kinds of gamers, Chicory’s emotional core is so strong, so impactful that it eclipses all other shortcomings and just leaves the player with an overwhelming feeling of pathos.
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Jul 18, 2021Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an absolute delight—fun, engrossing, and bursting with creativity.
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Jun 11, 2021Chicory A Colorful Tale is a magnificent, sweet, refined adventure, which hits where it hurts the most while giving you hope for the future.
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Jun 11, 2021Not only is Chicory a fun game, and not only did it speak to me on a profound level, it also made me want to be a better me. I’m not exaggerating nor using hyperbole, it’s a well-built experience with a tremendous amount of heart. It wants you to be you, and it wants you to know that the best you can do is always good enough.
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Jun 10, 2021Playing “Chicory” feels like a kind act of self-care in a brutal time.
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Jul 19, 2021This is what the game aims to teach. That you don’t have to be perfect, that you don’t have to be a chosen one. Everyone in the world has the capacity to do good and no one person should have to wear that burden on their own. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s okay not to be okay.
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Jul 5, 2021It's difficult, in fact, to find much friction in the gameplay of A Colorful Tale that prevents you from experiencing its deeply moving tale, and it's balanced well enough to offer an engrossing adventure with standout puzzle mechanics and satisfying solutions. Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a game about self-exploration, frequently presenting earnest themes that can be challenging to engage with given how relatable they can feel. But it's also an exercise in confronting these insecurities and barriers that prevent you from enjoying what you put out into the world and rediscovering its importance in the process. It's an evocative tale that doesn't rest on its narrative alone, making it one of the best games you can play this year.
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Jul 5, 2021Chicory lived up to my expectations and more. The traversal is a joy throughout, the puzzles brilliantly judged and the whole experience is a joy to play from start to finish. If this were not enough, the admirable approach to accessibility should be celebrated and congratulated. What really stood out after finishing the game, though, was how effectively it treated difficult issues of depression and feelings of low self-worth whilst never feeling too earnest or preachy. The final result is one of the best indie games I’ve played in years. Chicory: A Colourful Tale is a true masterpiece that deserves to be played by all.
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Edge MagazineJun 17, 2021It encourages you to really TRY, even though no one else besides you will see the outcome and the game will happily continue on either way, because creation doesn't need to be about having something you can show to people, but about the process of DOING it. This is where the real joy lies. And even in its darker moments, Chicory is absolutely dripping with the stuff. [Issue#360, p.116]
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Jun 17, 2021The excellent, charming, and fresh indie RPG Chicory: A Colorful Tale has it all: original gameplay, a fantastic story with depth and wit, and great characters that invite you to relax and explore. The story about the children of color in the lovingly designed province of Picnic, which we are allowed to significantly influence in terms of design, entertains over a course of ten to twelve hours, but above all also invites us to think and philosophize. Chicory is already one of the big game highlights of 2021. If you have a heart for little indie gems, you can't miss Chicory.
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Jun 17, 2021We need more games like Chicory in our lives.
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Jun 15, 2021Grab your brush and enjoy one of the best, colorful and original indie experience of the year. Chicory is an excellent game that will put you in an excellent mood, while fighting its darker themes.
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Jun 11, 2021Chicory is a game for a particular subset of moods. It can be an engaging mood lifter. Or an effective break from life’s stresses. Or even a therapeutic way of dealing with personal troubles. But everyone has these moods sometimes, and coincidentally, everyone should also play Chicory.
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Jun 10, 2021Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a pristine little adventure with fun puzzles, a surprisingly rich paint mechanic, and a story that's disarmingly real, difficult, and heartfelt.
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Jul 12, 2021I went into Chicory a bit dubious, but it surpassed my expectations with flying colors. The world and its inhabitants are a delight, its puzzles remain clever throughout the journey, and its main painting mechanic is the perfect stress releaser. Chicory taught me never to judge a coloring book by its cover, and that you don’t have to be a master painter to have fun with colors.
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Jun 27, 2021Under its thick features and its childish airs, Chicory shelters very tough challenges. Together, creator Greg Lobanov (Wandersong) and composer Lena Raine (Celeste) have managed to shape a universe generous in exploration, discovery and obstacles to overcome, offering a completely correct lifespan. If you don't want to take the time to solve the ingenious puzzles that present themselves to you, you will have the leisure to get involved freely in the other small quests of the adorable world of Picnic, populated by its charming animals. On the other hand, let's repeat it, the adventure will be much better if you opt for the keyboard.
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Jun 16, 2021Chicory provides an earnest and genuine adventure full of fun puzzles, charming characters, and cute aesthetics. With a surprisingly deep and impactful storyline, the game delves into realistic themes that may hit more than you think. Though controls are clunky and there’s a level of monotony to the painting, Chicory seamlessly weaves comfort and emotions into a strong narrative adventure.
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Jun 11, 2021Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an ambitious, absorbing, and creative Zelda-style adventure with some meaningful, heartfelt things to say about the creative process, self-doubt, and other big issues. Like its characters, Chicory isn’t perfect – its controls can be a bit clunky and maybe its painting tools aren’t as versatile as they could be – but it’s an easy game to love. Does it fall slightly short of masterpiece status? Perhaps, but it’s still very much worth adding to your art collection.
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Jun 11, 2021Chicory flits through its hours of play with earnest, effortless charm that admittedly verges on saccharine at times—some of its townsfolk seem more like caricatures than actual personalities—but it has also helped me to appreciate the heights and mundanity of exploration, discovery and creation. It’s something I haven’t quite been able to for a while in games.
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Jun 16, 2021Chicory is a beautiful adventure, that could improve its level design, but compensates for its small flaws with everything else.
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CD-ActionSep 1, 2021I never thought I’d enjoy a game where drawing and coloring are gameplay’s core elements. Don’t let the seemingly infantile graphics fool you, because Chicory is much deeper and more serious than you might think. Or rather can be, because it’s for you to decide whether you want to delve into the deeper, darker layer of the game and uncover the therapeutic power of art in the fight against depression. If you don’t, you still get a weird, unusual and very enjoyable mix of an adventure game, a puzzle game, some platforming elements and a coloring book. [09/2021, p.30]
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Jun 13, 2021Chicory achieves exactly what it intends: to absorb you into its universe and dazzle you with its structure. A brush as a magic wand capable of painting, solving puzzles and answering many of the questions it asks you. Excellently localized and with an unforgettable soundtrack, its only problem is the control with the controller, which is not as comfortable as it should; it is more accurate with a mouse on PC. Finji has once again succeeded in turning simplicity into an advantage. Its puzzles are intelligent, there is always a surprise waiting for you in its beautiful story. One of the indie surprises of 2021.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Jun 24, 2021Chicory is more than a game to picture. It is one of the best surprises I have had the pleasure to play. [Recommended]
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Jun 25, 2021The juxtaposition of Chicory’s lightness and darkness creates a necessary balance. Without it, the game might have felt overly sweet or unnecessarily grim. Instead, Chicory’s earnestness in the highs and lows finds the perfect tone. [Recommended]
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Jul 1, 2021Ultimately, Chicory: A Colorful Tale lets players pour as much love and soul into making it their own as the developers have, and I can't think of many other games that allow for that kind of relationship with their audience outside of dedicated life sims. That in itself feels monumental, even if the depth and mechanical variety of its puzzles is somewhat lacking. It's a lovely, heartfelt game, and one whose story really resonated with me. It's hard to say whether you'll feel the same way, and there will no doubt be some who think it's worthy with a capital W. But for me, it's up there with your Rokis, your Spiritfarers and your Necrobaristas. It's an ode to self-expression, and that's something worth singing about. [RPS Bestest Bests]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 53 out of 76
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Mixed: 12 out of 76
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Negative: 11 out of 76
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Jun 29, 2021
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Jun 13, 2021
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Jun 28, 2021