The Perfect Pencil Image
Metascore
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  • Summary: John finds himself trapped in a mysterious world, as it can happen to all of us from time to time. He can see a glow in the distance, though. It's not clear where it comes from, but it looks like that's the beginning of his adventure. And yours.

    Start your emotional odyssey, a journey
    John finds himself trapped in a mysterious world, as it can happen to all of us from time to time. He can see a glow in the distance, though. It's not clear where it comes from, but it looks like that's the beginning of his adventure. And yours.

    Start your emotional odyssey, a journey during which you'll have to create your own path and face the consequences of the choices you make. Everything will depend on them, your choices.

    Help John on his journey of personal growth. Unravel the nuances of human reactions to fear.

    Surprising exploration, fast paced combat, complex choices and allegorical characters, all intertwined with a psychological narrative in this hand-drawn 2D action-platformer.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Jan 29, 2026
    90
    The Perfect Pencil is a great metroidvania full of exploration, a rich story, and odd, hand-drawn characters that give the game a surreal feel you need to experience for yourself.
  2. Mar 6, 2026
    85
    The Perfect Pencil is a great video game for anyone who likes the mechanical mix of the Metroidvania genre. The balance tilts toward exploration, which is a good choice given the weirdness of the universe and the beauty of its biomes. Scanning is a nice little additional idea that feels a little underused. The ability to heal through combat is solid, even if the more complex set-pieces and the boss battles move too fast for it. A balance pass for checkpoints is also needed. I like The Perfect Pencil’s originality and found it best enjoyed in sessions just long enough to get to a new save point.