Drawn to Life: Two Realms

 Switch
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 18
  3. Negative: 9 out of 18

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  1. Krossbone
    Mar 5, 2021
    0
    This game is a complete departure from the action-platforming of the DS originals, and not for the better.
    Combine all the minor glitches together with the half-assed story (aggregious offense for a DtL game) with the fact that this is just a glorified mobile game, and you have the worst followup possible to what was, frankly, one of the most unique video game series out there. This is an    This game is a complete departure from the action-platforming of the DS originals, and not for the better.
    Combine all the minor glitches together with the half-assed story (aggregious offense for a DtL game) with the fact that this is just a glorified mobile game, and you have the worst followup possible to what was, frankly, one of the most unique video game series out there. This is an extremely disappointing revival attempt, especially after having had to wait for it for so long.    … Expand
  2. Ghostkid0000
    Dec 9, 2020
    4
    It was a ok game untill the puzzle levels kept coming. And coming. And coming. With little to no variety in gameplay it got boring and frustrating quickly. It could have been much better.
  3. DreadedUndead05
    Feb 11, 2021
    4
    It's boring and repetitive you'll spend your time doing puzzle platforming missions. the only reason why I didn't give it a lower score is because the hub world graphics are amazingly well done and creating your character is the best part of this game.
  4. Gilberto1295
    Dec 11, 2020
    8
    While the puzzle genre replacing the action adventure platformer style may be a letdown for some, the charm and interesting narrative of drawn to life is here and the gameplay is usually serviceable. I consider the overall experience pretty decent especially if you take the low price into consideration. Just be aware that the switch version has a couple performance hiccups.
  5. TriBead
    Dec 16, 2020
    8
    Drawn to life two realms isn't a perfect game to say the least but, its amazing to see one of the most interesting yet odd titles on the ds get a new addition in over a decade. It genuinely starts off after the events of next chapter, the gameplay is a little different instead of worlds and platform levels to explore your bouncing back and forth from one Realm to another doing platformDrawn to life two realms isn't a perfect game to say the least but, its amazing to see one of the most interesting yet odd titles on the ds get a new addition in over a decade. It genuinely starts off after the events of next chapter, the gameplay is a little different instead of worlds and platform levels to explore your bouncing back and forth from one Realm to another doing platform puzzles solving issues through those platform puzzles. I hope to see more of this series and see more of these characters.… Expand
  6. KirbyManiac
    Dec 15, 2020
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Man... What a let down. So first of all, The moment the trailer dropped i had my expectations set very low. it was obvious that this game had a low budget... And somehow the game was worse than i was expecting. Almost everything that made the original games so important is just gone... First of all is the story, While not terrible it is slow and misses a lot of the emotion the originals captured. The book of imagination was forced into the game and yet it doesn't make sense. You go into the minds of the humans and raposa. To do a couple of mediocre puzzle platformer challenges. Speaking of those... The gameplay. It is just... so bad. The entire game is doing these mostly 3 part puzzle challenges. I was open to a change in gameplay at first but i realise that we could have better. The puzzles range from multiple objectives including, Get to the end, defeat all enemies, Escort missions and more that i probably just forgot about. There is an abundance of difficulty spikes. The controls don't fair much better too. While the original games didn't have the best movement, it didn't feel like i was jumping on the moon with the controls being so slow and floaty making repeating some of the longer and difficult challenges unbearable when you die at the end knowing you have to slowly do it over again. Then you have the side quests... Oh boy they didn't even try with these ones. it is so easy to exploit these side quests with the dude who shoots rockets. Oh yeah did i mention that there is no boss fights or not even a climatic finale to the game. long gone are the epic final boss fights. Just more challenges. The game is the same from start to end. For a game about drawing there is not much drawing. In the original games you could draw your weapons and level elements. While they could have just put platforms and such there it is fun to use your imagination and turn these level elements into what you want. Here in two realms we draw like 20 things. Most having no impact on the story at all. On top of all that, There is so many bugs with things as simple as moving platforms always glitching you. Now lets go on to the visuals and oh boy this is a weird one. On one hand it is fantastic, with the hub worlds and sprites looking fantastic with detail and captures a similar feel to the original. But because they had to they ruined it. The hud elements are so basic showing a lot of contrast when you see it go above this pixel art same thing goes with the stickers which imo just ruin the style. They only added stickers because they didn't get the time to make more sprites which is really evident with the enemies... Or "Toys" as the game refers it as. Long gone are the beautiful pixel art sprites for the enemies. We now have these ugly "stickers" with this thick outline border. The levels don't look nice either. the sprites themselves look nice but there is very little variety. Not to mention how blocky it is. There is no slopes in this game. It looks like some knock off mario maker clone if you were to show it to someone with no context. Ok so last thing i want to talk about is the music/sound design. It sucks... When you compare it to the originals. The ost is good but when you compare it to the original you can clearly see the difference in quality. The original games had memorable tunes that have been stuck in our minds for 10+ years. Here we get this forgettable modern music that fails to capture the style of the games. The record scratches and all are gone for the most part. I am open for change but this isn't it. Same goes with the sound design.

    As a hardcore fan who had dtl as my first game ever it breaks my heart seeing this franchise being treated with such disrespect. This is clearly a cash grab to catch those nostalgic. Sadly it has worked as i am shocked seeing so many praise this game comparing it to the originals.

    if you are new to the franchise and you are wondering if you should buy this game. Go and play the original games on ds first. If you love them... Buy this game. Sadly this is the last chance for this franchise and if it doesn't sell well we have to say goodbye once again. They might be more open to making a game that matches the quality of the originals.    … Expand
  7. jouleteon
    Dec 17, 2020
    8
    As someone who adored the previous Drawn to Life titles, I was initially mixed on Two Realms. This is going to be a lengthy review, but I hope it helps anyone who also loved this series as a kid.

    The first noticeable change is... definitely the gameplay. Instead of it being an action platformer where you draw your hero, draw your weapons, and draw items to help you with your adventures,    As someone who adored the previous Drawn to Life titles, I was initially mixed on Two Realms. This is going to be a lengthy review, but I hope it helps anyone who also loved this series as a kid.

    The first noticeable change is... definitely the gameplay. Instead of it being an action platformer where you draw your hero, draw your weapons, and draw items to help you with your adventures, Two Realms is more of a puzzle platformer with minimal drawing involved. You still draw your hero and other minor items in the Raposa World, but the scope of how much you actually draw is minimized.

    The lack of drawing was disappointing, but ultimately understandable. Seeing as the original Drawn to Life entries were optimized to play on the Nintendo DS, right down to its touch screen gimmick, I never really expected the same experience with Two Realms - a game not only developed for the Switch, but for PC and different mobile devices as well.

    It is worth noting that despite having a touch screen, the Switch version of Two Realms is not touch screen compatible. I'm assuming they had issues getting it to work, as the Switch's touch screen isn't too fine tuned, especially in comparison to the Nintendo DS. But, I hear Digital Continue is looking into touch screen support (for those wondering, this was stated in the Drawn to Life Discord Server)... Which is great! But I'm not sure when it will come out or if it will be good.

    As for the levels, I personally found them frustrating, but it's important to note I have never been a fan of puzzle games. The puzzles in Two Realms are clever, but not impossible, and I am sure puzzle fans will have a lot of fun figuring them out.

    This is honestly where my major issues end. I have always prioritized story, characters, music, and art over gameplay, so that is important to note with my final rating.

    Despite issues with gameplay and minor glitches, Drawn to Life: Two Realms feels like it was made with great respect for the plot of its predecessors. When I first found out there would be a new Drawn to Life game after 11 years, I assumed the worst. I assumed this would be a cheap cash grab with a team of developers who would toss the previous entries' stories and characters out the window. Considering how it's been 11 years, and considering the shocking, definite ending of The Next Chapter, I honestly assumed Two Realms would be a soulless reboot of the whole series.

    Well, I was wrong.

    Two Realms continues right off of The Next Chapter's ending, and does not shy away from the consequences such an event had on the characters. Two Realms' story definitely has a smaller scope... this seems to be a common complaint, but it is one I disagree with. I feel like the smaller scope fits what it was trying to address: a more personal story focusing on Mike coping with the accident. A large, dramatic tale with high stakes and awesome adventure would have felt inappropriate, in my opinion.

    Two Realms, in typical Drawn to Life fashion, leaves a LOT vague and can act as either a closing point for the series or a brand new start. Despite minor retcons, characters and important plot points are left intact and treated with a surprising amount of respect.

    As for the art and music, they're both wonderful. The original artist and composer are back, and they do a fantastic job. I know some people are not fond of the music, but just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad. I feel like the music matured with the story, and with us. I liked it. I feel like it's down to personal preference, though.

    My final thoughts...?

    At first I was mixed, but the more I thought about Two Realms and everything the developers had working against them, I have definitely come to appreciate it a lot more.

    Drawn to Life was a niche, gimmick game made specifically for the Nintendo DS in 2007. The series' last entry came out 11 years ago and ended on a shocking twist. It was never as popular as Scribblenauts, and it wasn't too well known, even in its prime. THQ went bankrupt, Drawn to Life was sold to 505 Games, and it seemed like it was the end.

    But, "[it was] not The End".... For Drawn to Life to come back as it did was AMAZING. This thing had everything going against it: a gimmick game for an outdated handheld device with a VERY niche fandom. Developers interested in continuing the series had proposals shot down all throughout the 2010s. I'm not surprised Two Realms had a smaller budget and was forced to play on mobile - it was a risk and acted as an interest gauge for bigger and better entries.

    Ultimately, Two Realms was an enjoyable experience that rekindled my love for the series. It is not the same as older entries, and felt disappointing at first, but considering the circumstances of its release, I came to appreciate it. Old fans should approach this game with an open mind. The game is different, and has a smaller budget, but is not bad by any means.    … Expand
  8. Tenebrislux
    Jan 8, 2021
    10
    It isn’t as good as the original 2 but it gives me hope that the series will come back
  9. ArielsAwesome
    Feb 5, 2021
    3
    I loved the first two Drawn to Life games so I was excited to see this in the eShop, but it was pretty disappointing. The game series' main gimmick is drawing your own character and assets. The drawing tool is extremely difficult to use because it's janky and fairly unresponsive (sometimes I can use the touchscreen, sometimes I can use the joystick, but even making a single dot takes a lotI loved the first two Drawn to Life games so I was excited to see this in the eShop, but it was pretty disappointing. The game series' main gimmick is drawing your own character and assets. The drawing tool is extremely difficult to use because it's janky and fairly unresponsive (sometimes I can use the touchscreen, sometimes I can use the joystick, but even making a single dot takes a lot of tries.) It took me ages just to write one word (5 letters!) for a sign, and it looked absolutely atrocious. I eventually gave up on using anything but templates.

    The gameplay is completely different than the previous games, it's a puzzle game instead of a platformer. And the puzzles range from far too easy to far too difficult, but I didn't enjoy a single one. For the optional levels the toys you can place are randomized, which means that getting a high enough score to unlock all the rewards relies on luck (or resetting a lot.) And sometimes I clear the level, I feel like I did pretty good, but I only get one star. It's hard to predict how I'll get the most points.

    The story is bland, and the only reason I'm interested in the characters at all is because of the previous games. The art is really nice, but the sprites are way too small so I get headaches while playing. I gave up before progressing much. Playing feels like a chore. I'll just look at the sprites online because all I liked was the art.    … Expand
  10. MinePlay512
    Jan 2, 2021
    5
    I feel disappointed that even Drawn of Life is still a good series, Two Realms is not good. Fun at first but it gets boring later on.
  11. psiomega
    Dec 26, 2020
    6
    Drawn To Life: Two Realms is a game with beautiful Sprite artwork, a decent story, and is unfortunately a glitchy mess. The artwork is on point, and makes me nostalgic for a time when more games looked like that. I don't mind the gameplay change, it's justified in story why it's different from the previous games. The problem is that the game is super glitchy. The framerate stuttersDrawn To Life: Two Realms is a game with beautiful Sprite artwork, a decent story, and is unfortunately a glitchy mess. The artwork is on point, and makes me nostalgic for a time when more games looked like that. I don't mind the gameplay change, it's justified in story why it's different from the previous games. The problem is that the game is super glitchy. The framerate stutters constantly for no real reason, the game tends to get stuck on the loading screen when transitioning screens, and for me at least the game just straight up skipped the final level and went straight to the end cutscene. So while I really want to like this game, it's really just a piece of half-baked nostalgia that really needs a patch or five… Expand
  12. sodazere
    Jan 13, 2021
    3
    The game just isn't fun!

    As a diehard Drawn to Life fan, I was ecstatic when I heard this game was coming out, however within the first two hours of gameplay I was very disappointed, and my disappointment only got worse as I continued playing. The levels are mind numbing and repetitive, and you don't ever catch a break from them. The story is bland and doesn't actually make sense    The game just isn't fun!

    As a diehard Drawn to Life fan, I was ecstatic when I heard this game was coming out, however within the first two hours of gameplay I was very disappointed, and my disappointment only got worse as I continued playing.

    The levels are mind numbing and repetitive, and you don't ever catch a break from them.

    The story is bland and doesn't actually make sense considering the ending of the second game.

    The audio frequently glitched, stopping music and sound effects from playing at times.

    Boss fights, which were one of my favorite gameplay elements from Drawn to Life 2 for the DS, are nowhere to be seen in this game.

    If you haven't played the first two games, you won't understand the story as much, and if you have played the first two games, then you'll just be dying to play the first two instead of this throughout the whole experience!

    As a bland platformer, it works okay in that regard, but as a Drawn to Life game, it fails on all fronts!    … Expand
  13. Pixilmon
    Feb 3, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game was really good in my opinion, but it strays far from the drawn to life path. I had a lot of fun playing it and the levels were amazing and fun also challenging, hard and could be solved in many ways. Sadly there are no bosses and the music is way different from the other but the game is still good. Things that I think should be explained more is how wilfre survived dtl2 and stuff. The game should have more drawing as the name, but still good. For the switch version they should have added touch screen, even though it may be lackluster (I spent like an hour drawing my character with the wheel). Overall this game had a solid story and gameplay, but lacked the charm of the first two games.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

95
#95 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 5 out of 11
  1. Shindig
    Mar 10, 2021
    60
    With its vibrant art style, playful atmosphere, plenty of cleverly-designed levels to solve, and some interesting, if uneven, new ideas at play, Drawn to Life: Two Realms is an enjoyable game, but it never quite manages to capture the magic of its predecessors.
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  2. Nintendojo
    Jan 28, 2021
    42
    Though the game has nice visuals and is the continuation of a creative series, Two Realms failed to maintain the magic Drawn to Life had on DS. Unfortunately, my disinterest in the story kept me unmotivated to wait through cut scenes to get to the next levels. Levels could be fun, but they could also be terribly too easy or frustratingly hard. The best moments in the game are dispersed too far apart and they don’t feel worth the hassle to get to.
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  3. Pure Nintendo
    Jan 21, 2021
    30
    Drawn to Life: Two Realms lacks creativity in the gameplay and is overall a pretty dull experience.
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