Explore the World of Art in The Painter’s Apprentice

By: GeekyGamerGirl87

The Painter’s Apprentice; which is developed and published by Luminosity Mobile is a 2D platformer, that focuses on teaching one about art in a fun way. Before I get into my review, I would like to thank Luminosity Mobile for providing me with a free copy of the game to play, so that I could write this review.

In this game you play as the apprentice to an artist. The artist has sent you off to run some errands like most apprentices do. Upon returning from your errands, you realize that your master’s artwork has no color. Being a good apprentice, you decide you are going to use his brush to add color to the artwork. However, no matter how much you paint; it doesn’t seem to pick up any color. The Master returns and asks what you are doing, and you explain yourself. You have a brief conversation and before you know it; he is shoving you into this painting like Alice falling down the rabbit’s hole to wonderland.

I did like that it stuck to the storyline of  the painting not having any color. So, when you are pushed into the painting the world has no color. I like that detail because it shows that the developer  does pay attention to detail. The graphics for the game are simple but still looks pretty good. Even in the grayscale the game still is sharp, and it becomes more beautiful once you use the paintbrush and it adds a bit of color to the world’s canvas.

Another interesting feature is that you do collect paintings throughout the levels, and each world is based on a style of art. Each world you enter and each painting you collect adds an entry to the encyclopedia which can be found in the extra’s menu on the main menu. Using the encyclopedia, it allows for you to see the art styles, the paintings, and the painters of the paintings you collect; allowing for you to read a little bit of information about each.

When it comes to the gameplay I will say that it is a little simple, but as I progressed some of it did begin to get tricky. So, it does provide a bit of a challenge. You use the paintbrush to attack the doodles – not sure if this is what the enemies are called but because this is an art game, I am calling them doodles.— I will admit I would have like to see some indication on what the enemy’s names are, it’s not a big thing but would have been a nice touch. So, maybe in a patch they could add an enemies section to the encyclopedia, of course this is assuming that the doodles have names. If not, then it’s perfectly fine that it doesn’t have that section.

The music in the game is mellow and I like that. I know that usually when I write I listen to mellow music, and I like that they include very chill music to the game. The music accompanies the game very well and it helps you to get lost in the game.  It’s not too mellow to where you might become bored and it’s not too exciting to make you rush. The music makes me take my time with each level.  Although, I will take the time to mention that you do earn stars if you beat the level in a certain time limit, but I believe you also earn the stars if you defeat all the doodles. However, for the most part if you are a casual player, the music sets the tone for casual players.

When it comes to the controls for the game you can use both gamepad as well as keyboard/mouse. The game recommends that you play the game with the gamepad. I have played the game with both sets of controls and I will admit, that the game is also best enjoyed with gamepad.  The keyboard/mouse controls are a little clunky to be honest and adds difficulty to the game. I would have like to be able to customize the keyboard/mouse controls to my liking, but sadly you are unable to do this. So, if you are one of those gamers who only play with keyboard/mouse  there is going to be a little bit of frustration with the controls. As I stated before, I enjoyed the game with gamepad and thought the controls for gamepad were smooth and had great response times.

The game does offer a total of twenty- nine different achievements that you can collect. So those who are achievement hunters it will pull you into the game. For those of you who enjoy collecting trading cards, the game does not have that feature yet. I do hope that later down the line that they do add the trading cards feature to the game. I think it would be an extra little bonus to add to the game. Also, I would also like to point out that the game seems to be kid friendly as well. As I played the game, my son watched me play and he really sat and watched me play the game. So, for those of you who maybe looking for kid friendly games for the kids; this would be a great candidate.

Overall, I do recommend purchasing  The Painter’s Apprentice.  The game takes something that may not be most people’s favorite subject and makes it fun.  The game can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. You will be able to play The Painter’s Apprentice when it releases on Steam on May 31, 2018. The game will be 15% off it’s original price of $9.99 USD from May 31 – June 6, to celebrate its release and then will go back up to its regular price. Be sure to pick it up as you will not be disappointed.