Although it's been months since I've picked up my pens and markers, Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color has given me a renewed incentive to explore my imagination. My initial interest in the game developed after reading a recent feature highlighting upcoming video games that were "under the radar" (read: overlooked by the mainstream gaming community). Suffice it to say, I became instantly hooked and eagerly awaited this year's E3 for a closer look.

Originally titled Color Quest, Magic Pengel is a unique 3D adventure game which features a revolutionary, sophisticated graphics tool that allows players to fully render and animate their own cast of characters, known as Doodles.

You'll assume the role of a young traveling "Doodler" who befriends two children, Zoe and her brother Taro, who are looking for their father. As a Doodler, you'll be granted the ability to create Doodles in a sketchbook which stores them for later use in arena matches. Think Cool World meets Pokémon.

Essentially, players will "have the opportunity to draw their own their characters in 3D, completely from scratch, and have them come to life within a game," expressed Magic Pengel producer Satoshi Shimojima. Although one may speculate that developing 3D characters on a console would seem highly complex, the intuitive drawing tool simplifies the process - making it functional for even a child to easily enjoy.

As I outlined earlier, there is truly no limit to the potential number of characters that can be created in the game. David Silveria, Public Relations Manager for Agetec, demonstrated an example of this at this year's E3, using one of his personal creations (to put it lightly - an old woman with exceptionally amusing characteristics). Although players are encouraged to develop their own creations, Magic Pengel features up to 1,000 pre-rendered characters that can be selected instantly. In addition, Silveria elaborated on the sophistication of the 3D character animator, which is fully aware of every parameter of a part drawn by the player - including its depth and mass.

Among the other highlights which were outlined during our appointment, I was especially intrigued by the manner in which Magic Pengel delegates the character attributes. I learned that the characters composed of larger shapes generally would gain a substantially high hit point value. In theory, characters of this type would be much stronger and effective, whereas one with a smaller design would likely be less formidable.

However, from a gameplay perspective, this led us to conclude that a player simply needs to develop a large character to dominate every match. Hopefully, Taito will address this potentially critical element that could disrupt the balance and challenge factor. Moreover, we weren't able to determine if mobility - dependent on the length of a character's legs - would also be a factor during battles.

Initially, you won't have much of a selection during the beginning of the game. You'll start out with nothing more than a blob-like character, though you can purchase additional parts as you visit larger, more complex and powerful Doodles. As you travel to various towns, you'll encounter townspeople that will challenge you to friendly battles, giving you the opportunity to test your mettle against the competition. Successfully winning the matches will award you with new colors and/or parts to expand your existing army of characters or create new Doodles. So before you know it, that blob character will bulk up and become a badass to be reckoned with.

The battle system utilizes the conventional "rock, paper, scissors" format, which (not surprisingly) is governed more by luck than skill. Since specific attacks can only be used once during any given battle, players must effectively design characters that can stand against their opponents.

Aside from the single-player mode, Magic Pengel will also include a competitive two-player versus mode. The multiplayer mode is an added bonus that expands the game's appeal and replay value; friends can show off their creations and learn new ways to draw and animate their ideas.

Without a doubt, Magic Pengel is shaping up to be a game perfectly suited for talented artists, kids, or anyone that's capable of drawing the basic stick figure. And how simple is that? We're eagerly awaiting this game's release and will continue to keep you abreast of any new developments as they become availiable. Until then . . . start polishing up those doodles.

  
  
  

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