Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an adventure with platforming and painting elements from creator Greg Lobanov, published under the Finji label, in which the player controls a dog named Chicory who inherits a magic brush capable of restoring color to a faded, literally colorless world. Most of the game's puzzles and exploration are built around creative use of the brush – the player paints paths across chasms with it, solves environmental puzzles, and freely expresses personal style with their own patterns and color combinations across the map, which makes every playthrough a slightly different, personal visual experience. The game also offers an extensive photo and painting mode in which players can freely edit saved scenery even after completing the main story.

On Xbox Series X|S the game runs smoothly and at a crisp resolution, which shows off the finely drawn environments and the ability to freely paint over most surfaces in the game without noticeable slowdown. The game openly engages with themes of anxiety, impostor syndrome, and the pressure of expectations tied to creativity, through sensitively written dialogue with supporting characters who experience these themes as intimately as the protagonist Chicory herself.

Chicory was released in 2021 on PC and PlayStation and arrived on Xbox platforms somewhat later, where the combination of its original painting mechanic, sensitive storytelling, and cute yet imaginative visuals earned it a devoted audience even beyond the traditional circle of platformer fans. The game tends to be praised as one of the most distinctive indie titles of its time, one that managed to artistically portray difficult themes of creativity and self-doubt without losing its playfulness, colorfulness, and accessibility to a wide range of players, including those who don't usually play platformers or adventure games regularly and were drawn to it specifically by its themes of creativity and self-expression.

Why play it: Thanks to its original painting mechanic, sensitive storytelling, and cute visuals, it will appeal even to players who don't usually play platformers and adventure games but are drawn to its themes of creativity and self-expression.