Original Japanese action RPG allowing players to draw their own enemy sprites and battle them. The creative monster customisation concept is unique. Gameplay depth is limited but the concept's originality and humour make it endearing. A cult niche title.
Your verdict
Category
Action RPG1 player7+
Description
An action-RPG by Taito released in 2004 (Japan) and 2005 (West), a spiritual successor to Magic Pengel. Players draw their own monsters with a stylus and bring them into battle, in a childlike game with a remarkably free-form creation system. A creative curio with modest production values.
Graffiti Kingdom review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The game's visual originality lies in its player-drawn monsters. Armed with a stylus, one sketches one's own creatures, free doodles the game animates at once to send into battle. The art direction embraces this animated-scribble aesthetic: a childlike world made of clumsy, charming lines, where the player's imagination takes shape on screen, and where one faces foes with beasts born of one's own pencil.
An action RPG from Garakuta Studio, Graffiti Kingdom leans on a unique creature creation system where the player draws their own monsters before controlling them in combat, in a colourful, whimsical world. The freedom of the creature editor, the originality of the concept and the light tone win over fans of inventive games. The modest production and sometimes repetitive gameplay weigh on it. A singular title for fans of original action RPGs and games betting on creation and customisation.
