Drawn: The Painted Tower
Platform: Mac, Windows
Much like the Dream Chronicles series or the more recent Princess Isabella: A Witch's Curse, the new casual adventure game Drawn: The Painted Tower drops you in a gorgeously drawn world filled with items to find and puzzles to solve. The story and artwork wrap the game in a brilliantly mysterious package, delivering a feast for your senses as you devour the simple (but tasty!) gameplay.
A shadow has fallen over the dark kingdom, but a legend tells of a girl who will restore the light. She lives out her dreams within the walls of the Painted Tower, drawing the world as she sees it and creating sketches and paintings with magical abilities. Imprisoned at the top of the tower, it's your job to work your way through the dark halls and set her free.
It's easy to spot the hidden object influence in a title like this, but once you start the adventure, you'll realize it's all about the story, the puzzles, and the breathtaking scenery. Each scene features a few clickable hotspots that contain mini-games, puzzles, or objects to collect. Quite often you'll come across pieces of things, such as scraps of cloth, shards of glass, etc., that need to be gathered in your inventory and assembled somewhere nearby.
Your objective is listed on the left side of the screen, but finding the right items to complete that objective may involve a little travel. A hint system is available, and it recharges a few minutes after each use, so if you're stuck, give it a click to see if it can nudge you in the right direction.
Weaving through the tower may seem like a drab affair, but thanks to the girl's vivid imagination, you'll visit a stunning variety of locations. It's a reward in itself just to see the inside of a new painting. The very first chapter takes place in a warm meadow, and the minute the screen loads, you'll be floored by the visual detail. When I saw a fully animated grasshopper crawl through the brush, I wanted to sit and stare at the scene rather than play the game.
Analysis: The biggest standout feature of Drawn: The Painted Tower is, well, everything you see and hear, from the artwork to the voice acting and even the music. The game comes to life on your screen, filling your eyes with beautifully illustrated locations that burst with vibrant (or murky, depending on the setting) colors. It's like wandering around in a slightly grim fairy tale. Appropriate given the game's plot.
The gameplay itself isn't anything new, per se, though I appreciate how easy it is to find, combine, and use items without fumbling with the interface. The usual battery of mini-games are strewn about the world, popping up in the form of jigsaw puzzles and the like when you've found all the pieces of a riddle. While the games are well-integrated into the environment, they aren't anything special, and sometimes I wished they were left out altogether. After a few seconds fiddling with each puzzle a skip button appears, so if you aren't having a good time with the mini-game, feel free to forget about it!
Beautiful presentation on every front, smooth gameplay, and an intriguing story that unfolds as you play. Drawn: The Painted Tower is a bit short, but the ending leaves plenty of room for a sequel. It may not reinvent the casual adventure game, but Drawn: The Painted Tower is definitely one of the shining stars of the genre.
Windows:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Mac OS X:
Download the demo
Get the full version
Walkthrough Guide
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Drawn: The Painted Tower Walkthrough
Tower Steps
Read the sign on the door to discover the princess is missing.
Pick up the red ribbon on the steps and read the message from Iris. Pick up the paper on the steps - it is a sketch of a handle.
Use the sketch on the door to enable entrance to the tower.
The Foyer and Farm
Talk to the Stone Guardian.
Find in the room: piece of a chest. In the right corner, find a glowing eye and a drawing of a squirrel.
Use the chest piece on the chest in the center of the room for the chest puzzle. Solution:
Pull the left knob down and the small piece to the left, then the right knob down and the medium piece to the right. Rotate the pieces until they make a phoenix shape. Screenshot.
Slide the right compartment handle to the right and get the canvas fragment to trigger a cutscene.
Slide the left compartment handle to the left and pick up the small silver key. Notice the puzzle - need to find pieces to complete the picture.
Use the small silver key on the chest on the left. Pick up the rabbit drawing.
Examine the painting on the back wall. Use the canvas fragment to complete the painting and enter the farm scene.
Farm
Find in the scene a pole, a blue thistle, and half a sunflower. Screenshot.
Talk to the scarecrow in the left corner twice. He'll tell you to find his glove and also that the squirrel may chase the crow away. Notice the glove on the stump on the right. Use the squirrel drawing on the stump to chase the crow. Now you can get the glove.
Use the glove on the scarecrow's arm. Now he'll give you clippers to find his hat. Use the clippers on the hedge on the right to get the hat. Put it on his head and get the carving knife for finding his eyes.
Use the rabbit drawing on the crows guarding the pumpkins. Click them, use the clippers on the vines to expose the pumpkins. Now you can use the carving knife on the pumpkins to find the eyes.
The scarecrow gives you a shovel handle. Find the shovel head in the close-up of the pumpkins. Combine the two parts and use the shovel on the mound of dirt behind the pumpkins to find the belt.
Give him the belt and he will give you a fishing line. Combine line with pole and use on river to get boot.
Scarecrow is complete! He gives you another glowing eye.
Exit the painting. Grab the four hanging scraps of paper on the wall around the painting.
Use the four pieces of paper on the paper inside the chest to complete the puzzle. This starts a slider puzzle. Screenshot.
Pick up the cold iron sun that is revealed.
Examine the fireplace to the left and talk to it. Place the two glowing eyes on its face. Pick up the tongs on the left.
Use the cold iron sun on the fireplace, then the tongs to get it out.
Examine the cloud door on the right side of the room. Use the hot sun on the hole in the door to open it and trigger a cutscene.
The Window and Witchdoctor
Go upstairs to the Window. Find the hammer on the floor.
Examine the painting - it will explode. Use the hammer on the hole in the wall for a window shard.
Pick up the sketch of the witch doctor and the dry rag on the left. Use the dry rag on the puddle of water for a wet rag. Notice the arrow drawing under where you found the witch doctor.
Go upstairs. In second stairwell, find four window shards, a stone star, and a candle. Screenshot
Proceed further upstairs to the door with Iris on it. Find the sixth window shard. Use the stone star on the door. This opens a space for a heart.
Return to the window downstairs. Your goal is to put the shards in the correct locations so the window looks like the arrow drawing on the post.
Click the pieces to rotate them. They will turn gray when in the right position. Screenshot
When the window is restored a shadow will point to where to dig in the sand. Use the shovel several times on the spot the arrow points to until you reveal the canvas fragment.
Use the canvas on the painting on the back wall. Then use the wet rag to wipe it off. Before you enter, grab the wooden teeth and wooden ear from the two masks next to the painting.
Witch Doctor Painting
Use the witch doctor drawing near the cauldron.
You need to find his wand and light the cauldron fire. Use the candle under the cauldron to light the fire.
Now use the hammer on the four ceramic pots around the room to get some netting, two shrunken heads, and a partial net. Screenshot
Examine the shrunken heads scene on the right. Use the two heads you found on the two poles. Use the wooden ear on the left head, and the wooden teeth on the other. You will receive magic beads and magic feather.
Now tug the hanging yellow rope three times to get the staff. Talk to the witch doctor to combine the items. He will now instruct you to find a thistle, leaf, sunflower, dragonfly, butterfly, and bee elsewhere.
Return to the farm painting and combine the two net parts to make a net. Use it to get the maple leaf, bee, butterfly and dragonfly. You should already have the thistle and sunflower.
Return to the witch doctor and give him the three insects. Click the sparkling preparation area on the left. Use the sunflower with the bowl and remove all the petals. Use the leaf on the bowl and use the knife on the leaf. Use the thistle on the bowl and grind it up.
Mix the ingredient in the following order: thistle, green vial on bottom shelf, maple leaf, sunflower.
Give the prepared ingredients to the witch doctor. He will give you a stone heart.
Go to the door at the top of the stairs and place the heart. You will receive a needle and thread and the door will open.
When you try to ascend the stairwell behind the door the stairs will collapse.
Foyer and Giant Tree
Return to the Foyer. A bell crashed through the floor revealing the basement.
Examine the painting above the fireplace. Pick up the cardinal sketch to the right behind the tree drawing.
Use the needle and thread to repair the large painting.
Tree Painting
Click the sparkling center of the tree. Use the candle to light the area. Click the spider's face to open a puzzle.
Solution:
Number the eyes left to right 1-14. Click eyes 5, 3, 12, 13.
Get the hourglass and watering can.
Get the teddy bear to the right of the tree.
Return to the Witch Doctor and learn that the Growth potion is complete. Fill the watering can at the cauldron. Pour on the tree roots.
This opens up stairs. Go up.
Treetop
Bugs are infesting the tree. Use the cardinal drawing on the tree to clear the bugs. Once the cardinal has cleared the area immediately around it, click it again to move it to the next area. Now look into the tree.
Move all the objects off the rug. Pick up the metal birdcage. Then click the rug to move it. Open the latch to start the five-sided puzzle. You must hit the 10 buttons to rotate the shapes to match the colors and shapes outlined. Receive white chalk on completion.
Go outside and outline all three clouds with the white chalk. Be sure to follow the direction indicated by the arrow.
Go back into the tree house and find the tree shape.
Go back to the Foyer and place the tree shape in the space under the tree painting on the left wall.
The Theater
Return to the collapsed stairs behind the Iris door. Pick up the golden Phoenix egg. Now return to the Foyer and put the egg in the fireplace.
A phoenix will rise from fire. Capture it using the birdcage.
Go to the Theater. Use the phoenix in the center of the Theater to light the room. Find the sketch of bell, sketch of clock hand, and yellow chalk from the table on the left.
Examine the chalkboard on the ground on the right. Use the yellow chalk to draw a clockwise circle around the sun.
Clock Tower - Day
Use the clock hand sketch on the clock. Notice that the shop on the right opens at 7:30. Set the hands of the clock to 7:30.
Enter the right door to the inner clock. The man in the clock needs a gear.
Go outside and speak to the left Magic Merchant. Click the gear on his table. Give him the teddy bear to get the gear. Return inside and use gear on clock.
Now need an oil can. Go outside and click the oil can on the left Magic Merchant's table. Give the old letter to get the oil can.
Return inside and use the oil can on the clock. Now we need paints.
Go outside and talk to the right Magic Merchant. Complete the paint puzzle to get the paints. The object is to paint the shapes such that no two colors are touching each other. Screenshot.
Now you can enter the door on the left. Go up the elevator and find the unpainted tower sketch. Drop the paints on the tower. Then use the bell sketch in the tower.
Talk to the man in the clock. He will give you the dragon costume.
Return to the Magic Merchant on the right and give him the dragon costume. He will give you blue chalk. Now give him the hourglass and he will enchant it to slow down the stars.
Clock Tower - Night
Go back to the Theater and click the chalkboard. Use the blue chalk and draw the moon outline.
Go into the painting again and up to the top of the tower. Use the enchanted hourglass on the star constellation on the right. When a shooting star comes through the circle created by the hourglass, click it to complete the constellation which will go into your inventory.
Go back down and talk to the merchant on the left. First play the game with the blue and red pieces. Solution:
Number the board 1-25 left to right, top to bottom. Move the following pieces - 18 to 16, 16 to 8, 23 to 20, 20 to 15, 15 to 3, 3 to 13. The blue one should be in the center.
You can now take the slingshot from his table.
Prepare for the Show
Go back to the theater and turn night back into day with the chalkboard.
Give the magic merchant the constellation and get the seed. Go upstairs to the top of the tower and break the left top window with the slingshot.
Go back to gear room on the right and take the stairs up on the left side of the room. Place the seed in the planter in the center of the room.
There are eyes under each window - click the eyes to open the windows. Now your objective is to reflect the light so it hits the seed. Each time the plant grows you will have to readjust the mirrors. Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2 Screenshot 3
Now return to the chalkboard to turn it back to night so the plant can bloom.
Once it is evening, go back to the plant room and reposition the mirrors so that moonlight shines on the bud of the plant. Screenshot.
This will transport you to next puzzle. Pick up the puzzle pieces on the right and put them in the cutout. The pieces can't be rotated, and they will lock into place when in the correct place. Screenshot
When finished, notice the sketch on the left piece of paper - it indicates the next step. Pick up the chisel from the bin of tools and use it all over the wood figure. Then use the large brush to prime the figure. Now the drawing on the left will show you the colors to paint the figure. Use the small brush.
Finally the show will begin. There are three slots for props under the actor and a series of objects on the right. Your objective is to respond to the events of the play using the props. Pick three and then hit the lever on the left to see what happens in the play. You can do this multiple times.
Solution:
shovel, metal shield, heart
Completion of this puzzle will trigger a cutscene.
Backstage
Click up to follow the newly exposed catwalk. Enter the doorway to go backstage.
Find the red rock in the scene. Screenshot.
Examine the music stand on the right to get the skeleton key and sheet of symbols.
Examine the shimmering area of ground on the left to the get chisel.
Click to go up and examine the top of the screen for the stone circles puzzle. Your objective is to put rearrange the pieces so that matching numbers are next to each other, and adjacent numbers add up to the number in the middle. The green lights will light up when two correct pieces are next to each other. Screenshot
When you solve it you can go up to the Hall of Giants.
Hall of Giants
Examine the shining area on the right to get the yellow rock. Read the note on the ground.
Click the stairs in the back and a boulder will fall. Notice the glowing energy in the center of the room. Use the chisel on the glowing rock.
Energy flies out revealing a painting and a torch in the center.
Pick up the torch and put it in the other torch holder on the left near the entrance. This reveals a tile - pick it up.
Examine the painting in the center. Notice a missing tile. Use the tile in this spot.
Now do the tile puzzle - rotate the tiles so that the lines all match. Screenshot.
On completion you'll enter the Cave of Sorrow painting.
Cave of Sorrow
Find the blue stone and apple in the painting. Screenshot.
Click the hole in the tree - a bird will emerge holding a stone bird glyph.
Get the axe in the tree. Use it on the branch the bird is standing on. Collect the bird glyph where it falls on the ground.
Use the axe on the snail in the bottom right to get the snail glyph.
Examine the shining area in the tree on the left. Your object is to fill the palette with colors using the colored rocks you've found according to the directions on the paper. Solution:
For each of the red, blue, and yellow rocks, first put the rock in the leftmost bowl and grind the powder. Click the bowl to put the powder in the mixing bowl. Then click the egg bowl to mix the egg and powder. Finally click the completed paint in the mixing bowl to pour it in the palette. Do this for the red blue and yellow rocks. Then create orange, green and purple by mixing the powders before adding eggs. Orange = yellow + red, green = yellow + blue, purple = red + blue.
Pick up the completed palette.
Exit the painting and examine the rabbit face in the Hall of Giants. Use the palette on the scaffolding to the right.
Paint the right eye of the rabbit to match the left. You will receive a sketch of a carrot.
Return to the painting and use the carrot sketch on the rabbit in the left corner. The rabbit jumps out of the hole allowing you to reach the rabbit glyph.
You now have all three animal glyphs. Put them in the corresponding spots on the back wall. The boulder will move allowing you access to a cave.
Deep Forest
Enter the forest. Its too dark to see. Return to the Hall of Giants and retrieve the torch from the left wall.
Go back to the Deep Forest and use the torch on the wall on the left.
Use the sheet of symbols on the torn instructions in the left upper corner.
The object of the puzzle is to rearrange all the symbols so that they make the same words as those on the sheets. When a word is both correct and in the correct location, it will light up a symbol in the center. If you created a word and the drawing appears but the symbol doesn't light up, you need to switch the location to another word with the same number of letters. Screenshot.
Now collect the stone star on the right side of the wall. Also grab the torch.
Exit the painting. As you do, pick up the stone weight that is revealed behind the fallen painting.
Return to the Hall of Giants and go up the back stairwell.
Fire and Ice
Use the stone weight on the left rope. Pull the two ropes until the image on the pillar is the complete picture of Iris.
Use the stone star from the Deep Forest on the star shape. This will reveal a griffon and the paintings on the walls.
Examine the painting on the left. Grab the chalice and the gnome. Then enter the painting.
The Dragon's Cave
Use the torch on the wall on the left. Talk to the dragon - need to prove equal weight.
Pick up the pickaxe on the left and the mallet by the gongs. Screenshot
Go to the left for another scene. Pick up the bellows on the left. Use them on the stove to stoke the flames.
In the back of the room the numbers I, III, II, II, I light up. Click the numbers to start a dialog with a skeleton. Use the pickaxe on the crack on the wall behind the skeleton to get gold ore.
Use the gold ore in the oven to melt it. Use the gnome, apple, and chalice in the liquid gold to coat them in gold.
Return to the right scene. Use all three items on the left scale. This angers the dragon, whose fiery breath melts the ice on the other painting.
Return to the Fire and Ice room. Click the sparking area in the back of the room and grab the canvas piece. Use it on the ice painting to complete it to enter.
Friend or Foe
Find the two frozen statue pieces in the scene. Talk to the guardian - you must choose either friend or foe to enter. Your goal is to rotate the tiles such that the left eye above the gate is either green (for friend) or red (for foe). Screenshot.
Then you must exit the painting and turn the left guardian green to match by closing all the teeth. You move the teeth by hitting the whiskers. Solution:
Number the left whiskers 1-3 top to bottom and the right ones 4-6. Hit them in the following order. 3, 3, 3, 6, 6, 6, 1, 1, 1, 4, 4, 4, 2, 2, 2, 6, 6, 6.
You can then re-enter the painting and go through the gate. Now enter the ice castle.
Ice Castle
Find 3 ice statue pieces and a red gem in the scene. Screenshot
Assemble the five ice statue pieces on the pedestal in the center of the room. Start at the base and built up.
This activate a puzzle on the ceiling window. Your objective is to move the green pane so it is lined up with the green arrow. The right eye moves the circle 5 counterclockwise, the center one 3 counterclockwise, and the left one 7 clockwise. Solution:
middle twice, right twice.
Now you can grab the shield.
Return to the dragon lair and go to the stove at the left.
Dip the shield in the liquid gold to create a gong.
Go to the dragon scene and use the gong under the space for a 3rd gong. Pick up the mallet and hit the gongs in the order indicated by the numbers in the other room:
I, III, II, II, I
This disables the dragon and allows you to pick up the key under his tail. Use it on the chest at the top to open a puzzle.
First drag each blade back into the side, the top one first. When these are retracted, you can access the inner rings. The object is to group the objects according to the theme on each dragon. Click a dragon, and a symbol will appear in the center of the circle. Line up the other three symbols to match. Solution:
Lower left: water = ice cube, snowflake, drop of water. Upper right: Red = heart, apple, strawberry. Bottom right: magnetic = horseshoe, anvil, knife. Upper left: Biggest to smallest = sun, torch, candle. Then you get a number eight in the middle = 3 flowers, 3 people, 2 rabbits.
You receive the gear of flame and 3 red gems.
Go back to Friend or Foe. Use the four red gems in the four elephant eyes on the walls. This will raise four platforms. This triggers a Simon says game where you mimic the light pattern that appears on the platforms. This will be different every time. If a red light appears you have made a mistake.
You can now access the chest under the griffon - it contains a gear of ice.
Return to the main fire and ice room and use the gear of ice and gear of fire on the sparkling area in the back. This opens a staircase going up.
The Book and the Rooftop
Examine the book. Use the griffon skeleton key on the cover. The book contains rough sketches of the characters in each painting: the scarecrow, the witchdoctor, the giant tree, the dragon, and the griffon.
Now return to each painting and take the sketches of each character that appear in the book that are on the corresponding paintings. Go back to the book and place the sketches in the book.
After the cutscene, pick up the book and stairs to the roof will appear.
Give Iris the book.
Posted by: eileen
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September 6, 2009 12:41 AM