Graffiti Kingdom
A 2004 PlayStation 2 game by Taito Corporation and Garakuta Studio.
Graffiti Kingdom follows the story of Prince Pixel, who, while wandering around his family's castle one day, comes across a Graffiti Wand, a tool allowing its user to bring drawings to life. In his playing around with it, he awakens its previous owner, a girl turned dog called Pastel, as well as the Devil - yes, that Devil - who proceeds to unleash his minions and power upon Pixel's unsuspecting kingdom, transforming the castle and nearby lands into his own creation and taking the human inhabitants as slaves. As it turns out, the two of them were sealed inside a drawing together by Pastel herself, and since Pixel broke that seal, well, it's his job to battle the Devil, have him re-sealed, and save his parents and people with the power of the hand-me-down Graffiti Wand.
Rather unknown/overlooked, the game is a spiritual sequel of sorts to another rather unknown/overlooked game by the name of Magic Pengel, both in that it was created by the same companies and in that they share the same major gimmick... they allow you to draw your own creatures. While Magic Pengel played it in an RPG, Pokemon sort of style, Graffiti Kingdom instead uses it for a more platformer-style. Instead of sealing the creatures, you create and releasing them when it's time for them to fight, your drawings become forms Pixel can take, more or less free to run, pounce and fight through the game's stages.
- Aerith and Bob: Niss, Easel, Telepin, Deskel, Acryla... and Carlton. Huh.
- Affably Evil: A number of the demons seem to be pretty friendly in themselves. Tablet almost suggests late in the game that they are only really evil for the sake of it or because evil and demons are automatically associated.
- Even the Big Bad is pretty blasé... that is, after you beat him.
- Anime Hair: The colors on some demons go without saying, but what of Tablet's massive hairspike?
- Art Initiates Life: The concept around which the game revolves.
- Awesome but Impractical: Some of the more talented veterans of this game can make some very impressive creatures to look at, but sometimes the engineering put into making a creature look and function the way it does comes at the expense of the finished project having access to certain moves that would make it useful in the actual gameplay.
- Barrier Maiden: Pastel.
- Breath Weapon: Many attacks of your own creatures and enemies, notably the Mega Breath used by Tablet in his wyvern form.
- Broken Bridge: Bridges to levels take the forms of rainbows that only appear if you've gotten a key from the previous levels' boss. And naturally, the Devil can only be reached once you've taken every boss' key.
- Cain and Abel: Tablet and Palette seem way less than fond of each other.
- The Cameo: Reimu Hakurei appears in the game under the name of "Flying Maiden". Makes sense since ZUN was involved in the development of the game.
- Also, you can get access to a Pengel card in the final level.
- A Space Invader is also obtainable in all its pixellated glory.
- Bub and Bob are available in this same sense.
- So is Mog from Super Puzzle Bobble.
- Clipped-Wing Angel: Tablet does this in his face-off with Pixel after becoming the new Satan.
- Death Mountain: Wind of Pan Ravine.
- Did You Just Punch Out Satan?
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Tablet and Pixel. To people who haven't played before, they're universally mistaken for girls. The skirts and female voice actors DO NOT HELP.
- Everything's Better with Princesses: Princess Palette is a subversion.
- Evil Tower of Ominousness: The Devil's palace gets a nice dramatic introduction. All you can see of it until entering the place is its huge, spooky silhouette along with one of the Devil himself looming over it.
- Exposition Fairy: Pastel, though Pixel usually isn't listening.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning: The main elements of your attacks, as well as Palette's triple-shot attack.
- Flunky Boss: Perhaps Carlton would be easier to deal with if you didn't have to deal with a swarm of his "Wannabes" surging after you and coming back shortly after they've all been taken out.
- Gotta Catch Em All: Optional. You can gather cards of the graffiti creatures you fight, and once you've collected them, you can use them yourself, mini-versions of the bosses included.
- Guide Dang It: Some of the bosses. Just... ugh.
- Idiot Hero: Pixel.
- Kick the Dog: Or rather Palette kicks a chibi demon ghost.
- Later, she has tea with the dog after having kidnapped Pastel.
- Level Ate: Palette's level is made primarily out of sweets, with her coliseum being located atop a cake.
- Mega Manning: After each boss battle, a card with the boss's graffiti form appears. You grab it, you get the form for use later.
- Nice Hat: Easel wears his even in ghost form.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The very beginning of the game.
- One-Winged Angel: Each boss has an alternate form they use in battle, presumably a graffiti-form they shift into between their introductory cutscene and fight.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Telepin, one of the more frustrating bosses, is a pink rabbit in a kimono with a Bubbles-esque voice.
- Royal Brat: The Devil's kids, though Palette is the only really bratty one.
- Satan
- Some Dexterity Required: Drawing creatures: Easy. Drawing creatures well: Tough.
- Swiss Army Hero
- Talking Animal: Pastel the dog, who keeps claiming to really be a human girl. Which she is.
- Theme Naming: The main cast are Pixel, Pastel, Tablet and Palette. Also part of the theme are bosses Easel, Deskel and Acryla.
- Toy Time: Cannon of Block Valley.
- Tsundere: Pastel, though you can't exactly blame her for being annoyed with the Idiot Hero.
- Voluntary Shapeshifter: Graffiti users, as well as demons.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Constantly, especially at the beginning. Pixel's kind of an asshole.
- X Meets Y: "It's like if Spore and Pokémon had a baby, and that baby was raised by Mario."
- Which is odd, considering Spore came out over 3 years later...
- Making it more of a missing link between the two games.
- Which is odd, considering Spore came out over 3 years later...
- Yasunori Mitsuda
- You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Tablet and Palette. Human!Pastel and Acryla, also, with green hair.