Dumb Ways To Draw has a lot going for it on first glance. It has hugely endearing aesthetics and easy to grasp gameplay, but sadly it’s just a bit too generic to hold your attention for long. A spin off …
Dumb Ways To Draw has a lot going for it on first glance. It has hugely endearing aesthetics and easy to grasp gameplay, but sadly it’s just a bit too generic to hold your attention for long.
A spin off from the rather successful Dumb Ways To Die trilogy of titles, this is another entry in the line drawing genre – with typically gruesome deaths awaiting you if you mess up.
You have to guide a range of differently sized blobs with arms and legs to a specific object. This is done by drawing lines that can be used to both help them past obstacles or unlock doors.
There’s a range of different obstacles and enemies – from wrecking balls to surprisingly violent bees – and they all require a bit of forward thinking to avoid.
Sadly this is a game saddled by a couple of key problems. The first is that the line drawing genre isn’t an under-represented one on mobile, and Dumb Ways To Draw doesn’t do much to separate itself from the crowd.
It has a bizarrely uneven learning curve with levels going from maddeningly complex – multiple buttons and gates – to ones that require just a simple straight line to complete.
There’s no feeling that this is a title that’s been designed with any great care, with very few new or exciting ideas ever thrown your way.
Second, and most problematic is the number of ads the game throws at you. With free-to-play titles you expect this to a degree, but here it’s done to the point of madness.
Restarting a level? Here’s an ad. Progressing to the next level? Here’s an ad. Want to go to the main menu and back into the game for whatever reason? Yep, here’s another ad.
In a game where experimentation is often vital this is a huge issue, and at £3.99 the price to get rid of the ads is much higher than it should be.
Ultimately Dumb Ways To Draw is well presented but has very little to offer to anyone other than the least demanding of gamers. Check it out for yourself on the App Store.
