This week's game is A Drawing's Journey, a Wii U EU eShop exclusive about a drawing of a man who wants his family back. The premise allows for a variety of art styles, but the slow pace and obtuse puzzles make it difficult to push through.
I'm gonna assume most people aren't familiar with this one! It may look innocuous at first, but underneath the child-like aesthetic lies an adventure game with some truly obtuse puzzles and needlessly restrictive event triggers. I really like the idea behind this one and the idea of taking place in a world of drawings allows the game to potentially surprise you with strange characters or intentionally clashing art styles, but it's just such a chore to play that it's difficult recommend.
Between a story that fails to be interesting, a walking speed for the protagonist that's so, so slow, and misleading "hints" and awkward writing that gives the player the wrong idea at several points, this is a game that constantly pushes back against the player in a way that feels unintentionally hostile at times. There's one particular puzzle that's so absurd I spent hours trying every possible thing, deleting my save to redo the entire game to try something else (and make sure the game didn't bug out on me), and bashing my head against it until I felt queasy. It wasn't fun, but let my challenging weekend make your weekday a bit more interesting with a lot of words about a game you've probably never played! If you're in the market for all the Wii U exclusives, you're gonna have to grab this one, and if you ever try to play it, come ready with as much patience as you can muster!