Loved this video! Always happy to see this game talked about. Just a quick addition I think you may like - Drawn to Life: Two Realms was actually made by many of the same creators of the previous two games! Long story short, THQ went bankrupt and a lot of the devs went to work for 505 Games. The gameplay is very different (it's more of a puzzle platformer) which is why it got mixed ratings. I'm not too crazy about the gameplay either, but on the other hand, I personally enjoyed the story a LOT. It follows Mike and Heather in "real life" and the Raposa still existing, implied to because of the power of imagination. It takes place four years after The Next Chapter's original ending and stays very loyal to the feel of the other two games. I'd recommend at least watching a play through!
Absolutely agree! While the gameplay isn’t perfect, I do think Two Realms was a nice follow up after all these years. Especially with the story. While there are parts that aren’t perfect, like I think the villain could have been fleshed out a bit more, there’s a ton of things that were amazing. Getting to see the human world and how it parallels the Raposa world, seeing old and new characters and their interactions, Mari and Jowee in general were excellent, and I really like the message that we shouldn’t let negative emotions consume us. So while it is flawed, I do really enjoy Two Realms, and the story is a big part of that! (Apologies if this message was too long, I am very passionate about Drawn to Life and I don’t get to talk about it too often)
so glad im not the only one to love two realms in spite of its gameplay flaws. certainly the story too had its issues, but i loved it all the same. plus, it gave me so much to work with in terms of fan content…
Apparently the Ending was foreshadowed in the first game mainly in the credits song the end you could hear a heart monitor beeping in certain parts of the song
I like to believe it is. The song is like a dual song. On the surface it is a romantic song for Jowee and Mari. Underneath, it is for the siblings as they are constantly at odd ends that life has put them in and they barely can hang on to the hope that they can survive together. Great song.
The Next Chapter also recontextualized the darkness of the first game. It's not just dark clouds and goo. It's smoke and tar buildup from the car crash.
There is foreshadowing. Mike questions if the world is a dream, the ending theme of the first game has a heart beat monitor, and Heather says ‘Kemi Kewa’ when she’s kidnapped(Wake Mike with the letters scrambled)
I only played the second game and I was in shocked when I finally got to the ending. I was on a road trip when I got to the end and I was left in tears when I saw the ending. Still love the game to this day.
See, I've always taken issue with the whole "none of this was real" argument. The critics say this as if the story being a product of Mike's coma suddenly invalidated everything. The world and the creator were very much real for the raposa. So much so that the antagonist and who up until this point was the most virtuous character agreed that a child should stay comatose so that everything and everyone didn't cease to exist. And the ending is all the more poignant because an entire world worth of people decided to sacrifice it all so that said child could live. Stories aren't less valuable for being fictional, because you could say that from literally every story.
Danganronpa V3 WISHES it can pull off its message this way. There are more ways to tell your audience that the world was fake all along than to just let the characters spell it out for you.
The ending when you first see it feels dumb and random. But then when you actually look back, you can see how pretty much every element of the game - including it's TITLE - has always had a double entendre in place of a kid's imagination trying to fight off death. The Raposa represent elements of the kids brain/imagination, bringing them and the world around them back represents bringing him back. Mari begging to the creator? It could easily be seen as his brain interpreting his sister's prayers. This is one of the few times where "it was all a dream" actually makes the story way better.
And even the name Mari being so close to Mary, and Jowee is close to Joseph (or Yahweh, still not sure which one to pick for him. One character is also called Isaac)
I cherish Drawn to Life and it's sequel so much. I'd honestly consider them my favorite games of all time. It's always super cool to see people make videos about it.
It's no coincidence that the devil is usually representative of one's will to do as they please. This is why hedonism and sin are associated with satan because they are acts of defiance that satan grants one the freedom to commit. Hell, lucifer was the first angel to defy god and enact his own free will. Wilfre might not be the devil but such an emphasis on free will (plus endangering the life of a child) is pretty damn devilish.
holy shit, I'm sorry, but FREE WILL is the bad guy!? As a kid I only played the Wii version which doesn't really have as strong christian themes so I never had any reason to question his name, or look any deeper into it.
Ya know it’s funny, there are so many dark indie games today with a cute artstyle that this is really no different when you think about it. It would fit right in
I remember playing the first and second game when I was in middle school. The ending felt like it came out of left field. It was weird that all of the sudden Mike became an important character when we've been following Mari and Jowee's story.
Amazing video man, this was my favorite game from my childhood. Also, did you know that at 3:48 heather says kemi kewa... rearrange some letters and boom! It says wake mike.
The ending of chapter 2 really reminds me of the ending of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon; Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky. I can't go into spoilers for PMD, but the vibes are very similar, and equally hard hitting. For a kids game chapter 2 is quite dark, I can see that for sure, yet at the same time, I really do appreciate having something more mature on the DS like that.
I am so glad you covered this game as well. This was one the first games I ever played on the DS. My favorite part about this game is 100% the music, and to this day I still believe this game has one of the best OST in the entire DS lineup. Every single world is just composed so well. Watersong’s level theme can genuinely make me close to bawling my eyes out. I also love how tiny bits of melody in Real Life can also be found in other songs. Its such a shame that Real Life and Light of my Life can’t be found on music streaming platforms. Absolutely incredible review, and thank you so much for bringing this game back in the light again!
Drawn to Life is such a hidden gem, so it honestly surprises me that I go the chance to play the game. Was definitely one of my favorites to play, but I don't know how I kept losing my cartridges of the game since I'm pretty sure that I've owned 3 copies of the first game
This honestly looks like a really cute (and scary) game! Im gonna stop watching until the recap and try it myself. Also, I received the yt noti and wasnt sure if what im reading is true and that was you uploaded! Glad to see you again Echo! Have fun and a nice day!
I… i didn’t get the ending when i played for the first time… and i forgot about it. Now that i look back it was so dark, and now, in a dark period in my life this game returns… Happy and sad memories. And a great soundtrack…
I found this video and the previous one from a reference in another video about a SpongeBob DoodleBob theory about the SpongeBob Drawn to Life game, and it brought back memories of playing specifically The Next Chapter. All I really remembered about it was the hub worlds but I remembered more and more as I watched through this video. I couldn't remember the ending until you showed the first frame of the family walking together and everything came back. I never played the original, and I last played this one probably about 13 or so years ago, so I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the ending. This was a great video, and it brought back happy memories of playing this game
honestly, this ending is why i don’t mind Drawn to Life: Two Realms. sure, the gameplay is kinda bad, and the story doesn’t hold a candle to the first two, but it’s not all bad. i liked the general shape of the story, and while it really could have used more drawing than just the hero, i was happy with the ending because everything followed on from this one.
I picked up this game when I first got my DS and I absolutely loved it. The songs were amazing, the levels were so vast and different and the game itself was great. Really miss the old times playing it. Still own my DS and the game just haven't touched it in a bit. I didn't fully understand the ending as a kid but now I do. Great video bro!
this game is particularly special to me because its genuinely the earliest memory i have, i must have played it when i was about four and revisited it when i was twelve, so its doubly nostalgic to me in that way, and also because it reminds me of time i spent with my family. im not usually a very emotional person and im specifically not really affected by videogames or movies emotion wise but honestly man every time i see this game it just makes me want to cry, probably the nostalgia mixed with the pretty sad story but seriously man, im nearly in tears even typing this
This was my favorite game when i was about 7 years old. I rememember the very strange emotions i felt playing it, it made me sad, nostalgic, and peaceful all at the same time.
Three or four years ago I beat the game for the first time, the ending had me bawling because things like the first towns mayor trying to die in the end so her son could succeed her and such really brought the ending home for me
The weirdest thing to me was always how much the 2 worlds after watersong change in theme. Watersong is reinforcing the idea of parental death for the future of their children and acts as a hint to the ending of the game. The other two however are about forgiveness to misguided leaders taking the wrong way of looking after their people. In a way I guess it is supposed to align with Mari's plot in the same way but that plotline in itself doesnt seem to tie in with the overall theme of the ending. Still that ending was crazy for kid me considering I never played the first game. I dont think it was supposed to be for shock value but rather just the writers having a great idea for a twist that wasnt conveyed well enough in the rest of the game to make the pay off seem logical. Still a fantastic game that i wish would get some sort of remaster or a full blown remake to add more ties to the ending.
Great Review! I don't know why as a kid this game stuck with me but I'm so glad it did. Such a wild concept and the story does keep me thinking even after all this time.
I think Wilfre is death and we're playing as God to help the boy come back from his coma why would the first 2 games say that we created the world by your own hands?
Yo this is crazy, I remember your name from Geometry Dash and now I randomly found this video you made about an obscure game that I'm pretty fond of as well!
This game means a LOT to me ever since I purchased a copy (and not the first game ironically). The first time I cleared the game left me distraught and fueled my already developing depression… however, I still kept playing the game repeatedly regardless, until one fateful moment I created a particular hero that changed EVERYTHING! If you know me well enough, you probably know who I’m talking about… but I’m gonna explain again anyways. Her name is Makato. She started out as just another creation hero I… well, created. But somehow, I grew fond of this particular design. I didn’t let this infamous ending be the end of her story, but as just the beginning of a special story. That story is still going on to this day. Makato’s character has grown, along with many friends and foes she’s made and many adventures she’s had… and it’s still going! It’s just like the final part of the first game’s song… “…then he tells me this is not The End.”
Bro wtf I must've completely repressed that ending cause I didn't remember ANY of what happened after beating wilfre 💀 and I beat the game multiple times as a kid Edit: nvm I played the alternate ending version, always goes to show to finish the whole video before commenting
Very interesting actually finding out the meanings and breaking down this game. I've had the game on DS since I was young and only ever completed it once from my memory (its very foggy tho). I never played the first but I'd always be attracted to trying to play the game I did have regardless because of the amazing effort put in. I finally completed the game tonight but didn't understand the ending that well, hence why I looked it up. Idk, very interesting to also learn about the first game, makes more sense lol.
Gotta love how everyone is okay with this yet despises V3's ending for the exact same reason. At least, I'm assuming this ending is more liked than V3's ending.
Execution is key. And this game was fantastically executed. Everything still had a purpose and was relevant to the story. So it being a dream doesn’t diminish the story since it wasn’t “just” a dream.
If you think about it in this game Wilfer wasn’t really the bad guy(and yes I said THIS game because in the first game he’s kind of a douche) he was simply trying to stop you from beating him because if you did Mike would have to wake up and face the harsh reality that his sister is now facially deformed and his parents are dead…it’s still a better outcome than Mike staying in a coma permanently though. When I saw the ending I felt uncomfortable but I didn’t really know why because I was young, the last time I played through the game I was nearing adulthood I remember saying out loud “this game is rated E right?!”
i didn't play the first drawn to life, only the second one, and i only absorbed/remember like 25% of the plot, i never got past wilfre's wasteland, so i'm eager to see what all the dark stuff eventuates to in the end edit: OH
I remember playing Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter when I was like 8 and I still vividly remember that ending. I didn't understand it at all back then but it's probably the first time a game made me cry.
The ending cracks me up nowadays, because is the exact thing so many creepypastas I´ve seen in the early 2000s about how a series ends try to pass as real, when this videogame exists and nobody talks about it!
I remember playing this growing up multiple times and enjoying it throughly without even playing the first game. I wasn’t even sure as to what happened since I was younger and stupid but with maturity and knowing more I feel like I appreciate the game even more.
these two games mean so much to me, especially the first. very good video! never noticed this till now but click kinda be built like the nerd emoji fr lol. I'll always be sad two realms was such a disappointment, but hey the same composer from the first two games did the ost for two realms which is nice. i would recommend listening to it!
Played this game as a kid and I STILL whistle one of the town tunes at random. Don't even remember when I played it or what happened in it, just that tune.
Lmao I reminded a friend that these games existed a couple days ago. She was shocked to discover she still had the cartridges and repressed the ending. Which we both agreed was still awesome. Surprised to see this recommended to me now. Must be fate. Sure, I cried as a kid. I was so happy Mike woke up though and Heather got her brother back. She was always attached to him, even in the first game. When I replayed it I saw all the foreshadowing and plot details in both games. If it came out of left field for some folk then you weren't paying attention. I think calling it "disturbing" or "traumatic" is seriously uncalled for though. Dark? Absolutely. But if you were freaked out by it then I think you were just a weak kid tbh. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
dude I had both games as one game and when I got to the end of the second game I was upset as a kid I didn't like it (I hade the censored version) , I didn't like that Mari and Jowee wasn't real and it was all a dream, but obviously as an adult I understand now but damn its bitter
I remember when i saw the first ending about the crash. I was a teenager and loved the world so much that when mike woke up I felt that the destruction of it was sad.
I love how the creators retconned this ending. First with the 2nd release totlaly remaking it, then with the Wii remake featuring a totally different story and ending, then with a sequel that ignores the events of this game.
Just finished this vid, very banger, It’s so insane how much this game impacted me as a kid, like it’s a full Core Memory for me. Also, this series’ music full on PEAKS here. It just tugs on your heartstrings and is so memorable. Also, just really like your style of vids and how you go in depth with everything.💖
Heather not being able to talk to Mike makes perfect sense, it’s literally the whole point of the game. Heather (RL) is the one trying to wake Mike (RL) up if they interacted, it wouldn’t make sense. As for the instant forgiveness, that makes sense as well and is another hint towards the world being a dream. It’s a child’s dream. Children often ignore how bad something serious is whilst throwing a tantrum about something minor. As for the lack of foreshadowing… did you not pay attention to Rose?! A mother who suddenly seems to die out of nowhere? And then is magically brought back to life? One of the stages of grief is bargaining - the creator (God) brings back Rose to spare Miles the tragedy of his mother’s death. But again, this is all a dream - that’s not how life works. ‘Miles’ is also one letter off ‘Mike’. Being a writer myself, naming two characters similar names is a generally unwise thing to do, unless there is a reason for it obviously. This is because the characters can be more easily forgotten or it could come across as just lazy; two things you don’t want. I know that some of you reading with will say “Erm actually, ‘Miles’ is two characters off ‘Mike’” and you are correct, but consider this. Miles isn’t the key part of this story, Rose is. In English, it is common to not include another S after an apostraphe if a person’s name ends with an S. If you were talking about Miles’ mother, it would then match what I said before if we were talking about Mike’s mother. Now admittedly that last part about the letters could easily be a massive conincidence, but the actual mother symbolism is definitely not.
This game hurts, and I'm not talking about the ending. The finale of watersong is probably the reason I can't play it anymore...my grandpa died around the time I beat it that chapter for the first time. The mayors song always reminds me of him. How does this game get so deep but so unassuming on first look.
I definitely remember the ending of this game, so I’ll give it that. But the main thing I remember is just how unsatisfying it felt and solidifying my hatred for the “it was just a dream” trope. It just makes everything that we did and all the time we spent with the characters feel so meaningless and empty. I don’t mind the ending being dark, but I think there are better ways to do it.
ahk god. I say Jowee as Joey lol so this is kinda weird for me. I renamed myself as Jowee years ago and only realizing how people say it differently, its weird af
Heres my theory based on what ive seen of the next chapter wich isnt much but i still want too throw it out there. Maybe Mari acted like she did beacuse she didnt want this world too go away beacuse she didnt want too lose Jowe and she didnt want too hurt him. Like she meant just forget about this stupid quest forget about me! Just go back too living a normal life and stop risking so much for my sake! I mean he woved his life too protect her but if she wasnt there he wouldnt need too risk anything. I think she was scared of hurting him in that way. And that she toured up the book so we wouldnt interfer with her plan. So in a way i think the story is trying to mirror what happened in real life. Like the idea of someone else suffering with someone else pain. Heather still got hurt even though Mike was the one too fall into a coma. And Jowe could get hurt if he goes through with always defending Mari. Even if Mari is the one primarily suffering Jowe will also suffer beacuse of his loyalty and his wov. But in the end Jowe reasures her that he wants too care for her and that her dissapering wont protect him from heartships beacuse hes still suffering even if shes not there. So they face the world ending togheter just how Heater and mike were always there for one and another till the end. I know this might have inconsistentses with how the story goes and iam not even 100% sold on this idea myself but i just wanted too throw out a theory even if there could be incontinences and plot holes or just not really making total sense beacuse i thought it was interesting and i did it for fun.
Unfortunately I got the DtL Collection which babyfied the ending by a lot but I still absolutely loved the game. On a side note, I'm glad you're back on UA-cam. Back in ye olden days when you were in GD, you were my biggest inspiration for effects and all so I was sad when you left GD, but I understand. I lost interest in the game too. Burnouts a bitch, right?
@@EchonoxYT yooo you used to do GD?? I watched this video because I wanted to know about Drawn To Life's sequel but I had no idea you were also a GD UA-camr at some point, since I myself play GD quite a lot. Very cool bro
I have never played the Drawn to life games and i dismissed them for a very long time for being basic 2D platformers with the gimmick that you can draw some of the parts of the game. Though now i see that theres alot more care and love poured into it then i thought and it makes me want too try them for myself. Also i agree the art is utterly magnificent and the singing is really good too and i love the sprite art and the drawn art for the game, It looks fantastic!
I remember being so excited to play this game when it was announced, I was a tween at the time. Unfortunately as I progressed through the game I was gradually more disappointed after the initial bangers that were the animated intro to the game, and the compelling (if not convoluted) plot of the Watersong region. The other levels and worlds were fine, but when Mari then disappeared and Wilfre kept being behind all the nonsense happening in other worlds, I couldn't help but get the feeling that it just wasn't as fun as the first game. Then that ending... I have never been a fan of the "it was all a dream" trope in storytelling even in the best executions. So imagine my surprise to have all of my time and investment in getting to know and appreciate all the raposa throughout the two games, my rooting to see Mari and Jowee get together and see everyone in this silly little game get a proper happy ending, just to have all of that be torn away to make the entire plot be the coma induced fever dream of some bozo who was introduced as a joke character in the previous game. Not to mention in such an unexpectedly dark manner. To me it felt like a complete betrayal, and to this day I've never been so furious about an ending to a game in my life. I know I'm likely in the minority for having such a take, but no matter how many times i try to find an appreciation for the ending that the game was trying to tell, I can't help but just get angry about it. That said, glad to see this game series getting talked about more.
I don't really mind the ending but the one thing that really bothers me is how none of the characters get any sort of conclusion. Like the entirety of these two games I've been trying to root for Jowee and Mari to get together so badly, and for it to get no kind of resolution is just really vile in my opinion. My favorite aspect of the games is definitely Mari and Jowee and their relationship, and I don't really like this aspect of this ending because of how poorly it deals with it.
How do I explain that when I first saw this ending, it was on a car ride in the exact same conditions (minus the sister). I was petrified while also holding back tears in the back seat the entire ride home
Gotta say im kinda disappointed. I wish the ending was about an artist working on the drawn to life world as a series rather than a coma dream. I feel like that would've been more fitting but thats my opinion
Loved the vid from a dearly beloved game but i was wondering where you found the full art of the games towns, been looking for a while and can't seem to find anything
Loved this video! Always happy to see this game talked about. Just a quick addition I think you may like - Drawn to Life: Two Realms was actually made by many of the same creators of the previous two games! Long story short, THQ went bankrupt and a lot of the devs went to work for 505 Games. The gameplay is very different (it's more of a puzzle platformer) which is why it got mixed ratings. I'm not too crazy about the gameplay either, but on the other hand, I personally enjoyed the story a LOT. It follows Mike and Heather in "real life" and the Raposa still existing, implied to because of the power of imagination. It takes place four years after The Next Chapter's original ending and stays very loyal to the feel of the other two games. I'd recommend at least watching a play through!
Absolutely agree! While the gameplay isn’t perfect, I do think Two Realms was a nice follow up after all these years. Especially with the story. While there are parts that aren’t perfect, like I think the villain could have been fleshed out a bit more, there’s a ton of things that were amazing. Getting to see the human world and how it parallels the Raposa world, seeing old and new characters and their interactions, Mari and Jowee in general were excellent, and I really like the message that we shouldn’t let negative emotions consume us. So while it is flawed, I do really enjoy Two Realms, and the story is a big part of that!
(Apologies if this message was too long, I am very passionate about Drawn to Life and I don’t get to talk about it too often)
so glad im not the only one to love two realms in spite of its gameplay flaws. certainly the story too had its issues, but i loved it all the same. plus, it gave me so much to work with in terms of fan content…
Apparently the Ending was foreshadowed in the first game mainly in the credits song the end you could hear a heart monitor beeping in certain parts of the song
I like to believe it is. The song is like a dual song. On the surface it is a romantic song for Jowee and Mari. Underneath, it is for the siblings as they are constantly at odd ends that life has put them in and they barely can hang on to the hope that they can survive together. Great song.
@@tking2199 that's a pretty good way of looking at it a double meaning and the beeping noises solidify that
The Next Chapter also recontextualized the darkness of the first game. It's not just dark clouds and goo. It's smoke and tar buildup from the car crash.
When I saw this ending as a kid I cried so hard
@@lizziewatson9785 same😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
There is foreshadowing. Mike questions if the world is a dream, the ending theme of the first game has a heart beat monitor, and Heather says ‘Kemi Kewa’ when she’s kidnapped(Wake Mike with the letters scrambled)
That's not good foreshadowing.
@@littlemoth4956yes it is
@@littlemoth4956
Why?
The original ending hit as hard as Wilfre's knife into Mayor Dad
I was about to say "too soon" but the game is like sixteen years old soo..
I only played the second game and I was in shocked when I finally got to the ending. I was on a road trip when I got to the end and I was left in tears when I saw the ending. Still love the game to this day.
same i'd play this when i was 5
I wish I could replay this game but it doesnt feel the same on emulation than it does on a physical ds
See, I've always taken issue with the whole "none of this was real" argument. The critics say this as if the story being a product of Mike's coma suddenly invalidated everything.
The world and the creator were very much real for the raposa. So much so that the antagonist and who up until this point was the most virtuous character agreed that a child should stay comatose so that everything and everyone didn't cease to exist. And the ending is all the more poignant because an entire world worth of people decided to sacrifice it all so that said child could live.
Stories aren't less valuable for being fictional, because you could say that from literally every story.
As a child playing this game, I never understood the ending and thought this was just something random
But this is actually pretty damn dark...
Danganronpa V3 WISHES it can pull off its message this way. There are more ways to tell your audience that the world was fake all along than to just let the characters spell it out for you.
The ending when you first see it feels dumb and random. But then when you actually look back, you can see how pretty much every element of the game - including it's TITLE - has always had a double entendre in place of a kid's imagination trying to fight off death.
The Raposa represent elements of the kids brain/imagination, bringing them and the world around them back represents bringing him back. Mari begging to the creator? It could easily be seen as his brain interpreting his sister's prayers.
This is one of the few times where "it was all a dream" actually makes the story way better.
And even the name Mari being so close to Mary, and Jowee is close to Joseph (or Yahweh, still not sure which one to pick for him. One character is also called Isaac)
Man, drawn to life is my favorite game/franchise, i love it to death
Great video also!
21:04 Link from Link's Awakening: "That's rough, buddy."
But man, this game _destroyed_ me when I finished it the first time...
I cherish Drawn to Life and it's sequel so much. I'd honestly consider them my favorite games of all time. It's always super cool to see people make videos about it.
Same
I do want to point out that Wilfred doesn’t 100% represent the devil. He represents free will. His name is Free Will backwards
It's no coincidence that the devil is usually representative of one's will to do as they please. This is why hedonism and sin are associated with satan because they are acts of defiance that satan grants one the freedom to commit. Hell, lucifer was the first angel to defy god and enact his own free will.
Wilfre might not be the devil but such an emphasis on free will (plus endangering the life of a child) is pretty damn devilish.
He was literally right
@@solierixdepends what you mean by right.
holy shit, I'm sorry, but FREE WILL is the bad guy!?
As a kid I only played the Wii version which doesn't really have as strong christian themes so I never had any reason to question his name, or look any deeper into it.
@@Login2play Yeah 😂 it’s kinda cool! His name is pronounced ‘Will Free’ in the game
Ya know it’s funny, there are so many dark indie games today with a cute artstyle that this is really no different when you think about it. It would fit right in
Lmao that spider creation is horrifying
I remember playing the first and second game when I was in middle school. The ending felt like it came out of left field. It was weird that all of the sudden Mike became an important character when we've been following Mari and Jowee's story.
Amazing video man, this was my favorite game from my childhood. Also, did you know that at 3:48 heather says kemi kewa... rearrange some letters and boom! It says wake mike.
The ending of chapter 2 really reminds me of the ending of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon; Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky. I can't go into spoilers for PMD, but the vibes are very similar, and equally hard hitting. For a kids game chapter 2 is quite dark, I can see that for sure, yet at the same time, I really do appreciate having something more mature on the DS like that.
You can spoil the game dude, they're over 10 years old at this point.
Awesome video man! I loved the charm these games brought and kinda miss them :)
Oh my gosh the ending took such an abrupt and horrific turn ---
Thanks for another great video! Glad I could experience the game through this vid :D
These games deserve so much more attention. They are cult classics and have amazing storytelling.
I am so glad you covered this game as well. This was one the first games I ever played on the DS.
My favorite part about this game is 100% the music, and to this day I still believe this game has one of the best OST in the entire DS lineup. Every single world is just composed so well. Watersong’s level theme can genuinely make me close to bawling my eyes out.
I also love how tiny bits of melody in Real Life can also be found in other songs. Its such a shame that Real Life and Light of my Life can’t be found on music streaming platforms.
Absolutely incredible review, and thank you so much for bringing this game back in the light again!
i stggggg man. one of the first games i played on the DS & the music was so fire🔥
Drawn to Life is such a hidden gem, so it honestly surprises me that I go the chance to play the game. Was definitely one of my favorites to play, but I don't know how I kept losing my cartridges of the game since I'm pretty sure that I've owned 3 copies of the first game
I vividly remember being more traumatized by the lavastream boss fight over the ending lmao
This honestly looks like a really cute (and scary) game! Im gonna stop watching until the recap and try it myself.
Also, I received the yt noti and wasnt sure if what im reading is true and that was you uploaded! Glad to see you again Echo! Have fun and a nice day!
I… i didn’t get the ending when i played for the first time… and i forgot about it.
Now that i look back it was so dark, and now, in a dark period in my life this game returns…
Happy and sad memories.
And a great soundtrack…
Amazing video.
I found this video and the previous one from a reference in another video about a SpongeBob DoodleBob theory about the SpongeBob Drawn to Life game, and it brought back memories of playing specifically The Next Chapter. All I really remembered about it was the hub worlds but I remembered more and more as I watched through this video. I couldn't remember the ending until you showed the first frame of the family walking together and everything came back. I never played the original, and I last played this one probably about 13 or so years ago, so I had absolutely no idea what was going on in the ending. This was a great video, and it brought back happy memories of playing this game
honestly, this ending is why i don’t mind Drawn to Life: Two Realms. sure, the gameplay is kinda bad, and the story doesn’t hold a candle to the first two, but it’s not all bad. i liked the general shape of the story, and while it really could have used more drawing than just the hero, i was happy with the ending because everything followed on from this one.
I picked up this game when I first got my DS and I absolutely loved it. The songs were amazing, the levels were so vast and different and the game itself was great. Really miss the old times playing it. Still own my DS and the game just haven't touched it in a bit. I didn't fully understand the ending as a kid but now I do. Great video bro!
this game is particularly special to me because its genuinely the earliest memory i have, i must have played it when i was about four and revisited it when i was twelve, so its doubly nostalgic to me in that way, and also because it reminds me of time i spent with my family. im not usually a very emotional person and im specifically not really affected by videogames or movies emotion wise but honestly man every time i see this game it just makes me want to cry, probably the nostalgia mixed with the pretty sad story but seriously man, im nearly in tears even typing this
This was my favorite game when i was about 7 years old. I rememember the very strange emotions i felt playing it, it made me sad, nostalgic, and peaceful all at the same time.
Three or four years ago I beat the game for the first time, the ending had me bawling because things like the first towns mayor trying to die in the end so her son could succeed her and such really brought the ending home for me
The weirdest thing to me was always how much the 2 worlds after watersong change in theme. Watersong is reinforcing the idea of parental death for the future of their children and acts as a hint to the ending of the game. The other two however are about forgiveness to misguided leaders taking the wrong way of looking after their people. In a way I guess it is supposed to align with Mari's plot in the same way but that plotline in itself doesnt seem to tie in with the overall theme of the ending. Still that ending was crazy for kid me considering I never played the first game. I dont think it was supposed to be for shock value but rather just the writers having a great idea for a twist that wasnt conveyed well enough in the rest of the game to make the pay off seem logical. Still a fantastic game that i wish would get some sort of remaster or a full blown remake to add more ties to the ending.
Great Review! I don't know why as a kid this game stuck with me but I'm so glad it did. Such a wild concept and the story does keep me thinking even after all this time.
I think Wilfre is death and we're playing as God to help the boy come back from his coma why would the first 2 games say that we created the world by your own hands?
Echonox releasing another banger video, let's goooo 👊😎
Yo this is crazy, I remember your name from Geometry Dash and now I randomly found this video you made about an obscure game that I'm pretty fond of as well!
Banger second video ur content is great I enjoyed every minute of both videos thank you for shedding light on this amazing games ❤
So happy somebody is talking about this game
This game means a LOT to me ever since I purchased a copy (and not the first game ironically). The first time I cleared the game left me distraught and fueled my already developing depression… however, I still kept playing the game repeatedly regardless, until one fateful moment I created a particular hero that changed EVERYTHING! If you know me well enough, you probably know who I’m talking about… but I’m gonna explain again anyways.
Her name is Makato. She started out as just another creation hero I… well, created. But somehow, I grew fond of this particular design. I didn’t let this infamous ending be the end of her story, but as just the beginning of a special story. That story is still going on to this day. Makato’s character has grown, along with many friends and foes she’s made and many adventures she’s had… and it’s still going!
It’s just like the final part of the first game’s song… “…then he tells me this is not The End.”
Respect
Bro wtf I must've completely repressed that ending cause I didn't remember ANY of what happened after beating wilfre 💀 and I beat the game multiple times as a kid
Edit: nvm I played the alternate ending version, always goes to show to finish the whole video before commenting
Very interesting actually finding out the meanings and breaking down this game. I've had the game on DS since I was young and only ever completed it once from my memory (its very foggy tho). I never played the first but I'd always be attracted to trying to play the game I did have regardless because of the amazing effort put in.
I finally completed the game tonight but didn't understand the ending that well, hence why I looked it up. Idk, very interesting to also learn about the first game, makes more sense lol.
Gotta love how everyone is okay with this yet despises V3's ending for the exact same reason. At least, I'm assuming this ending is more liked than V3's ending.
Execution is key. And this game was fantastically executed. Everything still had a purpose and was relevant to the story. So it being a dream doesn’t diminish the story since it wasn’t “just” a dream.
@@DragonForceAnimeReviews You've got that right.
If you think about it in this game Wilfer wasn’t really the bad guy(and yes I said THIS game because in the first game he’s kind of a douche)
he was simply trying to stop you from beating him because if you did Mike would have to wake up and face the harsh reality that his sister is now facially deformed and his parents are dead…it’s still a better outcome than Mike staying in a coma permanently though.
When I saw the ending I felt uncomfortable but I didn’t really know why because I was young, the last time I played through the game I was nearing adulthood I remember saying out loud “this game is rated E right?!”
i didn't play the first drawn to life, only the second one, and i only absorbed/remember like 25% of the plot, i never got past wilfre's wasteland, so i'm eager to see what all the dark stuff eventuates to in the end
edit: OH
They made a second ending? I had no idea cuz I have the original ending. Lived it, even as a kid.
I remember playing Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter when I was like 8 and I still vividly remember that ending. I didn't understand it at all back then but it's probably the first time a game made me cry.
The ending cracks me up nowadays, because is the exact thing so many creepypastas I´ve seen in the early 2000s about how a series ends try to pass as real, when this videogame exists and nobody talks about it!
I hate this ending it pretty much ends the series and makes the games sad now for no reason.
drawn to life is an amazing game im glad someone is talking about it more
I remember playing this growing up multiple times and enjoying it throughly without even playing the first game. I wasn’t even sure as to what happened since I was younger and stupid but with maturity and knowing more I feel like I appreciate the game even more.
2:52 DUDDDEEEE WHHHYYYY :CCCC that’s scary :,cccc (I got jump scared)
these two games mean so much to me, especially the first. very good video! never noticed this till now but click kinda be built like the nerd emoji fr lol.
I'll always be sad two realms was such a disappointment, but hey the same composer from the first two games did the ost for two realms which is nice. i would recommend listening to it!
Played this game as a kid and I STILL whistle one of the town tunes at random. Don't even remember when I played it or what happened in it, just that tune.
Lmao I reminded a friend that these games existed a couple days ago. She was shocked to discover she still had the cartridges and repressed the ending. Which we both agreed was still awesome. Surprised to see this recommended to me now. Must be fate.
Sure, I cried as a kid. I was so happy Mike woke up though and Heather got her brother back. She was always attached to him, even in the first game. When I replayed it I saw all the foreshadowing and plot details in both games. If it came out of left field for some folk then you weren't paying attention.
I think calling it "disturbing" or "traumatic" is seriously uncalled for though. Dark? Absolutely. But if you were freaked out by it then I think you were just a weak kid tbh. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I played this when I was little, I was never able to grasp and understand the story but the game always gave me very strange emotions 😂
...What was that last part? My heart jumped outta my chest. In an interesting way.
personally I think Drawn to Life is peak (especially the ost) 🔥🔥🔥 great video tho you made some great jokes :D
dude I had both games as one game and when I got to the end of the second game I was upset as a kid I didn't like it (I hade the censored version) , I didn't like that Mari and Jowee wasn't real and it was all a dream, but obviously as an adult I understand now but damn its bitter
This was a helpful review!
I had the original Drawn To Life on DS. Never beat it. If I were to realize THIS shit before I found out on UA-cam , I would FLIP.
I remember when i saw the first ending about the crash. I was a teenager and loved the world so much that when mike woke up I felt that the destruction of it was sad.
I love how the creators retconned this ending. First with the 2nd release totlaly remaking it, then with the Wii remake featuring a totally different story and ending, then with a sequel that ignores the events of this game.
The Wii one was more like a prequel, but the new one did changed things ye
Just finished this vid, very banger, It’s so insane how much this game impacted me as a kid, like it’s a full Core Memory for me. Also, this series’ music full on PEAKS here. It just tugs on your heartstrings and is so memorable.
Also, just really like your style of vids and how you go in depth with everything.💖
I’m glad someone made a great video of this game. It deserves it.
I remember when I beat this game I had to put my DS face down because the ending scared me so much 😂
ANOTHER BANGER FROM ECHONOX
I had this game as a kid but I never read the dialogue or anything because I was so young when I played it. It’s funny it turned out to be so crazy
Heather not being able to talk to Mike makes perfect sense, it’s literally the whole point of the game. Heather (RL) is the one trying to wake Mike (RL) up if they interacted, it wouldn’t make sense.
As for the instant forgiveness, that makes sense as well and is another hint towards the world being a dream. It’s a child’s dream. Children often ignore how bad something serious is whilst throwing a tantrum about something minor.
As for the lack of foreshadowing… did you not pay attention to Rose?! A mother who suddenly seems to die out of nowhere? And then is magically brought back to life? One of the stages of grief is bargaining - the creator (God) brings back Rose to spare Miles the tragedy of his mother’s death. But again, this is all a dream - that’s not how life works.
‘Miles’ is also one letter off ‘Mike’. Being a writer myself, naming two characters similar names is a generally unwise thing to do, unless there is a reason for it obviously. This is because the characters can be more easily forgotten or it could come across as just lazy; two things you don’t want. I know that some of you reading with will say “Erm actually, ‘Miles’ is two characters off ‘Mike’” and you are correct, but consider this. Miles isn’t the key part of this story, Rose is. In English, it is common to not include another S after an apostraphe if a person’s name ends with an S. If you were talking about Miles’ mother, it would then match what I said before if we were talking about Mike’s mother.
Now admittedly that last part about the letters could easily be a massive conincidence, but the actual mother symbolism is definitely not.
This game was my childhood
This game hurts, and I'm not talking about the ending. The finale of watersong is probably the reason I can't play it anymore...my grandpa died around the time I beat it that chapter for the first time. The mayors song always reminds me of him. How does this game get so deep but so unassuming on first look.
I brought this game thinking it was Scribblenauts lol. Still really good, one of my favorites.
I definitely remember the ending of this game, so I’ll give it that. But the main thing I remember is just how unsatisfying it felt and solidifying my hatred for the “it was just a dream” trope. It just makes everything that we did and all the time we spent with the characters feel so meaningless and empty. I don’t mind the ending being dark, but I think there are better ways to do it.
The absolute _guts_ on Two Realms to continue from _this_ ending of TNC as opposed to the revised ending that was featured in DtL Collection.
Hope you do Two Realms. To complete the trilogy.
i wish i could go back in time and re live the feeling i had as a kid when a video game told me "fuck you there is no escapism people die"
ahk god. I say Jowee as Joey lol so this is kinda weird for me. I renamed myself as Jowee years ago and only realizing how people say it differently, its weird af
Heres my theory based on what ive seen of the next chapter wich isnt much but i still want too throw it out there. Maybe Mari acted like she did beacuse she didnt want this world too go away beacuse she didnt want too lose Jowe and she didnt want too hurt him. Like she meant just forget about this stupid quest forget about me! Just go back too living a normal life and stop risking so much for my sake! I mean he woved his life too protect her but if she wasnt there he wouldnt need too risk anything.
I think she was scared of hurting him in that way. And that she toured up the book so we wouldnt interfer with her plan. So in a way i think the story is trying to mirror what happened in real life. Like the idea of someone else suffering with someone else pain. Heather still got hurt even though Mike was the one too fall into a coma.
And Jowe could get hurt if he goes through with always defending Mari. Even if Mari is the one primarily suffering Jowe will also suffer beacuse of his loyalty and his wov. But in the end Jowe reasures her that he wants too care for her and that her dissapering wont protect him from heartships beacuse hes still suffering even if shes not there. So they face the world ending togheter just how Heater and mike were always there for one and another till the end.
I know this might have inconsistentses with how the story goes and iam not even 100% sold on this idea myself but i just wanted too throw out a theory even if there could be incontinences and plot holes or just not really making total sense beacuse i thought it was interesting and i did it for fun.
Mike looks like Takemichi from Tokyo Revengers
Unfortunately I got the DtL Collection which babyfied the ending by a lot but I still absolutely loved the game.
On a side note, I'm glad you're back on UA-cam. Back in ye olden days when you were in GD, you were my biggest inspiration for effects and all so I was sad when you left GD, but I understand. I lost interest in the game too. Burnouts a bitch, right?
Still love checking out the amazing levels people make from time to time! But yeah, creating got pretty grueling
@@EchonoxYT yooo you used to do GD?? I watched this video because I wanted to know about Drawn To Life's sequel but I had no idea you were also a GD UA-camr at some point, since I myself play GD quite a lot. Very cool bro
I have never played the Drawn to life games and i dismissed them for a very long time for being basic 2D platformers with the gimmick that you can draw some of the parts of the game. Though now i see that theres alot more care and love poured into it then i thought and it makes me want too try them for myself. Also i agree the art is utterly magnificent and the singing is really good too and i love the sprite art and the drawn art for the game, It looks fantastic!
I remember being so excited to play this game when it was announced, I was a tween at the time. Unfortunately as I progressed through the game I was gradually more disappointed after the initial bangers that were the animated intro to the game, and the compelling (if not convoluted) plot of the Watersong region. The other levels and worlds were fine, but when Mari then disappeared and Wilfre kept being behind all the nonsense happening in other worlds, I couldn't help but get the feeling that it just wasn't as fun as the first game.
Then that ending... I have never been a fan of the "it was all a dream" trope in storytelling even in the best executions. So imagine my surprise to have all of my time and investment in getting to know and appreciate all the raposa throughout the two games, my rooting to see Mari and Jowee get together and see everyone in this silly little game get a proper happy ending, just to have all of that be torn away to make the entire plot be the coma induced fever dream of some bozo who was introduced as a joke character in the previous game. Not to mention in such an unexpectedly dark manner. To me it felt like a complete betrayal, and to this day I've never been so furious about an ending to a game in my life.
I know I'm likely in the minority for having such a take, but no matter how many times i try to find an appreciation for the ending that the game was trying to tell, I can't help but just get angry about it.
That said, glad to see this game series getting talked about more.
I don't really mind the ending but the one thing that really bothers me is how none of the characters get any sort of conclusion. Like the entirety of these two games I've been trying to root for Jowee and Mari to get together so badly, and for it to get no kind of resolution is just really vile in my opinion. My favorite aspect of the games is definitely Mari and Jowee and their relationship, and I don't really like this aspect of this ending because of how poorly it deals with it.
Every Disney kid’s movie ever: Let’s kill the parents in the first 10 mins.
Everyone: Rated PG is fine.
How do I explain that when I first saw this ending, it was on a car ride in the exact same conditions (minus the sister). I was petrified while also holding back tears in the back seat the entire ride home
Why has it taken so long for a video on this?
I love the boss of world 2. It’s got more phases than a fromsoft final boss
Then the events get thrown out the widow when two realms releaseses
Gotta say im kinda disappointed. I wish the ending was about an artist working on the drawn to life world as a series rather than a coma dream. I feel like that would've been more fitting but thats my opinion
New video let's gooo
21:20 Damn right😂
Loved the vid from a dearly beloved game but i was wondering where you found the full art of the games towns, been looking for a while and can't seem to find anything
I found them on the Drawn to Life wiki and also on the website of the game's art director, Edison Yan
figment did this better with the last world being car themed
Top 5 favorite games
Oh...another one of *those* story....Religious analogy and coma?They must have been feeling pretty adventurous.
yes avatar it reminded me to
Ah yes, a kids game
yea good vid til the ending part u missed the foreshadowing
Wako?
And the third game kept the og ending of 2 but doesn't make sense at all, and the gameplay sucks ass
WOW
Hate that you used words like edgy to simplify the ending and it intention :)
There is a last part for móvil and steam and is sucks