Game Review: Doodle World Deluxe

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

Beginner-level platformers aren't exactly the most appreciated genre out there, but Doodle World Deluxe offers more than simple, easy-to-grasp gameplay. Originally developed to run on actual NES hardware, it's now available on the Nintendo Switch with a lot of bonus content thrown in for good measure. It features a world made up of literal doodles, and we're going to see if this game is worth your time or not within this review. By nature this isn't exactly the most complex game out there, but there is a lot to say it nonetheless. Anyway, let's cut the intro short and dive right in already!

Doodle World is a really cute game.

Some platforming challenges.

Doodle World puts you into the shoes of Doodle, a heroic... doodle who sets off on an adventure to defeat the evil King Eraser and his office supply minions. As the name would imply, many of King Eraser's minions are erasers themselves, and they are also often behind the bosses you'll encounter along the way to the big man himself. There isn't a lot more to story than that, but I guess platformers don't really need a complex set-up to get going. What is rather interesting story-wise is how Doodle World came to be in the first place. Developed by a father/daughter team, much of the game's art is inspired by a child's actual doodles. The game was then developed to run on original NES hardware and was made available in various forms. It was sold as a standalone ROM requiring an emulator, a physical NES cartridge, and now a bonus-filled version on the Nintendo Switch. The latter makes a lot of sense considering its origins, and it somehow feels right playing it on a platform that is home to the Super Mario games that clearly inspired it. This version also adds in Doodle World Redrawn, but we'll talk about that later. While the game's history might not be the most relevant thing when it comes to a review, I think that it helps put the game into proper context as we judge its various pros and cons.

Neat art style aside, there's not really anything in Doodle World that's going to surprise you. The control scheme is as simple as can be, though that's probably not a bad thing. The B Button allows Doodle to run if held down, and the A Button jumps. That's it, that's all you have to know as far as controls are concerned. Enemies come in two main varieties, those that can be defeated by being jumped on, and those that can't. Enemies like erasers, scissors, felt tip markers, and even pencil-firing sharpeners, can all be defeated by being jumped on. Some of them are a bit more difficult as the markers are rather tall and the scissors move pretty fast. On the flip side are enemies like sharpened pencils and thumb tacks, which can only be defeated by picking up a super crayon. Super crayons operate much like stars in the Super Mario series, and are the only power-up to be found in the game. There are normal crayons to pick up though, and these add to your score and give you an extra life if you collect 100 of them. They're scattered throughout the levels, but can found in great quantities in bonus stages. These bonus stages can be reached by grabbing a notebook found in the middle of each level, and the levels themselves are cleared by grabbing a sheet of paper at the end. The game is separated into five worlds, each having three levels each. The third level of each world actually ends in what I think is an ink-blot, and that takes you to the boss of that world. It's all a rather simple game, but that seems to be by design.

An example of a boss.

King Eraser's Castle.

Doodle World is definitely a game that is either meant for younger gamers, or those just looking for a chill, laidback experience. While Doodle does die with one hit, it's rather easy to avoid most obstacles. Also, the many crayons scattered around manage to keep your lives up for the most part. If you lose all your lives you have to start the current level again, but there's a save state system you can use to get around this entirely. The only decently difficult sections would have to be the boss encounters themselves, as they require several hits before going down. Oh, and bosses have to be defeated on a single life, not always the easiest of feats to pull off. If for some reason you are having trouble with the game, especially with those boss battles, you can play in "Kid's Mode". Kid's Mode is an easier gameplay option that gets rid of pit traps, gives you more lives, and makes the bosses slightly easier to defeat. This option is open to both of the included games and is a great accessibility option.

Let's talk about the other game included in this package real fast. Doodle World Redrawn isn't so much a new game as it is a remix of the original Doodle World. Think of it more like the original Super Mario Bros. 2 (As in the one known as The Lost Levels in the West.) which offered a more challenging experience using most of the assets and mechanics from the first game. It's a more difficult challenge for sure, but all the worlds and bosses are the same as the first time around. The big difference has to be that Doodle now has the ability to double jump. This makes all the platforming easier, not just the more intricate sections this game adds. It's definitely a fun addition for those looking to experience more Doodle World gameplay, but it's not exactly the full sequel I hope to see one day.

Some of the bonus content.

And here is the manual.

While there's a lot to love in Doodle World, it isn't without its flaws. While tricky platforming isn't really required until you hit Doodle World Redrawn, I'm not sure if the controls are exactly responsive enough to allow for trickier level design. You can fully control jumps, but everything has a jerkiness to it where it feels like you're moving in oddly-spaced blocky increments most of the time. This makes jumping on enemies a tricky affair as they're pretty much always moving. Speaking of jumping on enemies, that's also how you damage bosses. The thing about that is that they all seem like they're just a bit too high for Doodle to reach. The developers seem to have noticed this too, and adjusted the hit boxes of the bosses accordingly. Unfortunately they didn't also adjust their actual sprites. This means that most of the bosses can be damaged by attacks that look like they should take you out too, and sometimes they do exactly that. I guess that makes everything a bit more challenging, but not in the right way I think. Jumping itself can be a bit of a chore in some areas of the game as the top of the screen acts like a literal ceiling. You'll hit an invisible wall if you jump too high, and that wall instantly drops you to the ground, killing any arc your jump might've had. Lastly, I want to talk about the enemy AI, as it seems to be all over the place. I'm not sure if it's a bug or a feature, but enemies seem to randomly choose between walking off of ledges or doubling back for another go. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to this, and this means that you have to wait to see what an enemy is going to do before you make just about any jump. It's really hard to explain how wonky this makes the entire game feel until you see it in action. While there's a lot of gameplay quirks that keep Doodle World from ever feeling like a polished game, it does have enough charm that you'll probably see it to its end.

A bonus stage.

Can you believe this is Doodle World Redrawn?

Presentation-wise, I think Doodle World has things down pretty well. The visuals are simple but great, and my few issues with them are more technical than anything. While I would've liked more variety in the main enemies, I understand that including more would've probably been outside of the game's rather limited scope. The bosses do make up for this limitation though, as they all look quite impressive. While it doesn't always run the best, the game does put its best foot forward visually. Music is actually a bit better in my opinion as the soundtrack in this game simply rocks. The sound does seem to take a noticeable dip between the menus to the game itself (I guess as it's moving to an emulator?), but the music was probably my single favorite aspect of the game. It's admittedly a rather limited collection of tracks, but each one is near perfect. The composer apparently is a well-known chiptune artist, and I'll definitely be checking out more of his work once I'm done with this review. Rounding out the package is other bonus content like production stills, box art, and even a full manual. These help flesh out the overall experience and it was the manual where I learned all about the game's origins. This is a really neat game, and there was obviously a lot of love put in creating both the original game, as well as this release.

Coming in at just $9.99, I think the game is priced about as affordably as you can get. I'd be lying if I said that I felt that the game has enough content and replayability to fully justify a price point like that, but I'm not exactly sure how much lower it could go. There are more polished releases that come in at a lower price point, but the bonus content here helped sway me into thinking that Doodle World Deluxe might've found the best possible price point. The original itchi.io ROM release was priced at an even $10, so you definitely get more bang for your buck here at the very least. All that said, there really isn't a whole lot of content here. I wasn't exactly timing myself, but I beat both included games in what I'm sure was less than an hour. It may be a rather great game all things considered, but it's by no means a long one.

Another boss encounter.

Time to face the king!

My few negative points with the game aside, I have to say that I have to give Doodle World Deluxe the fullest of recommendations. It's a great game that comes with a great back story, and it deserves to be played by as many people as possible. It's not the most challenging or polished game out there, but gamers of all ages and skill levels are sure to find something here to enjoy. I hope that we see a follow-up of some sort to this game someday, and will be waiting patiently until one comes out. Until then, I guess I'll go teach King Eraser another lesson!

Check Out Doodle World Deluxe on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/doodle-world-deluxe-switch/

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​Story: B-
Gameplay: B-
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: B

Overall: B

Pros:
+ A fun simple platformer for gamers of all skill levels and ages.
+ The soundtrack is amazing, and really keeps players in the middle of the action.
+ The hand drawn aesthetic is cool with enemies, bosses, and even the worlds themselves, all looking unique.
+ Doodle World Redrawn may only feature a few updates, but it is worth playing for those who enjoyed the first game.
+ Extra content like concept art, and a full manual, round out the package nicely.

Cons:
- Might be a little too easy for more skilled players.
- Not a lot of reason to go back to it after you've cleared it.
- I'm not sure why it is, but the sound quality takes a noticeable dip from the menus to the actual game.
- Hit detection issues make some boss fights an exercise in patience.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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