Anime Artist 2: Lovely Danya

Foreword

I originally published a review for Anime Artist 2: Lovely Danya on Feburary 24th, 2020. I have updated that review, to reflect my thoughts on this game as of June, 2020. When I first reviewed this game, I was quick to disrecommend the title. I was not impressed, but the developers reached out to me. We had a discussion about the flaws and merits of the game, and we parted on a good note. Since then, the developers have continued to update this title, added new DLC and quality of life improvements. Though I continue to have mixed feelings regarding this title, I have great respect for the developers. I have since maintained a “positive” review on Steam, though I maintain a somewhat negative stance on my own platform.

Gameplay

. . . in a nutshell

The goal of the game is to recreate images by connecting dots, and using a set of tools to apply colors in the correct areas. It’s kind of like drawing, if you waved a few magic wands and poofed a masterpiece.

out the shell. . .

The real meat of the gameplay will take some ‘splaining, so bear with me. Before selecting a stage, you may choose between “Normal” and “Challenge” difficulty settings. Your choice of difficulty will limit the amount of “color” you have available, forcing you to consider your brush strokes carefully. By completing stages in both difficulty settings, you may unlock twice the rewards. Before the stage timer begins, you are (briefly) shown the completed image.

This is the only time that you may see the completed image, so take note of what’s colored what.

You must connect a series of dots (in order) to create the outline of the image, before moving onto the coloring portion. With an outline in place, you select colors from a nearby color wheel, and (liberally) apply them to the painting. As you drag your cursor around, a host of colors (vaguely related to what you’ve chosen) will populate the screen. You are timed, and the idea is the complete most of the image before the timer expires.

There is a magic wand that skips the guess work, but it’s extremely limited in use.

The more of the image you’re able to complete (within the time frame), the higher your score. You can earn up to three stars. Stars are used to unlock new outfits for the Danya, the protagonist of the game. It’s best to practice stages in “Normal” mode first, because your colors are limited in “Challenge” mode.

But there’s yet another, saucier mode — it’s called “Hot Mode”.

Assuming you have the DLC installed, “Hot” mode allows you erase the clothes from your subjects in each stage. Hot mode is the only way to unlock “hot stars”, which are used to unlock a special outfit for Danya. It’s less of an outfit and more of a, uh, birthday suit.

. . . and yes! This is a game you can play one-handed!

Story

Danya’s an artist, and she’s payed based on her completion and timeliness of her artwork. She also likes buyin’ new outfits, and that’s what keeps her fingers a-movin’. That’s about as much as I could make up with the source material. There is no story.

Visuals

The title screen is simple to navigate and somewhat attractive, though I thought that the selections were unconventionally displayed. The protagonist follows your cursor movement (with her eyes), which is a nice touch (and makes sense considering that she’s the one painting the in-game pictures. I think). She does, however look a bit blurry. She isn’t as crisp as the rest of the game’s visuals. I did enjoy the overall user interface though, and I thought that the level select screen was very creative.

The Goods

The artwork is consistently styled and high quality. However, it lacks background, characters and story. Additionally, it cannot be fullscreened (due to “portrait” aspect ratios”). The artwork, though good isn’t more unique than someone’s gallery (dumped inside a game). The lewd artwork features plenty of nudity, provided you downloaded the (free) adult patch. Unfortunately, if you have the adult patch installed, you are no longer able to access the “non-adult” versions of the puzzles.

. . . expect female nudity.

Verdict

I. . . don’t recommend this game. I didn’t find the game to be engaging, even on “Challenge” mode, and I was disappointing by the gallery’s interface. But the artwork is good, but stylistically inconstant. this game is a breath of fresh air against the legion of shovelware on Steam.

If pretending to be an artist appeals to you, I’d give this game a looksy.