Underplayed Gems

Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color (2002)

Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color cover
Developer
Taito
Publisher
Agetec
Platforms
PlayStation 2
Genres
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure

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The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Playing feels like a whimsical, creative experiment where doodling your own fantastical companions and watching them come to life and battle is just as engaging as the adventure itself.

whimsicalcreativelightheartedexperimentalimaginativeplayfulfantasy adventurecasual pacing

About

Magic Pengel is centered on the player, as a character able to manipulate a "Pengel" (which looks like a stylized fairy combined with a paintbrush) to create a creature, or "Doodle". Using the Pengel (pronounced "pen-jell") as a cursor, the player simply sketches out the limbs, body, and other features. Depending on the amount of magic ink expended, and the types of body parts, the creature will be given certain statistics and created. With the help of Zoe and Taro, the character trains and battles using custom-created designs, which can be traded to or battled with the creations of other players. As the Doodles battle, they become more powerful, and earn points towards the purchase of pre-created Doodles, and extra abilities towards customizable creation. Combat functions according to three selections: attack, magic, and block, as well as a charge command. The three basic maneuvers follow a standard rock-paper-scissors methodology, but repetitiveness is minimized due to the varied attributes of the Doodles, as well as the inability to successively repeat any selection.

Screenshots

Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color screenshot 1Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color screenshot 2Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color screenshot 3Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color screenshot 4Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color screenshot 5Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color screenshot 6

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.