The Perfect Pencil

About

The Perfect Pencil is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Studio Cima and was released on January 29, 2026. It received very positive reviews from players.

The Perfect Pencil is a surreal action platformer that follows John as he navigates a mysterious hand-drawn world, confronting fears and uncovering hidden truths. Using his unique ability to perceive what others cannot, players explore emotional and bizarre landscapes filled with secrets and side quests. Choices shape a personal journey through light and darkness, revealing that reality may be stranger than it seems.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 24 reviews

story13 positive mentions

music2 negative mentions

The game features a beautifully crafted art style and imaginative world, filled with unique characters and deep themes that resonate emotionally.
Exploration is rewarding, with engaging dialogue and a variety of quirky NPCs that enhance the gameplay experience.
The combat system, while simple, is satisfying and incorporates a risk-reward mechanic that adds depth to encounters.

The game suffers from pacing issues due to excessive dialogue and a lack of clear direction, which can lead to frustrating moments of wandering.
The fast travel system is inconvenient and unlocks too late, making traversal tedious at times.
The healing system is criticized for being cumbersome, and there are no options for marking collectibles on the map, which can hinder completionist players.

story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
30%
13%
The game's story is a standout feature, tackling serious themes such as fear and shame while maintaining a quirky and engaging narrative style. Players appreciate the depth and immersive quality of the storytelling, which unfolds gradually and is complemented by stunning visuals and meaningful environments. However, some find the narrative complexity a double-edged sword, potentially alienating those who prefer a more straightforward approach in metroidvanias.
- “The perfect pencil tackles some very serious subject matter, with the nature of fear, shame, and the lengths to which people are willing to go in order to avoid discomfort being dominant themes that permeate nearly every aspect of the plot in interesting ways.”
- “This game is so enchanting since the beginning, the art is so unique and the atmosphere is endearing, it also speaks about mental issues, a theme very close to my heart, so I'm curious to see where the story goes!”
- “Think some metroidvania fans aren’t gonna like an NPC and quest every 5 feet, but if it’s your thing then you may love it.”
- “I also wish there was some kind of quest screen to help remember what my active quests were from NPCs.”
- “One of the biggest strengths of the game is its storytelling: the story unfolds step by step, and you can only truly understand it by playing.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and balance, offering a smooth experience that allows players to focus on the narrative and characters. While some dialogue can feel redundant, the combat mechanics, including a risk-reward healing strike, add depth to encounters. Overall, the game successfully combines engaging exploration with a meaningful story, despite some clichés in its thematic approach.
- “So far, the gameplay feels well balanced, not too hard or frustrating, but not too easy or boring either.”
- “Gameplay is smooth: combat and exploration feel nice and they are not too taxing so you can easily focus on the story and the characters.”
- “The gameplay seems to hit the right spot, not too hard but no walk in the park either, and the exploration is made more interesting by all the quirky characters and original settings.”
- “In general, many of the characters in the game relate to a certain theme depending on the biome you are traversing, meaning that most of them would speak to me about the same thing but from a slightly different perspective, making some instances of dialogue engaging while others redundant and, consequently, rendering the disruption of my gameplay flow a bit frustrating.”
- “All in all, the perfect pencil is a worthwhile game that boasts a very emotional and meaningful narrative, even if gameplay sometimes takes a backseat in favor of it.”
- “Combat requires you to adjust to the rhythm of the game's design; if you ignore the underlying timing of the mechanical dance, it may feel unresponsive or sluggish.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is described as quirky and casually hilarious, effectively balancing deep themes with lighthearted moments. Players appreciate the deadpan humor woven into the dialogues, which adds a refreshing layer to the narrative despite its serious undertones. Overall, the humor enhances the experience, making it a standout feature in this story-driven metroidvania.
- “The perfect pencil controls smooth (Xbox controller), has already some refreshing metroidvania elements, quirky humor, beautiful art style, interesting menu, and despite the somber setup, it is a lovely, touching story to go through.”
- “It's casually hilarious in wild ways, while still maintaining its deep themes.”
- “The game deals with serious topics but surprisingly has quite a lot of deadpan humor sprinkled throughout the dialogues.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The graphics of the game are highly praised for their polished art direction and beautiful hand-drawn style, reminiscent of Hollow Knight. Players appreciate the meticulous attention to detail and the refreshing visual elements that enhance the overall experience, making it a standout feature for fans of metroidvanias.
- “I've played for 68 minutes so far and I was immediately hooked by the visuals — the art direction is incredibly polished and clearly crafted with obsessive care.”
- “It is obviously very Hollow Knight inspired, but I'm very surprised; I didn't expect this level of polish. I absolutely recommend this game if you love metroidvanias, English humor, and gorgeous hand-drawn graphics!”
- “The perfect pencil controls are smooth (Xbox controller), and it has some refreshing mobile elements, quirky humor, a beautiful art style, and an interesting menu. Despite the somber setup, it is a lovely, touching story to go through.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"The Perfect Pencil" is praised for its deeply emotional and meaningful narrative, which resonates with players through relatable portrayals of struggle and character development. While gameplay may occasionally take a backseat, the game's touching story, combined with its beautiful art style and quirky humor, creates a memorable experience that many find impactful.
- “All in all, The Perfect Pencil is a worthwhile game that boasts a very emotional and meaningful narrative, even if gameplay sometimes takes a backseat in favor of it.”
- “I'm sure many people can relate to the portrayals of struggle that are themed throughout this game, highlighting the significance of each character during emotional states and the formula for moving past them.”
- “The Perfect Pencil controls smoothly (Xbox controller), features refreshing musical elements, quirky humor, a beautiful art style, and despite the somber setup, it tells a lovely, touching story.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its enchanting and unique character design, complemented by well-developed sound design and music that enhance immersion. Players find the art style endearing and appreciate the game's exploration of mental health themes, which adds depth to the overall experience.
- “I absolutely love the atmosphere and the unique character design.”
- “I also play with Rig 500 Pro headphones for better immersion, and it’s absolutely worth it — the sound design and music are very well developed and add a lot to the atmosphere.”
- “This game is so enchanting from the beginning; the art is unique and the atmosphere is endearing. It also addresses mental health issues, a theme very close to my heart, so I'm curious to see where the story goes!”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The music and sound design in the game are noted for their strong atmospheric contribution, enhancing the storytelling with a mix of somber and uplifting themes. However, some users feel the soundtrack itself is mediocre, likening it to the quality of a Newgrounds flash game. Overall, while the sound design is praised, the soundtrack receives mixed reviews.
- “I also play with Rig 500 Pro headphones for better immersion, and it’s absolutely worth it — the sound design and music are very well developed and add a lot to the atmosphere.”
- “My biggest complaint is that the soundtrack is painfully average to below average and sounds like a Newgrounds flash game at times.”
- “The music and sound design colorfully weaves the story's themes; somber and uplifting.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have reported issues with stuttering, indicating that the game's optimization may not be fully refined, leading to performance inconsistencies.
- “I also experienced some issues with stuttering.”
- “The game frequently lags, making it hard to enjoy.”
- “Performance drops are common, especially in crowded areas.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the game's atmosphere and unique character design, highlighting its diversity and artistic quality. However, there is no specific mention of character development in terms of narrative or growth, suggesting that while the characters are visually appealing, their depth may not be as fully explored.
- “I absolutely love the atmosphere and the unique character design.”
- “The art and character design are great and very diverse.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the presence of shortcuts that minimize travel time after death or during backtracking, which helps to alleviate the tedium often associated with grinding in the game. This design choice ensures that revisiting areas remains engaging rather than frustrating.