Passpartout: The Starving Artist

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a game by Flamebait AB
Platform: PC (2017)
Editor Rating: 7.5/10, based on 2 reviews
User Rating: 6.4/10 - 67 votes
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See also: Professional Simulator Games, Hand-Drawn Games, Art Games
Passpartout: The Starving Artist
Passpartout: The Starving Artist
Passpartout: The Starving Artist

For me Passpartout: The Starving Artist is a game that came out of nowhere, but completely won me over. This is a Steam Greenlight success story and it is one of those games where you can easily waste an hour or two after a hard day at work. If you like messing around in MS Paint, this is kind of like someone made a game out of that!

Welcome To Paris

Ah, Paris, the city of wine, love, baguettes, Disneyland and of course fine art. It is home to the most famous art museum in the world of course. Well, do not get too ahead of yourself as you could not be any further from making art that will appear in The Louvre. However, if you pay your dues, work hard and do not make your customers mad or fall victim to your wine addiction, you could be one of the finest artists the city has ever seen.

The idea of playing as a starving artist is quite interesting. The game has a great sense of humor and most of this is realized when you are talking to your clients. For the most part, they are jerks, but they are also pretty funny. You do get a lot of repeat lines, but still, it is hard not to smile.

My Art Is My Passion!

The “gameplay” of the game is about you trying to get by as an artist. You have to pay rent, supplies and of course, get wine. However, to do things like this you need to create art and then sell it. The actual art creation tools are rather basic, but that is the point. You have to actually try, you just screw around and make a mess, your painting will not sell!

Sometimes, changing the name of your painting can help it sell other times you have to just say you messed up and throw it in the trash. Passpartout: The Starving Artist sees you want to move beyond being a starving artist who only deals with jerk clients and who lives in a rundown apartment to something more. This aspect of the game I feel could have been done just a tad better as the progression is not as much as I personally would have liked.

MS Paint Master

The actual painting aspect of the game is very easy to get the hang of. I am not sure anyone is going to be creating masterpieces here. However, if you have used MS Paint, you will have a decent enough idea of what to expect here. While the painting mechanics are very easy to get the hang of. You have to be careful as there is no “undo” button. So, if you make a mistake, tough luck! Also, there is no way to zoom in so you can add in finer details. Still, making a “work of art” is fun and there is just something very addictive about it.

I was very pleased with my time with Passpartout: The Starving Artist. It is the kind of game that normally I would not have given a second look to, but it has become a go-to game when I need to unwind. It is a very relaxing and fun experience and one of the games that has surprised me most the last couple of years.

8/10

Pros:

  • The Paris setting has a lot of charm
  • The clients are jerks, but I love them
  • Making art is very addictive
  • The game is easy to get into
  • I love the overall style that it has

Cons:

  • I wish there was a tad more progression
  • You cannot undo a mistake

Download Passpartout: The Starving Artist

PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

If you are looking for a game that can offer you something that just about any other can’t, then you need to play an indie game. Chances are that this game won’t have the same production value, refinement or appeal that a AAA game will. However, this is where all the best mechanics and ideas are born. Passpartout: The Starving Artist is a prime example of this. A game that has no right to exist due to it’s niche and peculiar subject matter. Yet for some reason, it just works.

This game plays like other art related games such as Concrete Genie, The Unfinished Swan, Okami but also has a tycoon style approach much like games such as Planet Coaster, Adventure Capitalist and Game Dev Story. This game aims to offer players a window into the subjective world of art and its struggling artists. However, is it in fact this game that struggles to make an impression. We find out in our review of Passpartout: The Starving Artist.

A Work of Art

Firstly, let’s begin with the gameplay for this title. We can split this into two segments. You have the creation and then the marketing of your artwork. The painting aspect of this game works with the use of pre-made assets or through drawing free hand and while this sounds messy, it’s actually very well handled and allows players to showcase their creative flair very well. Then when it comes to selling your work. This plays out like a tycoon style game where you must market your artwork to a certain audience and use different schools of art to draw in the public. It’s deep enough to keep the gameplay fresh but after a few hours, you’ll have seen all the game has to offer in this respect.

The great thing about this game is that there is no difficulty curve that gatekeeps the content here. If you aren’t a great artist, don’t sweat it. Plus, as the game progresses, you’ll find that you develop your own style, your own fan base and perhaps you’ll even grow into the role of an artist. The story of the game is this gradual progression from nobody to star and it’s enough in this case. However, we would have liked a little more narrative or structure to this.

Then as for the artwork of the game itself. Rather ironically it’s the weak link of the entire game. Perhaps this was intentional to make the player feel like the real artist. Or perhaps it was down to poor judgement or lack of resources on the developers part. Either way, this game doesn’t have stunning visuals, which frees you up to be the star artist but I think it’s fair to say, the developer could have tried harder to give this game more flair or at least a unique style.

The Verdict

Overall, Passpartout: The Starving Artist is a game that tries something different and in a lot of respects, succeeds. The gameplay is engaging and will hold players attention for a few hours before the whole affair feels a little repetitive. Then as for the progression system, it’s an addictive one where you can attach your own narrative to situations which is rewarding in it’s own way.

7

The real letdown is the lack of artistic flair from the game but overall, this is a fun indie title and well worth a look if you are feeling creative.

Pros:

  • Interesting concept
  • Great gameplay with lots of scope for creative designs
  • Progression is addictive

Cons:

  • Repetitive after a while
  • Visuals are ironically the weak link here

Snapshots and Media

PC Screenshots

See Also

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