Drawn to Death

David Jaffe and co. have created something wildly novel, moderately fun, and slightly frustrating with Drawn to Death. In the finished product lies a blueprint for a great game, but mediocre shooting mechanics and a slightly shallow level of content holds back Drawn to Death in the end.

Drawn to Death plays like Twisted Metal, Quake, and Street Fighter all had a big violent orgy in Screech from Saved by the Bell's ring-bound high school jotter. This raucous online-only third-person shooter is bulging with so much personality that many won't be able to see beyond the d*ck jokes and crude art direction, but what lies behind the lined A4 pages is a frenetic arena action game with an insane degree of depth – and arguably one of the fresher multiplayer experiences to deploy on the PlayStation 4 this side of Overwatch and Rocket League.

Drawn to Death is neither a total hit, nor a complete misfire- it does a lot of things wrong, but it also does enough things right for it to end up as one of the most thoroughly unique, if flawed, shooters on the market.

There’s hope for Drawn to Death to grow into something more, and my fingers are crossed that it does. After not quite a week, I’ve just about had my fill and don’t feel compelled to stick around for cosmetic unlocks earned from drawn-out blind boxes. With new modes and characters, another pass at balancing, and some matchmaking options, I could see myself coming back. Until then, I’m good.

David Jaffe has always been known for games that can be a bit over the top and Drawn to Death may be the most extreme example of that to date. The notebook art style is very unique and works well with the varying character roster throughout the fast paced arena matches. However, the long wait times and crass humor used to make Drawn to Death seem edgy really drag down the experience as a whole.

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In a time where virtually everyone has had their fill of internet trolls and inflammatory comments, Drawn To Death stands out as the sterling answer to a question no one has ever asked: How can we make online gaming even more obnoxious and offensive than it already is?

Rough sketch.

With a look this distinctive, Drawn to Death could have hit the ground running. But as a decent shooter it merely limps, thanks to a number of unfortunate design choices, a lack of options, and rampant bugs. Intricate levels, varied weapons and unique characters may have looked good on paper, but any positives Drawn to Death has get scribbled over and obscured by the constant barrage of un-funny abuse it insists on endlessly spewing in your face.

That’s what’s so frustrating about grading a game like Drawn to Death. I know it could do better if it applied itself toward the little things it doesn’t like doing as enthusiastically as the things it does.