Ever wondered what it would be like to change your world just by drawing something? We’ve all seen it in cartoons at one point or another where a character simply draws a door on a wall and poof, instant door! Or they draw any number of other objects and they are immediately represented in their world. Well now, Max and the Magic Marker gives you that opportunity to change your (virtual) world as you see fit. Dive right in to our full review below to see how this imaginative title performs.

Max and the Magic Marker follows the story of Max (naturally) on a journey through his imagination. He receives a mysterious orange marker in the mail one day and does what any other intrepid young boy would do—he pops the cap off and starts to draw! He draws a giant monster with his new marker but soon realizes it comes to life. He must use the very same marker then to banish this monster and save his world. And so begins Max’s journey.

As you begin your journey as Max, you’ll be given various hints throughout the first few levels on how to control your character and his magic marker. All of Max’s movements are done using the joystick on the nunchuk and Z to jump. To draw with the marker, simply hold the ‘A’ button and point the Wiimote at the screen where you want to draw. You can also erase any drawings by holding the ‘B’ button on the ink and erase all drawings on screen by holding ‘B’ and shaking the Wiimote. The controls are really simple and they’re a perfect fit for the Wii. Once you have the the basics down, you’ll be given more obstacles to overcome using your new drawing skills such as drawing bridges, stairs, and platforms. As such, Max and the Magic Marker is unlike any platforming game I’ve ever played. Not only do you have your basic running and jumping, but the marker adds a new element of creativity to the mix. Players can decide how much creativity they want to use to solve puzzles but the more creativity the better. The goal throughout most levels is to pickup all the imagination orbs throughout the level and also find all the secret, dark orbs. One particular level has a treasure map that shows the location of a dark orb that is well into the sky. You’ll have to use all of your ingenuity, patience, and platforming prowess to get it too!

One of the more advanced control features in Max and the Magic Marker is the ability to effectively stop time and draw whatever you want without having to rush. Simply press ‘A’ and ‘B’ together to ‘freeze’ time and draw away. This is extremely helpful in cases where Max must traverse moving obstacles such as water geysers and wheels. Most of the time however, you’ll use this feature to save yourself from pitfalls. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve overshot a platform or fell off a moving object in other games only to plummet to my virtual death. But now with Max’s magic marker, you can simply freeze time and draw a platform underneath Max that’s also connected to the top of the ledge. It’s an incredible tool and really becomes necessary to traverse later levels. I got into the habit of pressing ‘A’ and ‘B’ in almost every situation whether it’s facing enemies, pitfalls, or other obstacles. When in doubt, press ‘A’ and ‘B’!

One final gameplay element is the built-in physics engine. Every object that you draw in the game will react to gravity and other forces such as being pushed or teetered. One specific example is drawing a wedge underneath a boulder and then hopping on the other end to pop the boulder down a hill. You’ll also find teeter-totters where you’ll have to position your character at one end while then drawing a large object to fall on the other end. The higher the drawn object is, the bigger the reaction will be on the other side (also the more ink that is used determines the weight of the object). The physics in the game are quite fun and you’ll quickly learn what works and what doesn’t in Max’s world.

Graphically, Max and the Magic Marker looks very polished. All the visuals are a blend of 2D/3D graphics with a 2D perspective. All the character models and animations are fluid although sometimes the frame rate drops when there’s a lot going on on-screen. I didn’t have any slowdowns when it mattered, but there were more slowdowns than would be ideal. All in all, the game is one of the best looking WiiWare titles to date.

Conclusion

Max and the Magic Marker is a fun and imaginative journey that makes great use of the Wii’s controls. The initial play-through will take a few hours and the many secrets and engaging puzzles will keep you busy for much more. Platforming fans should definitely take note as this is a very unique take on the classic genre. Max and the Magic Marker is a great addition to anyone’s WiiWare library.

Max and the Magic Marker gets an 7.9/10