Drawn (series)

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Drawn is a series of Point and Click Adventure Games released by Big Fish Games. In this series, your goal is to free a kingdom from control of an evil man and help restore light and happiness to the world.

There are three games in this series:

The Painted Tower: Iris, a princess who has the power to make her paintings come to life, has been hidden in a tower by her guardian Franklin to keep her safe from the wicked king who is hunting her down. However, a curse has been placed on the tower and Iris’s enemies are closing in. You have to find Iris and help her escape the tower.

Dark Flight: Thanks to your help in The Painted Tower, Iris has escaped safely, but your job isn't over yet. Now you must get to the town and help Iris light three beacons which will drive away the shadows keeping the town and the people in darkness.

Trail of Shadows: Franklin tells Iris the story of a young boy who has similar powers to hers. The young boy paints a door he should never have painted, and an evil wizard appears from it and kidnaps the boy with the intent to use his powers for evil purposes.

Tropes used in Drawn (series) include:
  • A Child Shall Lead Them: The conclusion of Dark Flight.
  • Arc Symbol: In several themes through all three games. Hares, ravens and snails; suns, moons and stars.
    • The gryphon and the dragon appear both only in the first two games. They represent 'wisdom' and 'evil', as well as Iris' kingdom and the dark king respectively. The phoenix seems to symbolize Iris herself.
  • Art Initiates Life: Iris and the boy in the third game have this power. Judging from the way many of the puzzles are solved, it's possible the Stranger also has such power, at least to a certain extent.
  • Badly-Battered Babysitter: A few notes Franklin left around the tower give somewhat-humorous accounts of how troublesome watching over a little girl who can bring her paintings to life can be.
  • Broken Bridge: There are a fair number of these, including instances of literal broken bridges. You get to the places beyond by solving puzzles.
  • Dying Town: The town in Dark Flight is this, and may be verging on Ghost Town. The only people you see are Iris, Franklin, Raven, the king, a wooden boy with a kite, and one or two people who live in paintings. It could just be that everyone else is in hiding...
  • Evil Overlord: The king.
  • Extended Gameplay: In Dark Flight, after you complete the main quest, Iris sends you on a second quest to free Franklin from his curse.
  • Exposition Fairy: Franklin, who can give you hints on puzzles.
  • Feathered Fiend: Type A. The king commands flocks of ravens that leave shadowy trails behind them. His minion's name is even Raven although his exact nature stays unrevealed.
    • They also appear as minions of the evil wizard in Trail of Shadows. It is likely the wizard and the king are the same person.
  • Featureless Protagonist: You, the player, are known in-game by the other characters simply as “The Stranger”.
  • Framing Device: The prequel's story Trail of Shadows is told by Franklin to Iris in the game's opening sequence.
  • Girl in the Tower
  • Go for the Eye: One of the puzzles involves you poking all of a spider's eyes closed to kill it.
  • Gotta Catch Em All: Some of the puzzles are like this. Most notable is in the second quest Iris sends you on in Dark Flight, where you must collect and reassemble the pieces of a magical window to lift the curse on Franklin.
  • Hint System: If you get stuck you can click on the portrait of Franklin and he will give you hints. In The Painted Tower, once you click for one hint you have to wait quite a while before you can request another hint. This waiting period is done away with in Dark Flight.
  • Adventure Narrator Syndrome: The Stranger often remarks about objects, doors, etc.
  • Imagination Based Superpower: Iris and (in Trail of Shadows) the boy can create pictures that come to life, can be entered, interacted with and influence the outside world in turn.
  • Little No: Iris says this when the king catches up to her in The Painted Tower. In Dark Flight, she says it again when Raven tries to hinder your progress.
  • Magic Music: A few of the puzzles in Dark Flight involve this.
  • Mook Bouncer: The second time Raven blocks your path in Dark Flight, clicking on him will cause him to grab you and push you all the way back to the top of the stairs you just came down.
  • Mr. Exposition: Not only does Franklin give you hints to help you solve puzzles and generally tell you what to do, he also provides a lot of backstory and general information about the setting.
  • Notice This: Many items sparkle. A few don’t but are more colorful than their surroundings. In a few cases the cursor simply turns into either a magnifying glass or a hand or a puzzle piece, depending on what you’re supposed to do.
  • Obviously Evil: The king.
  • Only Smart People May Pass
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: The king has these.
  • Saved for the Sequel: In The Painted Tower, at one point the bell falls and crashes through the floor, revealing that the tower has another floor underground. You do not get to see where this new area leads until Dark Flight.
  • Save the Princess
  • Taken for Granite: Happens to Franklin when the tower in the first game is cursed.
  • The Un-Reveal: What is Raven? Is he a spirit that has been following the dark king? Is he someone like the dark king himself, only lesser in terms of power?
    • It also stays ambigious what happened to Katherine, Iris' mother as she never shows up. The Stranger receives a letter from her in Dark Flight but doesn't see her.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: How did the dark king's demise affect Raven? And where is Iris' mother, Katherine?