The Perfect Pencil is a surreal Metroidvania journey that’s not afraid to be weird.

*The Perfect Pencil* Credit: Studio Cima

Italian developer Studio Cima’s The Perfect Pencil is a surreal, narrative-heavy side-scrolling Metroidvania that explores themes of fear, identity, and personal growth through heavily symbolic storytelling and characters. There’s a palpable sense that this is a deeply personal project for the creators, and unpacking its layered metaphors becomes as compelling as the exploration itself, helped along by solid gameplay and striking hand-drawn art.

You play as John, who awakens headless in a strange, dreamlike world before receiving a film projector as a replacement head. Armed with a massive pencil he swings like a sword, John sets out to escape the ever-present, wolfish White Beast while encountering a cast of bizarre NPCs. The narrative has genuine emotional depth, though some might find it challenging to unravel the surreal narrative, which isn't straightforward with its rich metaphorical symbolism. Characters and enemies serve as externalized fragments of John’s internal struggles.

Mechanically, The Perfect Pencil follows familiar Metroidvania conventions, with a few clever twists. One standout is the secondary jump system: rather than granting a standard double jump early on, you can perform an extra leap only if you’ve walked off a ledge without jumping first. It’s a subtle change that opens up interesting platforming possibilities. As you unlock additional movement abilities—air dash, wall jump, and even the power to create temporary midair platforms—traversal becomes fluid and satisfying.

Combat, by contrast, is relatively straightforward. Even after unlocking new abilities, it remains fairly uninteresting, despite equipable lenses that grant bonuses and debuffs that force a change to your playstyle. Disappointingly, the downward aerial attack can't be repeated until you land, though this may have been addressed in a patch after I played. More interesting is the healing system, which has you charge your heal and then hit an enemy before the charge expires, and the meter required to heal is replenished through combat. It’s a smart risk-reward mechanic that adds tension to otherwise simple combat.

The interconnected world of The Perfect Pencil is impressively large, divided into distinct biomes that reflect different psychological themes. Each area is littered with hidden paths and optional side quests, making exploring every corner of the map feel rewarding. John’s projector head also grants an analysis ability, allowing you to scan key objects for additional insights.

“We embarked together in the undertaking of exploring the complexity of the human condition through the medium of video game.”

— Studio Cima

The game's distinctive hand-drawn visuals are wonderful, particularly the surreal and expressive NPC and enemy designs. The style has a twisted storybook quality that stands out, and I was always eager to see what the next biome had in store visually. It was always unpredictable, considering the game's dreamlike nature and theming.

The Perfect Pencil prioritizes atmosphere, symbolism, and exploration over combat depth, and that focus ultimately works in its favor. While the combat lacks the tightness of similar games in the genre, its emotional sincerity and artistic ambition make it an impactful journey, especially if you’re willing to dig into the symbolism.

The Perfect Pencil is available now on Steam and Nintendo Switch.