Pulp (originally titled Sketch: A Pulp Adventure) is an indie sidescrolling puzzle adventure video game developed by Skymount. The game was released on August 8, 2014 for Microsoft Windows and the PlayStation 4 video game console on March 6, 2015.
A 2D sidescroller, Pulp follows the drawing of a boy who rebels against his creator as he tries to become a physical entity in a progressively changing world. The game merges elements of puzzle, platformer, and adventure video games to create an experimental yet dynamic experience.
Plot[]
A hand draws a stick figure of a boy who is guided through a landscape by his creator. The sketch obeys at first, but he ends up crossing into a portal-like object which ends up changing his looks as well as the landscape he is in. With this change, he becomes more disobedient, and officially relinquishes his servitude. His creator then begins drawing hazards and other obstacles to stop him. As the sketch passes through more portals, his looks and the environment change drastically, making them look more detailed and realistic. However, the sketch of the boy begins to show signs of deterioration, and realizes that he is becoming a doodle. Passing through more portals and avoiding more traps, hazards, and obstacles, the sketch slowly starts to lose focus, and his abilities. By the final stage, he is nearly a scribble, and can only explode into particles to pass dangerous situations.
Reaching the final portal, the creator draws an avatar of himself and attempts to face his creation directly. The two stand in silence, and the player is offered the choice of allowing the avatar to destroy him or possess the avatar using the sketch's particle ability.
If the sketch is destroyed, the creator closes his notebook, revealing that the stage is the final page in the notebook. As he leaves his room, the notebook begins to rumble until it opens to the last page. The avatar is revealed to be sitting next to a grave which he dug for the sketch using the creator's pen. Looking up, the avatar holds his head in his hands, and weeps.
If the sketch possesses the avatar, the avatar walks through the portal. The notebook explodes, and the avatar manifests on the creator's desk. The creator prepares to smash the possessed avatar with a nearby book, but stops. He holds his finger to the avatar, and the avatar extends his hand to grab it.
Gameplay[]
The player controls a sketch of a boy who must traverse various obstacles in order to become a physical entity all the while resisting the control of his creator, who draws the obstacles and the environment. The sketch is able to run left, right, and jump as typical for a sidescroller. The visuals of the game are presented as if it is a rough drawing. However, the style of the game changes as the player nears the end. At the end of a major chapter, the sketch and resulting environment undergo an art style change. With these changes come more elaborate puzzles and more difficult obstacles. On the flip side, the sketch is able to achieve more with new abilities such as the ability to shrink or separate into particles.
Soundtrack[]
The game's soundtrack was composed by Julien H. Mulder. Pulp's music, while ambient in nature, was composed to give a feeling of change, as change is one of the themes present in the narrative and gameplay. One factor is that as the game progresses, the soundtrack becomes more gritty and electronic to represent the sketch's deterioration into a scribble.
- "Birth"
- "Control"
- "Nature"
- "Nurture"
- "Danger"
- "Portal"
- "Avatar"
- "Passing"