The Brush
The Brush is a magical tool and the primary gameplay mechanic of Chicory: A Colorful Tale. It has the ability to paint color into the usually colorless world of Picnic Province, and interact with certain objects and plant life.
The Brush grants the Wielder the ability to shape and colour reality. However, this power has a sinister consequence. Just as the brush manifests creative desires, negative emotions would also be made real, taking the form of corruptions. Wielders were tasked with managing these corruptions. A wielder who failed to regulate their emotions could plunge the whole world into darkness.
History[edit | edit source]
A long, long time ago, a magical tree sprouted in the Banquet Rainforest. The brush was taken from the branches of this tree by the first wielder.
Little is known about the wieldership of the first wielder. After their death, the brush passed naturally from person to person. The artifact was highly coveted, and wars broke out over control of the brush. To end the violence, a formal process of succession was established: every wielder would choose an apprentice to whom they would pass the brush. The apprentice would officially become the mew wielder after completing five wielder trials.
During Pizza's wieldership, the corruptions had grown to such strength that Pizza lost control of the brush. Undeterred, they grew a new brushtree through sheer creative will and made their own brush. Seeing this feat, Chicory also created their own brush. The duo used their new brushes to destroy the original and with it all the corruption it had caused.
The destruction of the brush marked the end of the wielder tradition. Having created their own brushes, Pizza and Chicory vowed to teach others how to do the same, making color free for everyone.
Gameplay[edit | edit source]
The Brush can be used to color the environment and characters. Many characters and environmental objects will react to being colored, and some characters will react to the way Pizza colors their house. All areas are limited to a palette of 4 available colors at a time.
In the Potluck Art Academy, Pizza is introduced to Brush Styles, which change the shape of the Brush’s strokes. These can be found in large gifts around Picnic. Additionally, Potato in Sips River can create Pizza a custom one, and Dr. Cheese in Brekkie can create a Brush Style that lets them paint with any color they like.
Additionally, after most boss fights, Pizza’s bond with the Brush will strengthen, granting them a new ability. These abilities are named in the inventory menu:
- Glow, obtained after the Chapter 1 boss, makes the Brush’s paint glow in dark areas.
- Swim, obtained after the Chapter 2 boss, allows Pizza to swim in their paint to get through small cracks, low openings, or to simply traverse faster in their paint.
- Leap, obtained after the Chapter 3 boss, allows Pizza to jump across gaps and off of ledges.
- Climb, obtained after the Chapter 4 boss, is an expansion of Swim, which allows Pizza to swim up painted walls.
- Tenacity, obtained after the Chapter 5 boss, is another expansion of Swim, allowing Pizza to swim in painted water.
- Master, obtained after completing Chapter 10, enhances Swim, Climb, and Tenacity, by increasing Pizza’s swimming speed, and allowing them to swim up waterfalls.
Known Wielders[edit | edit source]
There have been hundreds of Wielders of the Brush. The following are the known Wielders by name.
- Almond (she/her)
- Carrot (he/him)
- Parfait (she/her)
- Mustard
- Rhubarb
- Cardamom
- Blackberry
- Chicory
- Pizza
- Wielder Portraits
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Unknown Wielder's Portrait
-
Mustard's Portrait
-
Rhubarb's Portrait
-
Cardamom's Portrait
-
Blackberry's Portrait
-
Chicory's Portrait
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- According to Greg Lobanov, had the corruption not been stopped, he imagines a large pit would’ve opened beneath the Wielder Tower and begun expanding, everything eventually falling into it.
- He assigns this statement “50% [canonicity]”, meaning it could be true, but just as easily could not be.