PixelMaker is not a game – it is an app from Nostatic Software that allows you to draw using pixels. This is an ideal app for those who are artsy or who are working their way through an art course or two at the time. If you are really clever and have a talent for art, you can create some of Nintendo’s iconic characters or any other character in any game that you like. Want to learn more? Then read our PixelMaker review!

 

There are lots of resources at your disposal: a palette of different colors, a palette for pen/pencil types, adding squares that you can use as a guide as you draw, change the background colors, add multiple backgrounds, re-size your layouts, and more! The color palette can be customized so that you only see colors that you want to use for your creation, and this is very handy in the long run.

When you first boot up the app, you are given instructions on how to use it – I had to hold the Wii U GamePad up close because the text was very tiny – just a tiny box on a 5-inch blank gamepad screen! You’ll need good vision to see that tiny text. After this, you can fiddle around with the menus since there are four different ones at the bottom corners of the screen.

There is an editing tool, zoom, and the layers feature can be used for a wide variety of things to create more complex art. There is always some nice and soothing music playing in the background which can help you relax as you draw and play around with the app – I liked it since it definitely encourages creativity!

You can choose to use the Off-TV play or use both the TV and the Wii U Gamepad, whichever one you like best. The GamePad is not used as a second screen but as a way to mirror everything you see on your TV.

When you have created your masterpiece, you can export it to Miiverse for all to see and admire. This adds an extra social aspect to the app and something that will allow great creations to be shared on Miiverse at the press of a button.

PixelMaker is the first of it’s kind that I have reviewed, and I am not an artistic person – I struggle with a straight line! Drawing a beautiful artistic picture is well beyond my capability. This one was not quite what I was expecting when I was asked to do the review – I was kind of expecting something along the lines of ready-made pictures I could just copy them to get started.

PixelMaker is a fun app for art, and it is ideal for children practicing their artwork, hashing ideas out before putting their final work to paper – it certainly has a lot of uses education wise. Is there something else you want to know about this app that is not available in my PixelMaker review? Let me know in the comments below!

[review pros=”Fun to use.
Educational.
Soothing background music.” cons=”Might be a bit overwhelming for newcomers.” score=80]

Disclaimer
This review is based on a Wii U copy of PixelMaker provided by Nostatic Software.