Too many developers either ignore the DS's revolutionary touchscreen completely or try to shoehorn touch functionality into a game where it doesn't fit. Others look at what more imaginative developers have done with stylus-based gameplay and simply duplicate their efforts. But every now and then, someone comes along with a fresh idea and implements it in a fun and interesting way. And when that company's name is something other than "Nintendo," it's even more remarkable. 5th Cell join that very short list of progressive developers with Drawn to Life, a kid-friendly platformer where you design your hero and create the tools needed to save the day. And while many elements of it have been executed better in other games, it's a testament to how one big new idea can make tired old gimmicks seem fresh again.

In a nutshell, Drawn to Life is a platformer that's equal parts action and exploration, more like vintage Metroid or Castlevania than Sonic the Hedgehog. The platforming gameplay is straight out of Super Mario World, with all of the tried-and-true tricks of the genre, from jumping on enemies' heads to destroy them to executing a butt-first ground-pound attack to smash open objects. The controls are a tad loose, and the field of view is a little too narrow, which can lead to off-screen enemies landing a lot of cheap shots on you if you fall into a new area or move too quickly. But generally speaking, it's pretty solid.

What sets Drawn to Life apart from the rest of the Mario clones, however, is its innovative drawing system. As The Creator, you literally design and draw the hero of the game, as well as environmental objects like platforms and spring pads, and even the vehicles and weapons that the hero uses to navigate the expansive levels and overcome certain enemies and obstacles. So while Drawn to Life's gameplay doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, it at least allows you to use its surprisingly versatile drawing tools to make that wheel look like a frosted donut with sprinkles.

What's really impressive is how well the game animates the heroes that you create. You can draw any sort of bipedal humanoid character you want, from a simple stick figure to a chunky sports mascot inside of the segmented drawing guide, which is divided into a head, two arms, two legs and a torso. Because the segments are clearly defined in the guide, it's incredibly easy to design a figure that animates flawlessly.

It's also interesting to see just how much designing your own sprites changes the feel of the game. The simple act of hopping through a level and stomping bad guys takes on very different tones if you draw a hero that looks like Santa Claus or one that resembles a Ray Harryhausen-like skeleton. Likewise, if you decide that the cloud platforms in a level should look more like something you might step in while running through a cow pasture, that one simple act dramatically alters the mood of the game.

And once the novelty of drawing wears off, there's still a whole lot of game left. Between platforming levels, you return to the Raposa village that serves as your home base, which is chock-full of minigames, side quests and items that you can purchase with coins collected from defeated enemies. As you complete levels, more of the village is revealed, giving you even more to do and explore.

Drawn to Life doesn't feature any multiplayer options, aside from being able to share heroes and other drawings with friends who also have a copy of the game, but the single-player story mode gives you your money's worth. Older gamers will likely find it too cutesy, but younger gamers -- especially budding videogame artists -- will find a lot to like here.