Be a struggling artist in painting sim Passpartout

Bad artist simulator Passpartout: The Starving Artist [official site] came out yesterday, letting you fill the tattered shoes of a French painter trying to survive on the proceeds of whatever rubbish MS Paint creations you can come up with. We first spotted its blues and brushstrokes one hundred years ago in a free games roundup, but developers Flamebait have been quietly touching it up ever since, adding fancy new galleries, esoteric studios and discerning customers. You can see what it looks like in the trailer below.

I liked the free version of yester-yester-year. And I remember spending much more time than I should have perfecting paintings only to be faced with critics who voiced nothing but disgust for my masterpieces, while at the same time gobbling up all the most rushed and crappy things I made just because they were cheap. Including one painting which was simply a blank background with the hastily scrawled words: “Please Buy More Things From Me”.

But I also remember it was strangely relaxing. Like any good sim it gives you an excuse to be creative, even in the process of naming your paintings. My popular landscape of a tornado entitled “This Took Me Three Days” also sold for a modest amount.

It’s currently on Steam for £6.99/$9.99 and if you think that is too much a price then you are just as bad as the art buyers who turn their noses up at the garden scene I spent a week creating because I priced it over 30 quid. You philistine.