"Write Anything, Solve Everything"
Believe the hype surrounding this Nintendo DS exclusive game. Besides some minor movement/object interference issues, Scribblenauts deserves as many accolades as word offerings exit in the game. Tens of thousands of words with hundreds of possible solutions. There are no places, proper names, suggestive material, shapes, Latin/Greek root words, alcohol, race/culture elements, vulgarity or copyrighted material included. The game transforms words into action and helps one discover a deeper vocabulary level.
No huge reveals or spoilers in this review, they would just ruin several potentially rewarding experiences from this all age/level game. It’s much more rewarding when missions are won based on original thought, so resist that temptation to grab a dictionary.
The open environments let players embark on “Choose Your Own Adventure” type experience while solving puzzles or completing action-based tasks. Several scenarios resemble movie making processes or story telling where players can optimize their imaginative skills for better gameplay, special bonuses, and immense entertainment.
The basic format involves conquering each task by acquiring Starites using the main character, Maxwell, who gets some nice customized costume changes. The first game mode lets players orient themselves in a simple setting while offering several bonuses like a secret moon level or special backgrounds by entering different wo
rd types. Using the touch screen, scribe or type words by selecting the notepad (upper right) then grab or replace that word at any time. The notepad also functions as a trash can. Access the magnifying glass in upper left to indentify objects.
Next players complete the 11 level tutorial then access the core, comic panel style game menus including the challenge mode (puzzle or action format), a level editor (save options, special settings, etc.), an Ollar (the game currency) store, extra levels, and smaller option screen (bottom right on the touch screen). The 10 core worlds (each with 11 levels) have various themed titles including The Gardens, Peaks, Ancient, Shoreline, Outer Wild, Frontier, and Mish Mash. The higher numbered levels sometimes have a higher difficulty, but not always. Player skill often factor into the difficulty more than the level construction.
Article comments
1 - Rob B
Awesome game and I like the review. Thanks.