Scribblenauts Review
Written By Gaetano Prestia
Scribblenauts received unprecedented pre-release acclaim since Warner Bros. showed it off a while back. Its fan base literally grew over night after winning several “Best of…” awards at games conventions around the world and thankfully all of that gratification was justified. While Scribblenauts won’t really change the way we play games, its simplistic gameplay, fused together complex puzzles and a charming presentation, make it a game everyone should experience, no matter their age or gaming interests.
What actually makes Scribblenauts so addictive is the concept that makes it so unique. There are literally tens of thousands of items included in the game’s inbuilt dictionary and you can have a hell of a lot of fun using the most obscure and outrageous items just to solve the simplest of puzzles. The main challenge mode is broken up into ten worlds and initially you’ll only have access to a few, but the rest can be purchased with “`ollars”, the game’s currency that is earned by solving puzzles and action objectives.
Each world has eleven “puzzle” and “action” challenges to take part in, so in order to finish each world 100%, you’ll have to complete all 22. The main objective of each challenge is to collect a Starite. The puzzle challenges have you earning them by completing an objective (like helping the princess reach the king, for example), whereas the action challenges have you moving through a typically hazardous environment to reach the inconveniently placed Starite. At the end of each challenge you’re rewarded with `ollars based on style, time and the par for the round. Style is calculated by what items you use (if any) and how obscure or outrageous they may be considering the situation. For example, using a Cthulu to defeat a samurai will undoubtedly earn you more style points than simply using a gun to shoot him down. Furthermore, each challenge has a set par of items (typically 3-4), so if you can stay below the par you should expect a hefty pay packet.
Solving the challenges and earning as many `ollars as possible is very much dependant on your own creative mind and problem solving skills. While the puzzle challenges aren’t anywhere near as complex and difficult as the action ones, both of them give you plenty of room to experiment with the countless number of items at your disposal. The game’s layout makes it simple enough to bring up whatever pops into your mind as well, with a conveniently placed notepad in the top right-hand corner bringing you into the lexicon screen. You use the touch-screen keyboard to type in the item you’re looking for and even if you happen to spell it wrong, the game will generally bring up a few options close to the spelling to help you out. While the dictionary isn’t overly advanced (putting in a random combination of letters will only bring up a few items that start with the first letter you put in), the sheer number of items and the game’s ability to suggest items based on your attempted spelling is quite impressive.
There’s a great level editor that gives you the opportunity to create some really outrageous Starite scenarios. Once you finish the single-player challenges, the level editor really adds a whole new level to the experience, which is fantastic considering the sheer number of items you have at your disposal. You’ll also be able to share your creations with friends over Wi-fi.
The whole experience could be best described as a point-and-click adventure that isn’t quite finished, giving you the opportunity to complete each level and determine how the hero ultimately saves the day. The great thing is that you’ll often make up a combination of items by pure coincidence that actually help you solve the challenge and reach the Starite, even though you didn’t really expect them to.
Scribblenauts also has an uncanny ability to keep you playing even after the novelty has worn off. Once the humour subsides and you’re no longer impressed by the cute sheep that needs help getting back to its herd, you’ll still have a pretty challenging puzzle title in your hands, one that really tempts you before finally pushing you over the edge. The only downfall of the game’s seemingly perfect layout is the disappointing inconsistency of the difficulty. The obvious direction would be for the challenges to get harder as you progress through the levels, but you’re often faced with the simplest of puzzles straight after one of the more challenging ones. It’s not like the game tries to trick you either. It does give you hints (of which sometimes are far too informative) and sometimes the easiest route really is the best one. One second you’ll be searching the web trying to figure out the best way to get past the squids while avoiding the falling dynamite and putting out the fire, whereas the next second you’re simply summoning some wings and flying over to the Starite. This inconsistency brings down the maturity of the title, perhaps making it a little too accessible for a more dedicated gaming crowd.
Yet whatever Scribblenauts loses through inconsistency it gets back through its ability to simply put a smile on your face. The living items seem to have been accurately created for the game, with a lion easily being able to kill a dog and a T-Rex easily being able to take down the lion. Putting a lion, tiger, walrus, God and Pegasus all together makes for some pretty hilarious onscreen action. The items respond to the environment as you’d think they would in real life (a bus can’t run underwater for example) and generally things play out pretty smoothly throughout the experience.
The game’s physics are a bit of a mixed bag. Pretty much every item can be turned around and placed any which way in the environment, although sometimes they don’t quite land where you’d want them to. Sometimes you’re in a race to place an item in a specific spot by a certain time (to block someone off, for example), yet the game rejects the location because of the smallest obstruction, therefore failing to bring the item into the world. Each item can’t interact with the world until it has been placed within it, so unless it lights up green it can’t be dropped in. This works for the most part but it’s sometimes a little broken, and that’s disappointing as you’re occasionally up against the clock to drop an item in a certain area. It can be quite frustrating.
Furthermore, our main man in Max doesn’t really control that well. Sometimes you’ll have to move an item you’ve brought into the environment, and unless you tap the item perfectly, Max will move to the location you’ve just tapped. That would be understandable if Max actually moved as efficiently when you actually wanted him to move. The developer’s decision to control Max by “guiding” him in the direction using the touch-screen wasn’t a good one, as the d-pad probably would have sufficed just fine. It may have taken away a bit of the game’s novelty, but it would definitely stop Max from randomly falling into pits of lava or shark infested waters without you even knowing.
The game’s presentation isn’t going to win any awards but it definitely matches the theme and idea behind the gameplay. It’s a cute graphical presentation, one that really complements the experience. It would be hard to imagine a game like this with refined 3D graphics; everything about the shoddy, half-done, drawn-in look just seems perfect for this type of game.
The Final Verdict
A few problems were mention above, but that shouldn’t faze you one bit. The experience Scribblenauts offers really is fantastic. It has a level of accessibility and challenge that makes it so addictive, although the structure of the levels could have been improved to make the difficulty slightly more consistent throughout the experience. You can play Scribblenauts for hours on end without even knowing it, and with the fantastic level editor you’ve got plenty of replay value there for you. It’s a unique concept, one that has succeeded and makes the DS the premier handheld gaming console.
Gameplay
8.5/10
The idea is brilliant, but in some instances the execution isn’t. The physics could have been improved and moving Max around the environment is sometimes a real chore. However, Scribblenauts’ quality lies within its challenge and uniqueness. That ultimately makes it an experience worth having. Moving Max isn’t what this game is about, so that issue shouldn’t bring it down. And it doesn’t.
Graphics
7.7/10
It suits the game. It’s a cartoon presentation that seems to be of a poor quality on purpose. It has its own little charm. Bright and colourful. Some pretty cool avatar’s for Max, too.
Sound
8.0/10
A cute soundtrack with some strange yet completely relevant sound effects.
Value
9.2/10
So many challenges to get through. 220 to be precise. Each of which can take you anywhere between ten seconds and two minutes. And that’s not including the amount of times you’ll have to start over. Then you have the level editor.
Overall
8.5/10
Submitted by Gaetano
30/09/2009
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