Review: Scribblenauts
The game Scribblenauts has been on the hype train since its announcement at E3. The general idea of the game is to have a 2D platformer that lets players type in words and have them appear in the game. After being released, there has been mixed praise about it, and I recently have been able to get ahold of the game long enough to play through and give my 2 cents.
I’m going to start this review off and just say that the main engine is amazing, giving players the freedom that they want while keeping it responsible at the same time. The game’s slogan is “Write anything, solve anything”, which stays true throughout the gameplay. There are a couple of exceptions: No Alcohol, racism, vulgar language, or nudity. Also, you can’t type in copyrighted items, and what you type has to be a physical object. There are 22,802 available words to type in, which gives you the variety you need to solve each level however you want it. If you type a word in that has more than one different meaning, you can choose which meaning you want and the game will put it in. There are no real cons about this aspect of the game, except for the fact that most sprites are re-used for different words, but you have to remind yourself that this is a DS game, and there is only so much you can fit on one cartridge.
The game is comprised of a main hub, where you can choose between game modes. The different types of game modes are Challenge (which is the main storyline) and the Level Editor. Challenge mode is where the core experience is, and starts out in a tutorial section called the high school. In the High School, you learn the basics of Scribblenauts, such as how to create objects and how to fly planes, etc. After you get past the first couple of levels, the game lets you view the map, which is split up into 10 different worlds. The first world is basic things, like giving a firefighter the tools he needs, and saving cats from the top of buildings. As you go on, the game gets increasingly harder, and if the challenge isn’t enough for you, you can always go through on Advanced mode. Advanced mode is where you play the same task, but this time you can’t type in anything that you used the first time going through. This can challenge the player to think, especially when there only seems to be one correct way to get through a level. Challenge mode can be frustrating at times, stumping the player with hard puzzles, that may seem impossible to solve. I remember being stuck at different parts of the game (i.e., how to exterminate ants without getting the hippie mad), but after you finally get it, you feel really proud. The experience is repetitive, and sometimes the player may want an actual storyline, instead of just different puzzles to solve. This makes the game seem boring, and will have you want to stop playing often.
A screenshot from Scribblenauts.
The other game mode is called Level Editor. As you can guess from the title, this part of the game focuses on creating your own levels. When you open up the Level Editor, you are greeted by a scenery option. You can choose from any of the worlds that you have unlocked already, and if you choose one, the game breaks it down into different “templates” for your level based on the puzzles. You can then place objects and even script them on your level, which works out fine. You can also buy music and avatars to use in the Ollar Store (selectable from the main menu). The cons of the level editor are that (just like the Challenge mode), playing the game for the sole use of the level editor may not keep you hooked.
Overall the game seems like something that you would play for a while, but then this is where the controls come in. The controls for this game make it a letdown, forcing the player to use the touchscreen to control Maxwell (main character), without any other options to edit the controls. When I play a game, I expect there to be an option in the main menu to toggle the controls to fit my style of gameplay, and here that option is absent. What is so bad about the controls? you ask? Well, controlling with only the stylus can be tedius at times, because Maxwell can only move in certain ways, causing him to mess up some of your plans. I would have preferred to control Maxwell with the D-Pad, and also be able to control him with the stylus. This can make the game frustrating at times, and I know that I turned off my DS because of frustration during the time I played the game.
The graphics of the game are standard DS platforming, with no real 3D effects thrown in for visual appeal. The game’s sprites do look nice, and there are certainly no flaws concerning the graphics.
The music in this game is nothing special either, being the standard music that you would expect to hear in a game of this type, having upbeat tunes to go with each level. Without the music, the game would feel different, but with it it is an experience to be seen/heard. It certainly isn’t anything that you would turn off the volume for, but it isn’t anything that I’m going to praise either. I will admit that the little sound effects were nice, and added a nice feel to the game (what other game would you hear DJ scratches when you close the DS?)
There is one part of the game that I didn’t review, and that is the multiplayer. I wasn’t able to have access to it, as I had no friends that owned the game to really play with. Overall, the game is ok, offering some entertainment, but for only so long. The general idea for Scribblenauts sounds good on paper, but when you put it into play, it could’ve been improved (especially the controls).
