Scribblenauts on the Nintendo DS was unveiled at E3 to almost universal acclaim. The game recognises tens of thousands of words and lets you conjure up any non-copyrighted object to solve its puzzles. But can the ingenious gameplay live up to the hype? Read our Scribblenauts review to find out.
Scribblenauts on the Nintendo DS is a real oddity of a game. While plenty of titles (including the Grand Theft Auto series) have provided an environment to allow players to solve puzzles in ingenious ways, being able to magic up any object you need is a completely new prospect.
Each stage in Scribblenauts features two sets of levels – puzzle levels (which you can approach slowly) and action levels (which require quicker thinking). Before you reach the game proper, you can try out different objects on the opening screen which acts as a sandbox. We recommend summoning the ‘Time Machine’.
In Scribblenauts’ Challenge mode, your task in each level is to capture a star. The game’s dictionary is vast and well tuned to UK slang but it’s often a little too easy to simple summon wings, a pterodactyl or a helicopter to get to your goal.
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However, Scribblenauts has several features to encourage you to think creatively. Each level has a “par” rating, use less items and you’ll get a better score. You can also replay levels but when you do, items you previously summoned will no longer be available forcing you to find new solutions.
The one major problem with Scribblenauts, and it’s frustrating enough to make you throw down the Nintendo DS, is its controls. The D-pad and buttons only move the camera around. To navigate Maxwell through the levels, you have to use the stylus. The problem is, you also have to use the stylus to pick up and interact with other characters and objects.
As you play your way through Scribblenauts, you’ll frequently find yourself accidentally sending Max flying into lava or falling down a gap. It’s irritating in the extreme and is almost a fatal flaw. However, the sheer brilliance of being able to summon up almost any item – for instance making God and Pegasus fight zombies – is too addictive and enjoyable for the control issues to totally spoil the game.
Scribblenauts is very nearly the perfect casual game – it encourages you to play creatively and though each level can be completed in around two minutes, they can be endlessly replayed. Scribblenauts will frustrate you but it’ll also entertain you in a way very few puzzle games can manage.
