Ask and you shall receive
'Scribblenauts' lets player type in any (acceptable) word and it magically appears for immediate use
By KENNETH BRISENDINE
Issue date: 9/24/09 Section: Entertainment
5th Cell has outdone themselves; after their game, "Drawn to Life," it is difficult to think of a way to make a more creative game. "Scribblenauts" for Nintendo DS has met that challenge. You type in virtually any noun (as long as it is not copyrighted, a drug or alcohol reference or vulgar) and like magic the object appears for your character, Maxwell, to use to solve platform-style puzzles.
"Scribblenauts" is filled with Internet memes, like piano cat and epic fail, mythological creatures and gods, such as Anubis and Cthulhu, virtually any food, animal, tool, instrument, career, chemical or element and wacky things like time machines and teleporters. There are even a handful of historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein. With the ability to recognize well over 20,000 words, you can do almost anything.
For the most part these objects behave the way they should. Write down atheist, and Maxwell will run in terror from God. Glue meat to a baby and call on a lion, and you can guess what will happen. Give George Washington a shotgun and a motorcycle and see how he fares against a dragon. A lot of things do not really do much of anything, but it is cool they are in the game.
All these options give you hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to solve each puzzle level of which there are over 120. Plus you have the option to create your own levels and share them via wi-fi with your friends. Beating levels rewards you with the in-game money called "ollars," which you can spend on avatars to make your character look like a robot, witch, pirate etc., open new levels and unlock music tracks. You gain bonus ollars for earning badges, which you receive by beating levels in different ways.
Game play is immediately addictive. You will probably spend the first half hour or so just typing random words into the title screen. When you finally start to get bored with that, you will move on to playing the actual game. The puzzles range from boringly easy to throw-your-DS-across-the-room hard. It often feels unbalanced in this regard. You will whip through several puzzles only to come across another that stumps you for an hour. There are some control issues; the stylus is used to control Maxwell and to move around the objects you have conjured. Most of the time it is not a problem, but it can be frustrating when you have set up several objects, and then Maxwell runs into a lava pit.
Sometimes the game can feel more like a toy than a game, and it is an amazing toy. There is not much focus on story, as the focus is on the unique game play. The game itself is very good, but it is not one of the best games of all time. It can get a little repetitive, but it does have fairly high replay value. If you have a DS and $30 lying around, "Scribblenauts" is definitely worth the purchase.
"Scribblenauts" is filled with Internet memes, like piano cat and epic fail, mythological creatures and gods, such as Anubis and Cthulhu, virtually any food, animal, tool, instrument, career, chemical or element and wacky things like time machines and teleporters. There are even a handful of historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein. With the ability to recognize well over 20,000 words, you can do almost anything.
For the most part these objects behave the way they should. Write down atheist, and Maxwell will run in terror from God. Glue meat to a baby and call on a lion, and you can guess what will happen. Give George Washington a shotgun and a motorcycle and see how he fares against a dragon. A lot of things do not really do much of anything, but it is cool they are in the game.
All these options give you hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to solve each puzzle level of which there are over 120. Plus you have the option to create your own levels and share them via wi-fi with your friends. Beating levels rewards you with the in-game money called "ollars," which you can spend on avatars to make your character look like a robot, witch, pirate etc., open new levels and unlock music tracks. You gain bonus ollars for earning badges, which you receive by beating levels in different ways.
Game play is immediately addictive. You will probably spend the first half hour or so just typing random words into the title screen. When you finally start to get bored with that, you will move on to playing the actual game. The puzzles range from boringly easy to throw-your-DS-across-the-room hard. It often feels unbalanced in this regard. You will whip through several puzzles only to come across another that stumps you for an hour. There are some control issues; the stylus is used to control Maxwell and to move around the objects you have conjured. Most of the time it is not a problem, but it can be frustrating when you have set up several objects, and then Maxwell runs into a lava pit.
Sometimes the game can feel more like a toy than a game, and it is an amazing toy. There is not much focus on story, as the focus is on the unique game play. The game itself is very good, but it is not one of the best games of all time. It can get a little repetitive, but it does have fairly high replay value. If you have a DS and $30 lying around, "Scribblenauts" is definitely worth the purchase.
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