A long time ago some one could look at a game, and not know what to expect, long ago the thought of being a solder in World War Two was new, and fresh, where space pirates and Super soldiers were more a reach then an actuality. Today however it is the exact opposite.
First person shooters set in WWII crowd bargain bins, and one can’t go to Game Stop without seeing ads for a new game where one takes control of space marine X and saves the galaxy from alien Y. There is nothing wrong with these games but the originality that they once had is gone.
So when a game like Scribblenauts comes around with a fresh new original idea, it turns a few heads, and this is a task that Scribblenauts accomplishes however does the game fall on it’s face or meet its exceptions?
When developer 5th Cell said they were going to create Nintendo Ds where a word was typed on the bottom screen, and then that object would appear on the top screen, more programmers laughed and said it was impossible. So when creative director Jeremiah Slaczka said the game was going to be released in September many gamers were excited to see Scribblenauts become either one of the most expansive games of all time or one that falls on its face.
But Slaczka’s dream became a reality when the game Scribblenaughts was release on September 15. Now I picked up this game I was skeptical, I didn’t believe it could be done, and that it was going to be returned to Game Stop in a few hours. Then I played it and I was blown away. I couldn’t put the game down, granted the first few hours where spent in the opening title screen with me entering word after word, of everything I could think of I finally started the game.
Scribblenauts is a game that breaks down the walls of everything you thought about a videogame. Literally almost any solution to a puzzle is possible. The game even challenges you to try to do each puzzle more than once, giving you bonus points for every time you do it with different items.
For example, I had the task of cleaning up a park, or as the game worded “Get rid of the trash in the park”. Now the obvious solution to the problem is to type in “T-R-A-S-H-C-A-N” and then have you main character Maxwell pick up all the trash manually, and throw it out.
Or you could type in “N-U-K-E” and blow up all the trash, the park and the city that surrounds it. Both of these solutions work, and both are fun.
However once the novelty runs out, is Scibblenauts’ a game that will still make you want to play?
The answer is no. Scribblenaughts idea alone is original enough to make you want to try different solutions to tons of different problems. However the game is not perfect the most notable flaw is the control.
Creating, objects is easy however maneuvering them is not. To move Maxwell you tap a open space. This may not sound so bad until you thing about how small the end of a rope is. The game becomes quickly frustrating, and the novelty wears off quickly.
Idea alone the game should be worth any gamers purchase, however a game that due to its idea alone it is driven so close to perfections that when it falls on it’s face because of bad controls it become unoworthy. This is a game where if it worked perfectly would be great but since it doesn’t you will find your self relying on the same one or two items to do all the puzzles.
My final score is a 7.5, in a game where anything is possible I found myself wanting to give it a higher score, but not being able to do so once the initial impression wore off you were left wanting more to be done in development.
