Warp Zone: Scribblenauts

Scribblenauts is not your average puzzle solving game.  In Scribblenauts, the player helps Maxwell solve hundreds of puzzles by typing in a word and then using that object to save the day.  With more than 20,000 words in its word bank, you are only limited by your imagination.

The basic premise of the game is simple.  Maxwell wins the level when he touches a Starite, which just seems to be a fancy star.  With a seemingly infinite amount of items to use, 10 people can solve the same puzzle 10 different ways.  Each level has a par level for number of items used, so it becomes challenging in later stages to go for below par bonuses.

Some players may find themselves relying heavily on the same items over and over.  As the game moves along, it becomes clear that some items are very useful in numerous situations.  To keep players creative, they’re awarded extra points for solving puzzles with new items.  Pretty much any word works as long as it isn’t vulgar or a copyrighted or trademarked term.  You’ll find everything from internet memes to creatures of lore, even a few proper names work too. 

The menu screen doubles as a sandbox mode, allowing the player to enter words just to see what will happen.  Who would win in a fight, an alligator or a shark?  Settle the age old school bus debate by entering the words and let them fight it out.  Trying out vehicles and devices with no penalty in this menu screen mode can be helpful when solving puzzles later. Reanimate a corpse with lightning, build a ramp to jump over babies with motorcycles, or club a seal. You are free to do whatever in sandbox mode.

With all the greatness that is Scribblenauts, it is not without its faults.  The game is controlled almost entirely by the stylus, making for some less than stellar controls at times.  Since the player is also moving items about the screen with the stylus, a slight mis-click can send Maxwell careening off a cliff or into the jaws of a werewolf. On particularly complex puzzles the controls can be unforgiving. It is clear that in development the control scheme was an afterthought.  The game is fun and unique enough that the control faults don’t ruin the experience, however should a sequel be made it needs to be fixed.  This may be the only game on Earth with bad controls that is still fun to play. 

Scribblenauts only available on Nintendo DS and is rated E10+ for comic mischief and comic violence.

Kevin “Mello Joe” Mercer is a former radio personality and a lifelong gamer. You can find him on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, Gamertag: Mellojoe. View the world as he sees it at www.youtube.com/user/mellojoe. www.myspace.com/charlesk