Letter of Recommendation- Super Scribblenauts Review

Developer 5th Cell appears poised to deliver their magnum opus. From 2007’s Drawn to Life, a platformer which allowed players to draw their own characters and weapons to last year’s Scribblenauts– where typing in the name of an object would render the item on-screen, the company has offered some of the most imaginative DS games . Even the developer’s slightly more conventional title- Lock’s Quest, offered a inspired take on the tower defense genre, with an art style that blurred the distinction between Western and Japanese sensibilities. Yet the developer’s innovative deviations from rigid industry genres have frequently had a downside; with so much freedom offered to players, immersion-quashing flaws are certain to surface.

Scribblenauts was restrained by two problems: moving the game’s protagonist with touchscreen controls could occasionally become unwieldy . Regretfully, a handful of objects could be repeatedly  exploited to solve many puzzles, nullifying the game’s lofty ambitions. Despite these blemishes, I found Scribblenauts to be extraordinarily compelling, spending hours mesmerized by the game’s dictionary and relationship model. Want to see how an zombie will react to a vampire? All players had to do was type the name of both creatures and they undead would spring to life.

Recent release Super Scribblenauts remedies both problems, while adding adjectives to the game’s already expansive vocabulary. Now, lead character Maxwell can be moved with either the stylus or direction pad control. Sure, he’ll still sporadically get stuck. I couldn’t get a large hot-air balloon past an A-frame house without some vigilant rezoning; but these difficulties seem to happen with diminished regularity. Levels have been meticulously designed so the versatile jetpack and rope combination isn’t the skeleton key it once was.

Whereas a parasol wouldn’t save a daredevil from the perils of a cliff dive, Super Scribblenauts’ inclusion of adjectives allows gamer’s to make a ‘giant umbrella’, embedding the sequel with an increased versatility. As such, the game’s classification as part of the puzzle genre is woefully reductionist; Super Scribblenauts brilliantly transcends the single solution set of most brainteasers. Regrettably, a few avoidable ambiguities exist. When the game asks players to “kick off the beach party”, it’s unclear if Scribblenauts want players to disperse the shoreline crowd or initiate a celebration. Additionally, there’s the occasional obvious response that goes unrecognized. Although a pitted F1 car can utilize a new steering wheel, the driver was oblivious to motor oil or brake pads.
To prohibit younger players from getting needlessly discouraged, each puzzles offer a multi-tiered hint system. Completed level disburses ‘ollars’- the game’s currency, which can be used to purchase clues. Older players will likely find amusement in the game’s robust stage creation component, which allows gamers to create and save up to eight levels; the actual construction of a stage may be one of the game’s most complicated yet gratifying riddles. 

One of Super Scribblenauts‘ greatest virtues is its versatility; with the exception of its predecessor, there are few DS games which can captivate both kids and adults as competently as this title. With its succinct conundrums, the game makes a idyllic choice for commuters, where a few puzzles during the morning commute can get the synapses firing. Just don’t be surprised if the trip back home is spent within the game’s linguistic sandbox.