Write On- Scribblenauts Review

Great games often create mesmerizing micro-worlds that beg for exploration. As the Super Mario Bros. franchise has so wonderfully exemplified, the perpetual motion of a turtle shell rebounding between two blocks can become a source of fascination. More recently, Red Faction: Guerilla presented a Martian environment which implored destruction; every building was carefully modeled to invite wanton devastation. While designers often craft their realms around a specialized physics model, recent DS release Scribblenauts builds it world with words. 

Although older text-adventure titles such as Zork, constructed elaborate adventures with language, they often suffered from a frustrating adherence to linearity; players were typically required to complete a series of sequential puzzles using a diminutive vocabulary. As soon as players visit Scribblenauts’ title screen, they begin to see the game’s expansive range of possibilities. 

A tap of a book icon in the top right corner brings up a keypad. From there, players may enter the name of nearly any noun, and watch as it appears on-screen. Attempting to test the limits of the Scribblenauts dictionary, I requested a vampire, and watched as a petite, cape-clad bloodsucker was conjured on the touch-screen. While the game appeared to have an impressive dictionary, I assumed it would be unable to replicate common associations. In an effort to stump the title, I conjured up a cross, and watched in amazement as the vampire fled from the artifact. For the next 45 minutes, I remained on the title screen crating baseball-cap wearing crocodiles, zombies, and mummies armed with RPG’s. For the first time in thirty years of gaming, I had become memorized by a diversion before even playing its initial level.

Once players inevitably discover the game’s 242 puzzle and action stages, a series of objectives are unveiled. Each level requires the player to assist the game’s protagonist, Maxwell, in obtaining a Starite. In a series of increasingly complicated diversions, gamers must utilize both their linguistic and creative thinking skills to solve each stages dilemma. After the successful completion of a level, players are ranked by time, creativity, and the number of item used. Afterward, the level may be retried with a new set of terms.

Scribblenauts‘ strength lay within the game’s extensive object database. Each word has a corresponding size, weight, buoyancy, attraction and repulsion- cats chase mice, while dogs eat bones. The system doesn’t always work.  It seems strange when a teacher uses chalk, but is baffled by a pen. However, scenarios often result in humorous repercussions; creating a zombie to scare a pack of trick-or-treaters backfired when the undead attacked the children, resulting in a stage-ending death.

For all the comical mayhem, there are moments that Scribblenauts will exasperate. Since nearly all the game’s functions are relegated to stylus control, blunders will occur. Maxwell tends to move in ungainly strides, and will often overshoot his target. Occasionally, NPCs will walk over an item, prohibiting gamers from interacting with it. Sporadically, bizarre events will occur-a gangster may inexplicably open fire, or a ladder will mysteriously tumble over. Generally, the occasional bouts of idiosyncrasy are humorous when they don’t require multiple retries.