January 25th, 2010 Posted in Commuter Games | No Comments »
Format: DS / Developer: 5th Cell / Publisher: Warner BrosPick up and play? Yes
Definitely. A new puzzle or action challenge is never more than a few taps away as soon as Scribblenauts’ title screen loads up. In fact, the game takes pick-up-and-playability to new heights because the title screen itself actually serves as a level. Rather than starting the game proper, you can hit the notebook icon and spawn an item, just as you do in-game. It is possible to play Scribblenauts for a good 15 minutes without every truly starting the game.
Much Accomplished? Definitely
Most definitely. Puzzles can take anything from 30 seconds to two or three minutes to solve, particularly in the early worlds where the challenges are much, much simpler (e.g. chop down tree, rescue cat, pick up flower). As such, a standard 30 to 40-minute train ride is more than enough to get a solid number of puzzle complete - although you’ll probably lose time to experimenting with different solutions to the same levels.
Save System? Yes
An automatic save system means your progress is saved as soon as puzzle is finished, whether you succeeded or not. Obviously, if you’re using the game’s level creator, you’ll have to manually save your creations, but apart from that, you only have to wait seconds before it’s save to turn off your DS.
Concentration Required? No
Only when you’re trying to solve a puzzle or in danger. If Maxwell is standing idly in a level, he’s unlikely to be set upon by the badly-drawn beasties that populate the game’s levels. There are also no time limits for puzzles, so you can quite safely leave the game running while you fish around for your rail ticket when an inspector decides to hassle unsuspecting commuters.
Enjoyable? Yes
This game is a guaranteed grin-inducer. Yes, there are issues with the controls, yes, the art can look horrible, and yes, sometimes summoned objects don’t behave how you want/expect them to. But the sheer simplicity of the puzzles and their multitude of solutions gives you a consistent stream of satisfying little victories, and the ‘who’da thunk it’ surprise at finding another obscure word actually spawns a new object in-game doesn’t wear off.
Embarrassment Factor? Average, bordering on High
If HotGirl knows nothing about Scribblenauts, she’s probably going to think you’re playing a child’s game. The art style already looks like something from a book that is packed with lift-up flaps, and the puzzles can be so simple, she might think there’s something wrong with you.
HotGuy will probably have the same reaction. However, if either of them are familiar with the game, swapping puzzle solutions and spawnable items stories could well be a good conversation starter.
…because I’m on it.
