I suppose it’s an ideal game to play on the controller while someone else is watching the TV. In terms of Scribblenauts Unlimited, the presentation is flawed, but that never detracts from the fun too much. That’s something that opens up an equal number of design possibilities and challenges, so we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out over the console’s lifespan. Unlike a DS or 3DS where both screens can occupy your field of vision at once, the Wii U set up really depends on gamers favoring one screen over the other. It’s a problem that’s becoming an increasing issue on the Wii U and something that’s particularly tough here. That’s where all the creation happens and more often than not you’ll forget that the thing is even playing on your television.
#WII U SCRIBBLENAUTS TV#
Since gameplay occurs simultaneously on the gamepad and TV screen, you’ll spend 95% of the time staring at the controller. Also, while the game does have a gorgeous presentation that looks good on an HDTV, it’s maybe not the greatest franchise for a console. Within the basic creation mechanics the possibilities seem limitless, but at the same time you’re really only doing one thing and it does get old after a while no matter how many mock superheroes you set on fire and strike with lightening. In a weird way, it’s both a deep and shallow game. Scribblesnaughts is made for creating and playing, not for following a narrative or even pretending to care about the characters (seriously, when you can clean a room by creating a black hole or bring in God to help with your problems, who cares about logic or storytelling?). But honestly, this served to be more of a distraction than anything else. There’s also a story this time that involves Maxwell doing good deeds to save his sister from turning into a statue and you can find and unlock a variety of his brothers throughout the quest. The world the designers created is yours to explore and modify and more joy comes out of messing around with the seemingly limitless possibilities than progressing through the puzzles. Possibly even more than GTA, this game perfectly embodies the concept of sandbox gaming. Nope, you gradually unlock the massive world and can then float around to solve puzzles any place you please. Unlike previous entries in the series, you won’t be forced to progress through the puzzles linearly.
It’s a simple mechanic, but a fun one and the designers have come up with all sorts of creative puzzles to solve (at one point I entered a firehouse assuming I’d just be helping build a firetruck, but ended up building a giant robot to machine gun down zombies…true story). When a vampire asks for something to eat in a restaurant, a glass of milk or a baby will get the job done just as well. If a lawn needs to be cut, you can go the conventional route and use a lawnmower or just light it on fire with a flamethrower.
As you wonder around as Maxwell you’ll encounter strange problems and come up with even stranger solutions. The purpose within the game is puzzle-solving. The most fun to be had in Scribblenaughts Unlimited comes simply from messing around with this mechanic and creating wacky objects. However, the magic of online gaming means you have access to anything other gamers have created worldwide. The object editor is easy to use, but a little tedious. 5th cell has even added an Object Editor system this time, so if you wish that gorilla you created can be purple, 20 feet tall, and have a tiny head with googly eyes, it can happen. You can also toss any adjective onto your objects, so if you want to see a sleepy tiger or a crying clown, you’re but a few clicks away. Nintendo even allowed licensing for the first time, so folks like Mario, Luigi, or Link can pop up if you wish (though sadly nothing from the WB catalogue, which is a bummer because seeing Batman fight some Gremlins and Freddy Kruger would have been nice). Aside from trying to create a naked lady, booze, or gory remains, you really can come up with anything. The lengths that the designers went to ensure that absolutely anything you imagine can appear in a flash is simply mind-boggling. Maxwell then draws it up and in a flash you’ll have a vampire or a dead dog right in front of you. You’ll do it by typing what you want to see into the gamepad. You’ll wander around and jump like a normal platformer, but Maxwell has a special gift that allows him to draw and create any object or creature at any time.
You play as the precocious kid Maxwell in a 2D side-scrolling cartoon world. If you haven’t dabbled in previous entries in this series, here’s the basic mechanics in a nutshell.