Scribblenauts Remix Review
PROS
- Sandbox gameplay with solutions only limited to your imagination.
- Mindblowing amounts of objects and variations to test out.
- In a fight between a black hole and a pack of zombies, black hole wins.
CONS
- Adjective system can be shaky; for instance, 'sleep' vs. 'sleeping' potion.
VERDICT
The true value of Scribblenauts Remix lies in the ability to mess around with the spawning system to create unique solutions; once the novelty wears out it's a short trip to the end of the game.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
In what was almost a surprise release for the week, Warner Bros published the Nintendo DS famous title Scribblenauts to the App Store. Thanks to Iron Galaxy Studios and 5th Cell Media, iOS gamers can now play Scribblenauts Remix - a pint-sized mash-up of content from the first two games in the series... and do you know what that means? It means 'Adjectives'.
And why do we love adjectives? Because now we can make giant winged rainbow beaver's to clear out entire forests in style. If you're not familiar with the game series, you're presented with the unique ability to name any object your mind can come up with (given certain ratings-related restrictions) to solve a series of platforming puzzles. Want to see if Cthulu can take on a T-Rex? Go ahead!
Sadly one of the gaping holes in the first title (aside from its spotty platforming controls) was the lack of support for descriptive words, leading to the game accepting 'big fish' and 'fish' as separate entities - an easy exploit for those stuck on levels requiring multiple unique solutions. This more than anything else makes the adjective system a huge boon as each level takes on a real puzzling challenge not easily solvable by a jetpack, a rope and a violent dinosaur or two.
There are currently five areas, each with ten puzzles to solve, ranging from the basic 'make something to satisfy x' to 'adjective' puzzles that require a bit more thinking outside the box to solve. Despite having 50 levels, it's easy to blitz through them all in a handful of hours, but once you're done the true challenge of fulfilling 'achievement' requirements opens up and they're not so simple either.
None of this takes in to account the control system, which is disappointingly lackluster, with 'smart' taps determining whether you move, automatically jump/swim, grab on to an object or perform a range of different actions. Movement is decidedly difficult, so it's no surprise to see most of the 'platforming' style of levels not making the cut in favor of levels requiring more of a cerebral approach. Virtual pad options are available if you really want to mess around with things.
If you're already a fan of the series there's not a whole lot new to experience here, but having a pocket version of the game (or rather one that doesn't require bringing your DS everywhere) is neat. If you've never played it before, do yourself a favor and devour this whole.
Screenshots
$0.99
