It was only fair that we should provide alternatives to the overly publicised mainstream titles (not pointing fingers... Infinity ward) and 'Super Scribblenauts' is exactly that.
5th cell had an idea; it was 2007 when the small company had gathered the support from 'WB. Interactive' to develop what would ultimately become one of the more highly anticipated of handheld games. Scribblenauts. So let me explain why it's here. The general principle here is that you can create anything, you're given a writing pad and on it whatever you write will come to life. Each of these objects being interactive and therefore interactive with each other. Daunting? Yes. Impossible? No. At the time of it's revealing, the gaming world was in awe. And now almost five years later we're playing a sequel. The only question now, was this ingenious idea well executed?
Scribblenauts 1 was a tantalising prospect. From the various trailers and demonstrations we saw dragons fighting robots and rode unicorns through space, it appeared every bit as joyously unrestricted as we'd hoped. When the game hit the shelves however, there seemed to be an air of slight disappointment. A few rookie errors, such as the wrong mapping of controls, boring level design and replication of models seemed to steal from what should have been the handheld title of the year. The sequel, Super Scribblenauts is very much a stitch up job and designed to be everything that Scribblenauts the original, wasn't.
Why was this not the first game? I'm so glad you asked, because three hours of playing and i'm hooked. If like me, semi-colons excite you, then you'll excel in creating imaginative and sometimes worrying fantasies. Even with that said it really is an all-rounder, the game for once does appeal to all ages and is about family-friendly enough to be a worthy christmas present for 7 year olds and 70 year olds alike. The idea is to collect starites, which are effectively your character 'Maxwell's' crack cocaine. In order to collect these, you must use your imagination and combine it with the scribblepad in order to uncover the solution. The standard example is that the crack, your starite, is stuck in a tree. In response to this you could create a hatchet and cut it down or if you were more imaginative you might create a beaver in the hopes he would eat the tree... eventually. The possibilities are endless, but as long as Maxwell gets his fix, you unlock more content.
So where the first game faltered, the second one is masterful. With the inclusion of adjectives, many more objects and models and a charming new interface full with new nintendo-esque music it's finally the full package. Even with that said, the single player can sometimes be lacking in addictive value, which is important for a handheld title and the hundreds of glitches throughout especially during the 3rd and 4th level sets are infuriating. It's not going to take from you as much time as Pokémon would for example. At a glance though, it really is mesmerising and worth owning if you don't have the first. Such an innovative idea should really be appreciated, especially when, despite the shakiness of the campaign, it is at times absurd fun. Ultimately, the game could still use some further expansion but is enough of an improvement on it's predecessor to be hailed a success.
Is it worth buying? If you don't own the first one, certainly yes but if you're shopping for the sequel, I wouldn't bother.
7.6/10
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