 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Scribblenauts
- Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
- Price: $29.99
- Genre: Puzzle
Common Sense Media says
Unique puzzles wow with ability to write objects into game.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this unique puzzle game allows kids to use their imagination to solve a series of over 200 puzzles. They can write-in the objects they want to use to try to solve a puzzle and those objects then magically appear on the screen. With over 10,000 objects that can be scribbled into existence, there is a lot for kids to explore. Since this game is so open-ended, kids can conjure up combinations that are violent, like weapons to kill cute little animals or summoning Death to dispatch a character. Also, two of the 220 puzzles require you to do something violent like "put down the three rabid animals," but you can simply opt to not solve those 2 puzzles. Because some violence is possible and the puzzles can get challenging, this game is best for kids ages 10 and up.
What's it about?
SCRIBBLENAUTS is a unique puzzle game because you can spell into existence any object that you want to solve a puzzle. Scribbled-into-existence objects appear on the screen, have rules attached to them, and can be manipulated. There are 220 puzzles spread over 10 themed worlds. The game has over 10,000 words that have items associated with them, including everyday items like ladders, ropes, and ramps, as well as fanciful objects like black holes, Pegasus, and winged shoes. You can even conjure up Death and God. All of the puzzles have the same goal: help cute little Maxwell get to a star. In some, you must figuring out how to manipulate your environment including figuring out a way to get the star out of a tree. In others, you might have to figure out how to accomplish an objective like having Maxwell reach a butterfly. In the latter example, if you scribble a flower into existence and plant it next to Maxwell, the butterfly will fly down so that Maxwell can capture it. The number of objects that can be added to each puzzle is limited. Players earn in-game currency by solving the puzzles, with more money awarded for the least number of objects summoned and/or for solving it in the most creative way possible.
Is it any good?
With this think-it, write-it, play-with-it mechanic, puzzle solutions are limited only by your imagination. This kind of gameplay puts you in the driver's seat by letting you solve puzzles the way you want. If you like to solve puzzles by blowing things up, you can. However, if you would rather explore more peaceful means, that too is possible, and in most cases, will earn you more money. Because you can replay a puzzle as many times as you like, experimenting is encouraged. Since this is such a different way to approach puzzles, Scribblenauts wisely starts with a good set of tutorials.
Scribblenauts is a great game for a family to explore to together because each person can suggest different ideas about how to solve a puzzle. Even non-gamers will find this one interesting to explore. Plus, the game has a Level Editor, which allows players to try their hand at creating new puzzles that can be shared with others on the same DS or via the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi connection. Don't miss this one -- it is one of the most innovative games on the Nintendo DS.
Online interaction: You can share puzzles that you create with others via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. No chat is available.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about innovation in video games. Do you have any ideas for a game that has yet to be created?
With this kind of gameplay, where you are in control of how you solve a puzzle, did you find that you felt vested in the result? How about the ability to create your own puzzles to share? Did that pique your interest as well?
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AGE
Such a creative game!
This game is encouraging my son to try to spell out more things on his own, and he is using his reading skills too. Both kids can share levels that they create and it's good to see them working together and laughing like crazy at the funny scenes they create. A lot of fun so far.
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AGE
educational
Scribblenauts is really good.Most people think that the only way to get rid of a dangerous violent animal is to shoot it.I prefer not to do this so i came up with another solution.My solution is to type in Mind control device.Once you type that in you get this ray gun thing.It may look violent but its not.So shoot the animal with it and instead of dying a happy face will appear above it that means it is friendly now and you can even ride it now!
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Kid, 10 years old
May 10, 2011
AGE
awsome first game i get
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Kid, 11 years old
August 4, 2010
AGE
Cool game for my age
Great game! My parents got it for me for Easter, and I LOVE IT!
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AGE
Amazing game.
This is a great and quite unique game. It's challenging but in a good way. The only real issue is you can have a lot of different weapons and violent situations, but it isn't gory or anything. They just go poof when something dies/is destroyed. There are some minor issues (like water disenegrates and isn't good for much) that irritate me but that's just me.
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AGE
The best educational game we've bought so far
This is one of the best games for kids. It works on their reading and writing skills. We bought this for our 6 year old to help him work on his writing skills. He opted to use the (typing) keyboard instead which is still great. Now he knows his way and can find the keys with ease. I'm sure it helps re-inforce his spelling skills. He's one of his classes best spellers. Plus it's a good introduction to some mythological characters like Medusa and Pegasus.
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AGE
Highly recommended.
This is fantastic, imaginative game that has kept our 11 year old occupied for hours on recent long car trips. We liked that you can get 'hippy points' for solving the puzzles without weapons. It's amazing the number of items and interactions they've included in this innovative game.
Highly recommended!
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AGE
I love this game!
I have this game and it's really fun to play. Even though it can get hard after a couple of levels, it's still fun to play. Great game!
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AGE
You can type words like "a**", "h*ll", "d*m", "moron", "virgin", "noob", "potty" and "blood".
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| Platforms: | Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi |
| Available online? | Available online |
| Genre: | Puzzle |
| Developer: | Warner Bros. Games |
| Release date: | September 15, 2009 |
| Price: | $29.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E10+ for Cartoon Violenc, Comic Mischief |
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