Scribblenauts Unmasked - A DC Comics Adventure
By Marc Saltzman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Imaginative puzzling fuses with comic book characters.
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Scribblenauts Unmasked - A DC Comics Adventure
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What’s It About?
Is It Any Good?
Yes, this game is excellent for kids (young and old), as it encourages them to use their imaginations to solve puzzles and type in the names of objects, which magically appear in the game. There's more than one way to solve a puzzle, so kids can chat about what worked for them. In the Wii U version, a second player can use a Wii Remote to take control over characters. This game contains randomly created puzzles called Heroic Feats, which adds to the game's replayability. Also, as if access to more than 2,000 DC Comics characters and items wasn't exciting enough, the ability to create characters or modify existing superheroes and villains means additional fun. There's about 10 hours of play here.
Overall, though, when compared to previous Scribblenauts games, this title is arguably the weakest one. Why? Scribblenauts Unmasked is a great idea -- fusing imaginative gameplay with 80 years' worth of comic-book lore -- it doesn't really do much to push the series forward. The puzzles and scenarios don't seem as creative as the game and apps that came before. Scribblenauts Unmasked is an excellent idea, but the execution is less stellar. Still, it's worth exploring, especially for DC Comics fans, because it lets players use their imaginations to take control of the action.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
By combining the imaginative game series of Scribblenauts with the popular DC Comics universe, kids can create and use objects starring their favorite comic book characters. But is this a shameless marketing ploy? Is it the same game re-skinned with DC Comics heroes and villains? Why do you think Warner Bros. did this?
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Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii U, Windows
- Subjects: Science: animals, engineering, physics, Hobbies: building, collecting, Language & Reading: following directions, letter or word recognition, reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary
- Skills: Collaboration: cooperation, Tech Skills: digital creation, using and applying technology, Self-Direction: achieving goals, work to achieve goals, Thinking & Reasoning: applying information, decision-making, solving puzzles, Creativity: developing novel solutions, imagination, making new creations
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
- Release date: September 24, 2013
- Genre: Puzzle
- Topics: Cars and Trucks, Dinosaurs, Magic and Fantasy, Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, Superheroes, Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Bugs, Cats, Dogs, and Mice, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, Horses and Farm Animals, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Ocean Creatures, Pirates, Puppets, Robots, Science and Nature, Space and Aliens, Wild Animals
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
- Last updated: August 26, 2016
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