Scribblenauts Showdown Review
Scribblenauts Showdown
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Genre:
PEGI: 10+
Comments:
The Scribblenauts franchise has been around since the DS era. While this series has never been a best selling attention getting game, it has always been unique and different. And now Scribblenauts has come to the Nintendo Switch with a multiplayer focused game. Is Scibblenauts Showdown as good as the other games in the series?
This is a very different sort of Scribblenauts game than previous games in the series. With the games on other systems, Scribblenauts has always been about writing in objects and using those objects to solve puzzles. While there is a sandbox mode in Showdown that plays similar to this, the overall feel of Scribblenauts Showdown is a bit different than what we’ve seen before.
Scribblenauts Showdown is focused on multiplayer a lot. Two of the modes in the game are really meant to be played with friends. You can play these modes, Versus and Showdown, with a CPU and it can be fun, though they definitely feel like more fun with friends. Sandbox mode, on the other hand, is a blast in single player and theres tons of stuff to do.
There are so many unlockables in sandbox mode, plus there’s unlockables for character customization that looks and plays great in sandbox mode. If you are a fan of the Scribblenauts series and want to play alone, sandbox mode will be your bread and butter (it can be played with friends also).
And while Scribblenauts Showdown is a blast in sandbox mode, there is one thing that keeps this game from being as good as previous entries in the series. The controls in Showdown are totally different from what we’ve seen before. There are no touch screen controls in Scribblenauts Showdown and the way in which you write in objects is very different.
This time, the player will have to write in words one letter at a time via a wheel that uses the buttons and the analog stick. This method of typing is very cumbersome and takes a lot of getting use to. The player has to hold one of the Switch joycons sideways to play this game. The other joycon can be used for a second player (you can also take pictures with the second joycon).
If you play in Versus or Showdown modes you are likely to come across mini-games that use motion control. In those cases, you have to hold the joy-con upright. The motion control in this game does work well and the games have nice HD rumble too.
I think it was huge misstep not to include touch screen controls for at least single player though. Also, Scribblenauts Showdown can not be played in handheld mode. You can only play this game on the TV or in tabletop mode. I love handheld mode so I was really disappointed that Scribblenauts Showdown doesn’t support it.
Scibblenauts Showdown is a very flawed game and yet there is a lot of fun to be had in it, especially for fans of the series. I doubt Showdown will make new fans for the series, but if you like Scribblenauts, I do think you’ll like this game. The gameplay is different from what we usually get but the graphics are just what you series fans remember.
Scribblenauts Showdown looks the same as every other Scribblenauts game. The graphics are simple, cartoony, and very unique. The graphics may not appeal to non-Scribblenauts fans, but if you loved previous games, then you’ll dig the graphics in this game too.
The music in Scribblenauts Showdown is not bad. Its very light, cheerful, and never gets annoying. The game’s sound effects are not bad either.
Overall, Scribblenauts Showdown is nowhere as great as previous Scribblenauts games, but its still a good game, especially for fans of the series.
If you like the Scribblenauts franchise and you happen to have some friends that like it too, then Scribblenauts Showdown is a must buy.
That might seem like a limited audience and it is, though I still maintain that Scribblenauts Showdown is a good game. Sure, the controls for writing things in could be a lot better, however the game does make great use of the Switch’s motion controls and HD rumble.
Scribblenauts Showdown isn’t the best game in franchise but it is a good entry for the series. Hopefully we’ll see a single player touch screen focused game next time!
Scribblenauts Showdown is now available on the Nintendo Switch eshop!
Trailer
Article By Daniel Fugate
Daniel Fugate has wanted to be a writer since he was seven years old. He has a bachelor's degree in English and he's a huge Animal Crossing fan. The Wii U and 3DS are currently his favorite video game systems!
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