Posted: 2 years ago, last updated 11 weeks ago.
Author: @GeekDadGamer and Jo Robertson.
Overview
Scribblenauts is a series of puzzle games where you solve by typing the names of everyday objects so they appear in the game and let you progress. What's surprising is the sheer number of items included in the game. This means you can solve problems in a number of different ways, using imaginative and ingenious solutions.
You control Maxwell as he traverses levels left-to-right. When you hit an obstacle, such as a wall, you type the names of items that will help you get past it. For example, you can type "ladder" to get over it, or type "bomb" to blow it up, or "spade" to tunnel underneath it.
As well as a story mode, there are puzzle levels that put you in real-life situations (such as having to open a piñata) and task you with solving it. There's also an open-world mode where you can experiment with the different objects. There is a level editor, where you can create and share your own challenges.
It's an unusual game that's a lot of fun, but also creates a context for logical thinking, vocabulary, inventiveness and the combination of items with different properties as you might do in a science lesson.
There have been a number of Scribblenauts games:
You control Maxwell as he traverses levels left-to-right. When you hit an obstacle, such as a wall, you type the names of items that will help you get past it. For example, you can type "ladder" to get over it, or type "bomb" to blow it up, or "spade" to tunnel underneath it.
As well as a story mode, there are puzzle levels that put you in real-life situations (such as having to open a piñata) and task you with solving it. There's also an open-world mode where you can experiment with the different objects. There is a level editor, where you can create and share your own challenges.
It's an unusual game that's a lot of fun, but also creates a context for logical thinking, vocabulary, inventiveness and the combination of items with different properties as you might do in a science lesson.
There have been a number of Scribblenauts games:
- Scribblenauts (2009) on DS,
- Super Scribblenauts (2011) on DS,
- Scribblenauts Remix (2011) on iOS and Android,
- Scribblenauts Unlimited (2012) on iOS, Android, PC, Wii U and 3DS and then updated for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch.
- Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure (2013) on PC, Wii U and 3DS and then updated on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch.
- Scriblenauts Showdown (2018) multiplayer word based party game on PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
Game Details
Release Date: 15/09/2009
Price: 78% off
Platforms: 3DS and 2DS, Amazon Fire, Android, DS, PC, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox One and iOS
Content Rating: PEGI 12
Players: 1
Genres: Brain Game, Puzzle (Action, Creative, Creative and Simulation)
Lists
View our choice of games like Scribblenauts. This game is good if you want to:
Duration
Play Time: It takes between 5 minutes and 10 minutes to play a round of this game. Depending on how quickly you solve the puzzles.
Play Style
This is a single-player game.
Age Ratings
Rated for younger players in the US. Rated ESRB EVERYONE 10+ for Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief. By typing in whatever nouns they can imagine, players can create myriad objects or entities in the game world. By adding adjectives, players can also modify these nouns to create different word combinations, triggering brief, comical scenarios: a “homicidal house” that can attack a man; a “cannibal” that orders food at a diner; a “necrophagous bike” that can eat a corpse; a “suicidal house” that attacks itself with a knife. Players can also summon “cartoony” versions of bats, bombs, guns, and flamethrowers to destroy nearby objects or other summoned items. These triggered animations are minimally depicted and usually accompanied by musical notes, colorful flashes, or small puffs of smoke. If players wish, they may type in the word “vomit,” causing a beige-colored puddle to appear on screen; typing the adjective “flatulent” results in squishy sound effects.
Costs
Scribblenauts usually costs £14.99 to £39.99.
Scribblenauts Mega Pack on Switch, PS4 and Xbox One provide two games in one:
Scribblenauts Mega Pack
Scribblenauts Show Down
Scribblenauts Showdown
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Scribblenauts Unmasked
Scribblenauts: Showdown
There are no additional in-game purchases, loot boxes, adverts or subscription costs.Scribblenauts Mega Pack on Switch, PS4 and Xbox One provide two games in one:
- Scribblenauts Unlimited
- Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure
Accessibility
We haven't documented accessibility features for this game yet. Our Scribblenauts Accessibility Report details system-wide settings that may help, and suggests similar games with accessibility features. Tweet the developer (@5THCell) to let them know about our Accessibility Questionnaire.
Diversity and Inclusion
We haven't documented diversity and inclusion information for this game yet.

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