Endless gaming possibilities in Scribblenauts

Video games have always strived to be the only medium geared towards creative expression from their user. The action being watched on screen is a result of the direct input from the player, hence the name "interactive entertainment." However, the majority of games are still being controlled by the designer; the player follows the path created for them in order to decipher the "correct" way to accomplish the challenge ahead. "Scribblenauts" for Nintendo DS has broken from this mold and managed to become one of the most inventive and ingenious games of the past decade.

The concept is simple. You play as this little guy named Maxwell who, by some unexplained means, has the ability to conjure up any object he wishes by writing it out in his journal. As long as the noun in question is not a name, copyrighted or vulgar it is sure to be represented in a charming, hand-drawn interpretation of itself. Armed with a dictionary spanning over 28,000 nouns you are tasked to solve close to 250 puzzles by any means you see fit.

The game is divided into about ten different areas, each with its own theme such as "ancient times" or "a day at the beach." Within each area there are 12 action levels and 12 puzzle levels, with the goal in both of them being to retrieve these tiny stars known as "starites." The action levels are straightforward, only requiring you to reach the "starite" by any means you see fit. The puzzle levels start you out with a hint and you need to fit a certain criteria before the "starite" appears. The simplistic design of the game, coupled with the vast arsenal at your disposal, can lead to some truly outlandish scenarios. For example, there was this level that presents the task of clearing a room of rats. The simple answer would be to spawn some rat poison and be gone with the pests. A cleverer player would spawn a cat to chase after the rats, therefore doing his dirty work for him. I, on the other hand, seeking to do everything in the grandest of manners, spawned Pegasus, put on a knight's helmet, armed myself with a sniper rifle and proceeded to rid the room of the unwanted guests. It is this level of freedom that makes "Scribblenauts" stand out. I highly doubt the designers had any idea how to solve some of the puzzles in the game, they just gave you the tools and hoped you'd figure it out.

My only complaint with the game is the controls. Every action is controlled by the stylus, which works like a charm with the implemented physics system. However, you are also tasked to control Maxwell, something that does not translate well. Despite the finicky controls, the game's charming art style and clever puzzles certainly make it stand out. I have yet to encounter a word it does not recognize and the creative solutions you can come up with to solve each puzzle will keep you entertained for hours. This is definitely a game to experience, even if you just want to challenge vocabulary or see who would win in a fight between a dragon and a T-rex.