Developer: Shiver Entertainment
Publisher: WB Games
Platform: PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tested on: Switch
Scribblenauts Mega Pack – Review
A game that uses your creativity, called Scribblenauts, has been out for a long time and has been very well received by gamers of all ages. Scribblenauts Unlimited came out in 2012 (2013 for EU) for more platforms and was also enjoyed and praised by many people. Soon after Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure was released. This game that combined Scribblenauts with DC heroes and villains was welcomed with enthusiasm by fans of the game. Now five years later a pack that includes both games with extras has been released. Scribblenauts Mega pack was developed by Shiver Entertainment and published by WB Games and we got the chance to test the Switch version. So with our trusty notebook in hand, we were ready to help the world and become a hero.
Story
Scribblenauts Unlimited:
Edgar and Julie were adventurers; they were always competing with each other. One day Julie beat Edgar to an abandoned pyramid but the treasure she found was an engagement ring. They got married and semi-retired to start a family. Edgar and Julie ended up having 42 kids. Maxwell and Lily seem to be the youngest ones and they are the main characters of the story. Both of them got really awesome presents. Lily got a globe which allowed her to travel anywhere in the world and Maxwell got a notebook that could make any word you write in it, appear.
Edgar and Julie feared that Maxwell and Lily might turn out to be spoiled brats so they send them out in the world. Maxwell and Lily were a bit mischievous so when an old hungry man came up to them, Maxwell gave him a rotten apple. This seriously made the old man angry and he cursed Lily. She slowly started to turn into stone. Maxwell and Lily sought out help with their brother Edwin, who told them that starites might be able to help. You get starites by helping people and making them happy. So Maxwell set out on a journey to collect starites and get rid of Lily’s curse.
The story is very nice and sounds as if Lily is reading it to someone, maybe her child, because she starts off saying Grandma Julie and Grandpa Edgar at the start of the story. During the game, you get reminded of the story as you return starites to Lily but other than that it doesn’t get mentioned that often. However, it is not necessary since it’s obvious you are completing quests to help Lily and there is no need for a narrative during the gameplay.
Scribblenauts Unmasked:
Maxwell and Lily both loved comics but they each had their favorite superhero. Maxwell loved Batman and Lily loved Superman. They got into an argument about who’s better and Maxwell decided that the only way to find out was to see them in person. Maxwell used his special notebook on Lily’s globe to try and go to Gotham City. They got transported to Gotham City as planned, however, Lilly’s globe broke in the process. They lost all their starites. It also seems like something else came with them into the DC Universe. So now they will have to collect starites and help the heroes defeat evil.
It’s really nice how they included all the DC superheroes and villains and mixed them together with Scribblenauts. The story keeps evolving and you will be able to find out more about who is helping the villains. You also will be able to see a whole lot of DC Superheroes and villains and if you’re not sure who is who; they added the bat computer so you can look up who they are and which comic they come from.
Graphics
Scribblenauts Unlimited’s graphics look really bright and cartoonish with a storybook feel to it. Every living thing looks a bit like those cardboard puppets that you could pull a string and their arms and legs moved. They also seem to have that “pin” that makes the arms and legs move. Everything is a bit 2D with a 3D feel to it. As if you are looking at a storybook that has moveable parts. The backgrounds are neatly designed and are really clear as to what they are supposed to represent, like for example a hospital clearly looks like a hospital.
Scribblenauts Unmasked’s graphics look a bit darker in a way and even though you can still clearly see the Scribblenauts “style” in it, it is a bit different. It seems to be a bit more detailed which might be to make the DC characters come out more clearly. The backgrounds are designed really well and truly appear like a storybook version of the comics.
Sound
The music of Scribblenauts Unlimited is just like the game, happy and cheerful. For every level, the music is about the same but other elements seem to be added to it to make it slightly different. Voice acting is present only in the story part where it sounds as if Lily is telling her and Maxwell’s story to a child. The sound effects are well done; they make it so that it’s obvious that you’ve done something right.
Music in Scribblenauts Unmasked is a bit darker but still exciting. It is the kind of music you would expect in a superhero game. They also put in the typical “pow”, “bam” from comics together with the sound that you often hear it accompanied with.
Gameplay
Scribblenauts Mega Pack has two games; Scribblenauts Unlimited and Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. Scribblenauts Unlimited is an adventure puzzle game and Scribblenauts Unmasked adds a bit of action to those two genres. Both games have the same basics. You play as Maxwell, who has a notebook that allows you to bring written objects to life. This is only for non-copyright objects (except DC items in Unmasked of course). In both games, you are on the hunt for starites, which can be gotten by helping people and making them happy. In Scribblenauts Unlimited you need starites to break Lily’s curse and in Scribblenauts Unmasked you need starites to fix Lily’s globe.
Besides spawning objects with Maxwell’s notebook, you can also add adjectives to things. This means that often you can either spawn an object or just solve a riddle by adding an adjective. For example, if you need to fly somewhere you can either spawn wings or add the adjective “flying” to Maxwell. Sometimes it is a bit more difficult to solve problems as the way you think might not have been the way how the developers thought. So trying multiple things is mostly the way to go. Often you can make your imagination run wild and solve things in your own way so it’s not always restricted. If you happen to run too wild, you can always reset the level and still keep the starites you already earned.
Since the pack is also on the Switch, you have the option for both games to play either in Handheld mode, Tabletop mode or TV mode. In TV Mode the way you type is totally different than the way you type in Handheld mode. Scribblenauts supports touch functions fully in Handheld mode, which sometimes makes it easier to play. In Unmasked there is even an option that shows up in TV mode that you’re only able to use in Handheld Mode. You can touch the bat computer while selecting a villain or hero to go to his or her info page. For some reason, there is no option to do this in TV Mode. On the Bat-computer you can also touch letters from the alphabet to go to heroes or villains with that letter.
In Unlimited you can play a special event to get a full starite instead of a piece. These events are usually related to the area you’re in and requires you to find different solutions after each other. In Unmasked you continue the story to find starites that the villains were hiding. In Unmasked there is some more action since you help the heroes fight against the villains. You can spawn every weapon you can think of but each weapon has a durability. You also get fewer points if you spawn the same object multiple times in the same region.
Conclusion
Scribblenauts Mega Pack offers hours of fun with both Scribblenauts Unlimited and Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. The game is fun for the whole family and it supports creativity in solving puzzles. With Scribblenauts Unmasked you will be able to see your favorite DC heroes and fight alongside them. It is recommended to first play Scribblenauts Unlimited since Unmasked can contain minor spoilers. Scribblenauts Mega Pack is totally recommended for everyone who wants two nice games that the whole family can enjoy and helps you be creative.
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