When you think of franchises combining, Scribblenauts and DC Comics doesn’t really spring to mind as a perfect match, then going one step further and only releasing it on Nintendo Wii-U, the little next gen console that could and the 3DS kind of limits the audience it could potentially get to. Surprisingly the crossover works completely and the game delivers some serious nerdgasms for DC comics nerds and some serious platform fun for everyone else.
Scribblenauts Unmasked follows the story of the main hero Maxwell who has the ability to create any object using his magical notepad and pen. You use these objects to help solve puzzles and manoeuvre around each world and help citizens. You must team up with DC heroes like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and The Flash in each of their home towns/worlds to help stop Doppleganger, a fellow scribblenaut who is intent on destroying all of the DC worlds as well as Maxwell and his sister Lilly.
There are so many good things about this game, not only for a DC fan but also as a gamer in general. Any game in which the developers spend their time allowing you to create any item or object you can think of is worth its weight in gold, and this game truly delivers that anything you can think of item combo and it doesn’t get old.
Using the touch screen and the stylus on the Wii U Pad and 3DS touch screen ensure a seamless transition from platforming control game-play to writing objects. In addition to this you can add adjectives to characters giving them characteristics to help get past a certain puzzle or clear an area. The graphics cannot help but feel a little old school, but it is fitting to the series and all of the DC characters actually look great in the Scribblenauts style of graphics.
Let’s get to the nerd stuff, there is a bat-computer which gives players access to over 2000 DC comics characters, even down to the incredibly obscure like Animal Man and Matter-Eater lad. There are also several versions of each character like hundreds of different Green Lantern characters, Atlantean characters and dozens of versions of Batman and Superman characters. It really is the most impressive collection of comic book characters in a game and will be sure to please DC comics fans everywhere. As well as being able to bring the characters onto the screen, it also serves as a wiki guide to characters, places and weapons for seemingly just about everything in the DC universe.
As well as this there is the Hero Creator in which you can create your very own superhero or just plain character. Weapons and items can also be customised and created to help get past the missions or just for fun. Being able to customise Aquaman’s trident so it glows blue with electricity and shoots shards of ice was just too much fun.
There are hundreds of missions as well as free-play and side missions, it is the kind of game that players can come back to over and over and still have something new and fresh to do. If you don’t feel like playing the big heavy missions, you can do fun little citizen missions that keep things light and fun.
The music and sound effects are spread between the gamepad and Wii U system evenly and this is one of the best things about a Wii U game I have noticed in a long time.
Overall this is one of the most addictive and entertaining games on the Wii U. If you don’t have one, it is definitely worth picking up just for this (and the tons of other great titles coming in the next few months!) if you prefer handheld, the 3DS version is just as good and has the same gameplay and missions as the console version.
This game is a MUST for all DC comic fans and platform game lovers.**Here is a hint type in Geoff Johns and Jim Lee into the Batcomputer, and you can also customise them!
Review by Alaisdair “Arrow” Dewar
