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In 'Scribblenauts Unlimited,' the pen is mighty

Courtesy photo
In "Scribblenauts Unlimited," the fun comes from summoning anything you can think of and seeing how the game world adapts to whatever it is.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Your ability to enjoy "Scribblenauts Unlimited" is determined by how much you grin at the following sentence: I just got done battling a rainbow-colored Cthulu while on the back of a flying unicorn using a laser sword, wearing a tutu.

"Scribblenauts Unlimited," like its predecessors in the series, focuses on your ability to create any word you can think of (so long as it's not vulgar or copyrighted, aside from "Zelda" and "Mario" words if you're playing the superior Wii U version) while enhancing it with an adjective. Gigantic flying stone squirrel? Sure. Undead purple clown? Yep. I mean, I don't see how either of those two things are helpful, but have at it!

Unlike the previous two games, "Unlimited" has a story. It's actually a prequel and shows how the protagonist, Maxwell, got his handy dandy notebook that allows him to summon anything from a bucket to H.P Lovecraft's monster of pure cosmic horror. But the story isn't important.

What is important is that you can now create your own objects and share them with others -- well, at least on the Wii U and PC versions. (Sorry, 3DS owners). My favorite object I downloaded was a bazooka that shot flaming chainsaws, which exploded upon impact. That sentence got your attention, didn't it?

"Unlimited" features an open world environment, sort of. You still have to collect Starites to unlock more levels, but you're free to run around the map and unlock levels at your own pace. The game's open world is "Grand Theft Auto" lite.

The puzzles this time around are much more fun. You'll do everything from help a guy impress his date to escape prison. One of my favorite puzzles includes trying to lure a dinosaur back to its cage in a level inspired by "Jurassic Park."

If you've read all of this and you're still not sold on the game, then definitely don't play. The ability to summon anything you can think of and watch how the game world adapts to whatever you just dropped into it is the main draw of the game.

While I certainly enjoyed my time with "Unlimited," I can't say I agree with the price, though. It is a fun game that I think everyone should play, especially if you're creative, but it's also very easy to beat with 6-8 hours of gameplay if you're lucky.

At $60 for the Wii U, it's not worth it for those on the fence. But if you know what you're getting into and want a great Wii U launch game, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

While the price tag is better on the 3DS, the lack of object making prevents me from recommending it. The PC version is the best way to go, as it's only $30 and uses Steam to allow users to share their objects and download the objects of others. "Scribblenauts Unlimited," rated E10 , is out now for Wii U, 3DS and PC for $60, $45 and $30, respectively.


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