If you ask someone to name a game, they’ll probably list off Mario or Halo.  Chances are, they won’t blurt out, “Scribblenauts!”  That’s what I love about this game.  Scribblenauts is not just a game.  It’s not a level editor like Little Big Planet, though it does have a mode for that.  It’s not an action side-scroller, though it does have a mode for that.  It’s not strictly a puzzle game, though it does have a mode for that.  The thing that all of these modes share, and what makes Scribblenauts so original, is that the guts of the game come from the mind of the player.

Calling Scribblenauts original is like calling the ocean salty – it’s a fitting descriptor, but it’s also an understatement.  If you ask Scribblenauts for a game, it will create what looks like a generic Game Boy to hand to the game’s main character, Maxwell.  Maxwell and all of the levels he has to complete are drawn in a simplistic style reminiscent of coloring books.  The music is catchy and upbeat, providing a tight fit with the art and gameplay.  The music can grow a bit repetitive at times, but that’s when the handy “Ollar Store” comes in handy.  Beating levels earns you Ollars, and you can use them to purchase new worlds, songs, and avatars.  You can also, as I mentioned earlier, create your own levels and share them over Nintendo Wi-Fi.  Not only can you create what items go into the levels, but you can also manipulate the behaviors of the items.  For example, you could create a lion that is afraid of a butterfly, or an ostrich that eats a train.

So how do you beat a level?  Well, how don’t you?  There are very few limits to creating items: no alcohol, no proper names, nothing copyrighted, and nothing offensive.  It also must be a physical object.  These restrictions may try their best to limit the fun you can have in Scribblenauts, but they fall woefully short.  Maxwell can employ anyone from demons to a god.  He can even inspire a battle of Biblical proportions between the two – including bazookas.  This won’t always help him solve levels, but the ability to summon lolcats and Cthulu does help to show that the crew over at 5th Cell are pretty hip.  There are also quite a few Easter eggs to unlock in the game, which I won’t list here so as to not spoil the surprise.

5th Cell knows that the best part of their game is the replayability, so for added bragging rights, they encourage you to beat each of the 220 levels multiple times with brand new items during each replay.  Sounds easy enough, but these puzzles will test the limits of your problem-solving skills as well as your creativity. Each new item you create and different approach to a level offers you a chance to win a Merit, which is what you would get if Boy Scouts handed out Xbox Live Achievements.  You can get a Merit for completing a level without using weapons.  You can also get one for killing two or more humanoids in the same level.  Oh, and we can’t forget the Merit for using a magic wand to turn something into a toad.

As far as testing the limits of your patience, the controls will handle that.  The most frustrating part of this game is the lack of precision in controls.  The game uses the stylus for every major action, and this doesn’t become an issue for most of the game.  However, for some of the more time-sensitive or trickier puzzles, you may find yourself silently cursing the fact that you meant to pick up a rope, and instead Maxwell flung himself face-first into a lava pit.  Dangerous predicaments aside, if a huge battle between, say,  pirates and ninja is occurring on a part of the screen that doesn’t include Maxwell, the camera will automatically flip back to Maxwell.  If the player does not move the camera with the d-pad as quickly as possible, he/she could miss the entire brawl.

As far as DS games go, this is one of the best titles out there, period.  It’s a single-player game that works even if you decide to brainstorm with others.  Possibilities are nearly endless, and with Nintendo Wi-Fi capabilities to download new objects and levels, the game has potential to give more gameplay than you would expect for the price.  Just try not to defenestrate your DS if the controls begin to frustrate you.

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