Scribblenauts Unlimited (Hands-On) (Wii U) Preview

Being described as an “emergent action puzzle video game,” Scribblenauts Unlimited sees protagonist Maxwell returning to the fold for the fourth time, attempting to collect Starites from around the world by using user-created objects to solve the numerous problems faced on his journey. Using an updated version of its Objectnaut engine, the team is hoping to offer gamers the opportunity to pour their full imagination into the adventure, even going as far as drawing ideas on the Wii U’s GamePad (presumably this will be possible on 3DS as well, but it has not been confirmed to Cubed3 at the time of writing).

In this iteration, there is a large world for Maxwell to explore, with players taking the character across 41 themed sections and areas, accepting the requests of characters met along the way, normally with some sort of knock-on effect that then needs to be resolved. Basically there is a cavalcade of puzzle shenanigans going on at any one time and completing the objectives in order to grab vital Starites is nowhere near as simple as before. In fact, there are times, as in the demo at hand, where Maxwell is placed within the confines of a small location with numerous people or animals milling around, all in need of some assistance. This is where the player’s imagination comes into play. What do you give to a lumberjack desperate to cut down a tree in order to make money, and yet appease the tree-hugger nearby that desperately wants to protect nature? An axe or chainsaw kept one person happy, but upset another, yet handing the first guy a wad of cash just did not work. Careful thought had to go into rectifying the situation. How can you help a chef with a dodgy nose find truffles? Sniffer dog? Pig? Use a vacuum to suck them out? There are all sorts of intriguing circumstances in Scribblenauts Unlimited.