Scribblenauts Showdown Review – A party game where imaginative thinking is a must

The Scribblenauts series has been famous for the creative gameplay that allows you to type any word, summoning it to the game world and be able to interact with it. Scribblenauts Showdown, the first title in the series in more than 4 years is now available on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. We are lucky to be able to enjoy the game, so here is our Scribblenauts Showdown review (we are playing on PS4)!

Introduction

The previous Scribblenauts games are more story mode-based where you need to complete stages and help Maxwell in collecting Starites. However in Scribblenauts Showdown, it has put its focus on mini-games that you can compete for victory yet spending good times with your family, siblings or friends (which makes it a great game to play at a party).

Gameplay

The main focus of the game will be the Showdown Mode (as the title suggests) that allows up to 4 players traveling across a board game style map. The gameplay is straightforward – the first player to reach the finish line wins. There are different map (which takes different estimated time to complete) to choose from, so you can make a choice according to your preference. Nonetheless, the time to complete a match is still all determined by how much dirty play and mini-games the players trigger.

Every player will be given a number of cards randomly, some of it triggers a mini-game where the players who won will be able to move forward according to the steps stated on the card, while some of them send back the player who lost. There are also some special cards that activate an effect instantly such as letting you steal a card from other player’s hand or swapping the position of players on the field.

Talking about the mini-games, they are separated into 2 types – “Wordy” and “Speedy”. In “Wordy” games, players will have a chance to create anything that matches a random theme and battle using that to win (remember to create something that gives you advantages!).

For example, there is a mini-game that you must hurl the object you just created at your opponent’s fortress. You might end up hurling some weird stuff such as a car or a fish as the theme you get might be something totally not related to the situation. To be honest, this is actually the funniest and most interesting part of the game because you just couldn’t expect what will the outcome be.

While in “Speedy” games, there will be no wordplay at all. You will face-off against another player (you can choose which player to battle if there are more than 2 players playing together) to complete the challenge given. An example of the interesting mini-game that I found is Tick Tock Toss, where you and another player will toss a clock against each other to avoid being the person who holds the clock when its alarm goes off.

On the other side, the Versus mode is basically a quick mode that let you and another opponent face-off in a bunch of mini-games, where the side with most wins be the winner. Similar to Showdown mode, the mini-games are separated into 2 types and you will have the option to choose which type and how much mini-games to play before you start the battle.

The Sandbox mode from the previous title in the Scribblenauts series is back too. You will need to collect Starites across the 8 unique levels by creating anything that fulfills the criteria. It is a mode that will stimulate all your creativity and playfulness, as you can create anything you wish and place it on anyone or anywhere you want it to be. I would even create a tank to kill all the characters inside, then create a bunch of new characters and send a zombie to make them all be infected.

Available Now

On Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, PS4 & Steam

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