The Scribblenauts series proved to be a favorite of Nintendo DS owners. The first game’s core premise, allowing the users to solve puzzles by creating a wide assortment of items, creatures, and characters via text, proved very suitable to the handheld console, and from then on the franchise has seen multiple releases. Now, two of the best Scribblenauts games have been packaged together in the Scribblenauts Mega Pack.

The games in this compilation are Scribblenauts Unlimited and Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. Unlimited expanded heavily on the gameplay of the handheld-only earlier games in the series, providing players with a vibrant and varied game world full of some marvellous puzzles and relaxing gameplay. Unmasked kicked things up a notch with a DC Comics-themed world, placing gamers alongside a variety of superheroes and villains.

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The titles were first released on the Wii U, PC, and Nintendo 3DS, but now those who did not pick the games up for any of those devices will have the chance to play them again – this time on PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch. Given that the Switch outsold Nintendo’s much-maligned Wii U by January of this year, it’s likely there are plenty of gamers who didn’t pick up the games as part of their initial release, and the two titles have not lost any of their lustre.

In particular, Unlimited is perhaps the series at its best. Its cartoonish world and varied locations feel similar in tone to LittleBigPlanet, and its library of possible units to create is genuinely impressive, particularly with the use of adjectives. Each puzzle is a joy to solve, as is moving from area to area on the world map.

Because of this variety, there’s plenty of room to play with the different puzzles. Although simple solutions are available, players will find the most fun by coming up with more and more convoluted ways to find answers, generating veritable Rube Goldberg machines for their own amusement. It’s here where the real joy lies, delving into the available words within Scribblenauts Unlimited‘s engine to try and come up with unique or chaotic solutions.

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That’s perhaps doing something of a disservice to Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, though. The game is still plenty of fun, and the addition of famous DC Comics characters is a neat spin on the previous Scribblenauts formula. It’s fair to say that the title isn’t a major revolution on how previous games have played, but for those who enjoy Unlimited in particular it’s a worthwhile title to play through for certain.

All in all, this Mega Pack is a strong compilation for relaxed gamers to pick up, but it’s not without its flaws. The use of a standard controller for PS4 does feel a little clumsy in comparison to using the Wii U’s touch screen pad in the initial releases, so those hoping for a speedy experience might find things a little slower than initially expected. However, the use of a choice wheel for different letters, and the use of suggested words, is a decent enough solution for the long-standing problem of converting a game based on typing over to a traditional controller.

Overall, Scribblenauts Mega Pack is an enticing prospect for those who missed the games when they initially launched. Those who have previously played the games in question might not see the worth, as there’s not too much new content to go on, but both titles are still extremely fun, well-polished puzzle platformers that are worth checking out.

More: 15 Best Comic Book Video Games Of All Time

Scribblenauts Mega Pack is out now for PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Screen Rant was provided with a PS4 code for the purpose of this review.

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Our Rating:

4 out of 5 (Excellent)
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About The Author


Rob Gordon
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Rob Gordon is a writer and musician from Brighton, United Kingdom. A Creative Writing Masters graduate from the University of Exeter, Rob has his roots in fiction writing but also has extensive experience writing about video games and the video game industry. As well as this, Rob is at home with a focus on film and television, particularly when it comes to the realms of horror. Alongside his writing, Rob plays in two UK-based musical acts, the electro-pop band Palomino Club and rock band Titans & Kings, and also lends his vocal talents to the Big Boys Don’t Cry podcast, which reviews and discusses romantic comedies. The bands and the podcast can be found on all good digital distribution platforms, and Rob can also be found on Twitter.

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