Scribblenauts Showdown

Scribblenauts Showdown is an agreeable party game that applies the playful vocabulary-stretching gameplay well enough to entertain you and some friends for a while. Unfortunately, the numerous minigames are all pretty shallow, the Showdown mode can grow tiresome, and the appeal of the Sandbox levels only lasts for so long. This will certainly make for an amusing evening with family and friends, but it's not likely to be a title you'll come back to more than a couple of times.

If you've played the series before, Scribblenauts: Showdown won't be the game you're expecting. If you haven't, you might be left wondering what all the fuss was about. Yes, it shares the name and the look of those previous games, but it lacks the all-important creative heart of its predecessors, and ends up being a by-the-numbers affair that goes through the motions in a shallow attempt to turn Scribblenauts' unique premise into a multiplayer party game. It's certainly not the debut Maxwell and company deserved on Switch, and while its mini-game focus does suit the local multiplayer ethos of the console, it ends up feeling like a discount 1-2-Switch.

Scribblenauts Showdown is fun party game that's uncharacteristically smart.

Put together with the charming art style and music that will be familiar to anyone who has played previous Scribblenauts titles, Showdown is a delightful little game to pass the time with a few friends on a rainy afternoon.

This is not exactly an action game. More of an strategic approach would be the way to go. I mentioned before that I pride myself on my vocabulary skills and cleverness with fitting words together like a puzzle, but here I was faced with literature obstacles that I nearly couldn't climb. As far as gameplay goes, not much here to describe or brag about.

There are so many things that you can create in the game. Unfortunately, fun gameplay isn't one of them.

Enjoy the more than 25 mini-games offered by Scribblenauts Showdown where the limits are only set by your imagination. Can you become more ingenious than your rival?

If you're a fan of party games, Scribblenauts Showdown might not disappoint you. It'll entertain player both young and old and at times, it can even serve as an educational title. However, it's lacking in content and due to this fact, it starts getting repetitive after a short while.

Minigames and party games need to feature plenty of quality content to stand out and sadly, Scribblenauts Showdown has neither. Other than a rather attractive art style, Scribblenauts Showdown offers nothing but a short and poor set of minigames, some of them designed without much into consideration, which are either dull and repetitive or frustrating. Hardly an experience to recommend to anyone looking for quick and fun moments with their friends.

If you liked the series as it was, rest assured: Scribblenauts Showdown is still fun. There are a few issues with the controls, but becoming a “party game” for all types of audiences, ages, and family members was a wise decision that greatly improved the brand’s accessibility.