Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure

Last updated

Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure
ScribblenautsUnmasked.jpg
Developer(s)
Publisher(s) Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Series Scribblenauts
Platform(s) Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
ReleaseWindows
  • NA: September 24, 2013 [1]
  • EU: September 24, 2013
Wii U, Nintendo 3DS
  • NA: September 24, 2013
  • AU: September 25, 2013
Switch, PS4, Xbox One
  • WW: September 18, 2018 [2]
Genre(s) Puzzle, action
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure is a 2013 puzzle sandbox video game developed by 5th Cell and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Microsoft Windows. [3] It is the fifth game in the Scribblenauts series of games and the final to be developed by 5th Cell. The game combines the series' traditional gameplay of bringing up words and objects to solve puzzles with characters and settings from the DC Comics universe (DC Universe). In September 2018, Scribblenauts Unmasked and Scribblenauts Unlimited were re-released as part of Scribblenauts Mega Pack, with the former game receiving additional characters and levels.

Contents

Gameplay

Following previous games in the series, players control a boy named Maxwell who has the ability to manifest any object or person using his magical notepad and modify them using adjectives. [4] The game also has a "Hero Creator" that allows the player to create custom objects. [5]

Players can visit a number of locations from the DC Universe, including the Batcave, Gotham City, Atlantis, Metropolis, the Fortress of Solitude, Central City, and Oa. Additionally, there are several optional levels that retell the origins of the Justice League's members.

Scribblenauts Unmasked features a system where the player can earn Reputation Points by completing missions and summoning new objects. Points can be used to unlock additional levels and costumes. [5]

The Wii U version of Scribblenauts Unmasked features co-op multiplayer known as "Sidekick mode". In Sidekick mode, a second player can use their Wii Remote to control characters and objects.

Plot

Maxwell and his sister Lily argue over which of their favorite characters would win in a fight and use Lily's magic globe to travel to the DC universe. However, the globe is shattered and the Starites that power it are scattered across the universe.

After recovering one Starite and restoring Lily's globe, Maxwell and Lily travel around the world and stop Maxwell's evil clone Doppelgänger from obtaining the other Starites. They learn that he is working for Brainiac, who plots to destroy the multiverse. However, Maxwell defeats him by summoning alternate universe versions of the Justice League. Afterward, Doppelgänger reforms and Maxwell creates a sister for him named Doppelily before returning to his universe.

Reception

In Metacritic, the game holds a 68% approval rating across its PC and 3DS versions, [6] [7] whilst holding a 71% on its Wii U version, [8] all indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

GameZone's Mike Splechta gave the PC version 8/10, stating that Unmasked had "a lot to offer, given its plethora of challenges and the equally impressive number of ways to solve them". [9] IGN gave it a 9.1, saying it "is a super way to exercise your mind as well as your love of DC characters". [5] Will Greenwald of PCMag gave the game 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the addition of several DC characters and objects to create, though he criticised the absence of DC Vertigo characters, the weak goal-oriented gameplay, and stating that "it's a nerd sandbox for fans of the DC universe". [10] In a review for Destructoid, the game was given a 7 out of 10 by Ian Bonds, noting the abundance and lack of content, calling it "not so heroic" with its "hard-to-ignore faults", though he cited the experience as "fun" and "solid", and also recommended players to get an audience while they play. [11]

In a more mixed review on CBR.com by Steve Sunu, he states that the game is "ambitious" and "fun", but with its huge amount of content and a lacklustre execution, he called it "ultimately flawed". He also gave a mixed view about its puzzles, noting them as faithful to the DC Universe , but noted the backwards method of delivery for the puzzles, saying that "every other puzzle in the zone continuously switches out every time" and as a result, "there's no real way to measure progress". He also criticised the random encounters (though not from an NPC) that would revert the player's progress should it appear during a puzzle. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bat-Mite</span> Fictional comic book character

Bat-Mite is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Bat-Mite is an imp similar to the Superman villain Mister Mxyzptlk. Depicted as a small, childlike man in an ill-fitting copy of Batman's costume, Bat-Mite possesses what appear to be near-infinite magical powers which could be considered nigh-omnipotence, but he actually uses highly advanced technology from the fifth dimension that cannot be understood by humans' limited three-dimensional views. Unlike Mxyzptlk, Bat-Mite idolizes his superhero target and thus he has visited Batman on various occasions, often setting up strange and ridiculous events so that he could see his hero in action. Bat-Mite is more of a nuisance than a supervillain, and often departs of his own accord upon realizing that he has angered his idol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waverider (character)</span> Comics character

Waverider is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics universe. He was created by Archie Goodwin and Dan Jurgens, with the first version of the character, Matthew Ryder, first appearing in Armageddon 2001 #1. A second version of the character is a Hypertime-line counterpart and partner of the original, who became Waverider after his superpowered doppelgänger's death during the storyline Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kole</span> Superhero from the DC Universe

Kole Weathers is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

<i>Lego Batman: The Videogame</i> 2008 video game

Lego Batman: The Videogame is a 2008 action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X. The game is based on the DC Comics character Batman, as well as the eponymous LEGO Batman toyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bekka</span> Comics character

Bekka is a superheroine appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily in stories set in Jack Kirby's Fourth World and DC's main shared universe, known as the DC Universe. She first appeared in DC Graphic Novel #4: The Hunger Dogs (1985), and was created by Jack Kirby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremiah Slaczka</span> Video game developer

Jeremiah D Slaczka, also known by his nickname Miah, is an American video game designer/creative director and co-founder of 5th Cell, a video game developer in Bellevue, Washington. He is best known for being the concept creator and Director of Scribblenauts as well as the million-seller hit video game Drawn to Life and 5th Cell's critically acclaimed Lock's Quest, all for the Nintendo DS. Slaczka is credited as the Director, Lead Designer, Story Writer, Original Concept Creator and Art Director for both Drawn to Life and Lock's Quest.

<i>Scribblenauts</i> (video game) 2009 puzzle video game

Scribblenauts is an emergent puzzle action video game developed by 5th Cell and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in 2009 in all regions except Japan, and in 2011 in Japan as Flash Puzzle: Maxwell's Mysterious Notebook by Konami. It is the third Nintendo DS video game made by 5th Cell, the first two being Drawn to Life and Lock's Quest. The objective of Scribblenauts, as implied by its catchphrase "Write Anything, Solve Everything", is to complete puzzles to collect "Starites", helped by the player's ability to summon any object by writing its name on the touchscreen. The game is considered by its developers to help promote emergent gameplay by challenging the player to solve its puzzles within certain limitations or through multiple solutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Cell</span> Video game company

5th Cell is an independently owned American video game developer founded in 2003 as 5th Cell Media, LLC. led by Jeremiah Slaczka and Marius Falhbusch. The company is most well known for creating the Drawn to Life and Scribblenauts series.

<i>Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars</i> 2011 video game

Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by LucasArts in March 2011 for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows, and the Nintendo 3DS. It was one of the 3DS's launch titles. The game features missions and characters from the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and its follow-up television series, as well as fan-favorites from the original Star Wars saga, in both single-player and multiplayer gameplay modes. The Mac OS X version of the game was released by Feral Interactive.

<i>Super Scribblenauts</i> 2010 video game

Super Scribblenauts is an emergent action puzzle game developed by 5th Cell and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. The game was released on October 12, 2010. It is the sequel to the Nintendo DS game Scribblenauts.

<i>Skylanders</i> Video game series

Skylanders is a toys-to-life action-adventure video game franchise published by Activision. Skylanders games are played by placing a character's figure on the "Portal of Power", a device that reads its tag using NFC and "imports" them into the game as a playable character, leveling them up and saving its progress on the figure to potentially be used on a different game or video game console with all its saved stats. Skylander figures are sold separately from the game itself unless you buy the starter pack. Typically, the starter pack for each game contains two or more Skylanders, a Portal of Power, the game disc and sometimes something else to show off the game's newest feature.

<i>Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes</i> 2012 video game

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is a 2012 Lego-themed action-adventure game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game is a sequel to Lego Batman: The Videogame and the second installment in the Lego Batman series. The main storyline follows Batman, Robin and later Superman as they attempt to foil the Joker and Lex Luthor's plans to have the latter become president of the United States, joining forces with the Justice League along the way. As a result, the game's cast is larger than its predecessor and includes characters outside of the Batman series.

<i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i> (2012 video game) 2012 superhero video game

The Amazing Spider-Man is a 2012 action-adventure game. It was developed by Beenox and published by Activision. Based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and the 2012 film of the same name. It was released on June 26 in North America and on June 29, 2012 in Europe for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Android, iOS, and Microsoft Windows. A version for the Wii U was released in March 2013 in North America and Europe known as The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition in both regions. A PlayStation Vita version was released in November 2013.

<i>Scribblenauts Unlimited</i> Puzzle videogame released in 2012

Scribblenauts Unlimited is a puzzle sandbox video game developed by 5th Cell and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android. It is the fourth title in the Scribblenauts series, as a launch title for the Wii U console. The game was later released alongside its successor Scribblenauts Unmasked in Scribblenauts Mega Pack in 2018 with extra content.

<i>Lego The Lord of the Rings</i> (video game) 2012 action-adventure game

Lego The Lord of the Rings is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales, that was released on Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The OS X version of the game, published by Feral Interactive, was released on 21 February 2013.

<i>Disney Infinity</i> (video game) 2013 toys-to-life sandbox video game

Disney Infinity is a 2013 toys-to-life action-adventure game published by Disney Interactive Studios. It was announced on January 15, 2013. The game used collectible figurines that were then synchronized with the game, unlocking characters from Disney and Pixar properties that interact and go on adventures. The game was released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS in August 2013. A PC version of Toy Box was also released on November 14, 2013. The game had a budget approaching $100 million. A sequel, Disney Infinity 2.0, was released on September 23, 2014. The third edition, Disney Infinity 3.0, was released on August 30, 2015, and introduced support for the Apple TV. This game was also later released on Microsoft Windows in 2013.

<i>Lego Marvels Avengers</i> 2016 video game

Lego Marvel's Avengers is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and OS X. It is the spin-off to Lego Marvel Super Heroes and the second installment of the Lego Marvel franchise. The game is based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, primarily following the plots of The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, with single levels based on Captain America: The First Avenger, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

<i>Scribblenauts Showdown</i> 2018 party game

Scribblenauts Showdown is a party game developed by Shiver Entertainment and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in March 2018. The game is the sixth installment in the Scribblenauts franchise, created by 5th Cell. Showdown sees players playing minigames against other players or CPUs.

<i>Scribblenauts Unmasked: A Crisis of Imagination</i> American comic book series

Scribblenauts Unmasked: A Crisis of Imagination is a limited comic book series written by Josh Elder and illustrated by Adam Archer and Ben Bates. The limited series is based on the fifth installment in 5th Cell's Scribblenauts video game series, Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. Starting in December 2013 and ending in September 2014, 9 issues of the series were released.

Scribblenauts is a series of action puzzle video games primarily developed by independent studio 5th Cell. The series is owned and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The first game in the series was titled Scribblenauts and was first released on September 15, 2009, in North America, exclusively on the Nintendo DS. Since the release of the first game, five other Scribblenauts games have been released, in addition to two compilations and two comic adaptations.

References

  1. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (July 10, 2013). "Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure to Save the World on 24th September". Nintendo Life. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  2. ↑ Scribblenauts Mega Pack - IGN.com
  3. ↑ Vincent, Brittany (September 24, 2013). "Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure review". GamesRadar. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (May 15, 2013). "This Game Might Include Every DC Comics Hero (And Villain) Ever". Kotaku.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "Scribblenauts Unmasked Review". IGN . September 25, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Splechta, Mike (November 10, 2013). "Scribblenauts Unmasked Review: Holding out for a hero". GameZone. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Scribblenauts Unmasked Review". PCMag . Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Review: Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure". Destructoid . Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  12. ↑ "REVIEW: "Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure"". Comic Book Resources (CBR.com) . October 2, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.