With the release date of Scribblenauts fast approaching, Kidzworld sat down with the creators of Scribblenauts to find out everything there is to know about this fantastic game.
1. What's the game about? What's the main theme?
The game is about infinite possibility in puzzle solving. It’s about utilizing the farthest reaches of your imagination to solve both simple and complex challenges.
2. What character(s) do you get to play in the game? Who is the main character and what's he or she like?
The main character is Maxwell, a Scribblenaut who creates items by writing them in his notepad. He will then use these items to help others and himself. He is silent throughout the game, preferring to speak with his actions rather than words.
3. How do you get points in the game?
You receive “ollars,” the games currency by completing levels. You can then use these ollars to purchase content, including other characters that you can play in the game.
4. How many levels of game-play are there?
There are 220 levels in the game divided evenly between Puzzle and Action levels.
5. What's the environment or world of the game like?
In the larger game world, there are 10 areas with 22 levels each.
6. How do players get to interact with the game's world?
Interactions in the game world involve the player controlling Maxwell as he uses the objects written in the notepad. The player directs Maxwell to drive, throw, fly and use the tens of thousands of objects used in Scribblenauts to complete levels.
7. What's a "Starite"?
Starite are small stars that Maxwell collects through the game. In order to complete a level, Maxwell must find the Starite.
8. What's special about this game? What sets it apart from other games out there?
The solutions and game play totally depend on the player’s imagination. There are tens of thousands of objects that the player can not only use, but also these objects interact with each other like how they would in real life. The player can write “Boy” and “Cake” and a boy will appear and eat the cake! No other game can offer that much catering to the player’s imagination.
9. What will kids get to do in this game that they aren't able to do in other games?
They can use their imagination to solve everything in the game, and when they are done with that they can create their own levels to share with friends.
10. Is there anything educational about this game or is it purely for fun?
The game relies on correct spelling of every word that the player writes in the game. If a player misspells a word, a correction will appear asking them if they meant the correctly spelled word. This is a great tool for kids learning to spell and also for anyone who wants to know what happens when you write in “Pegasus!”
11. Who developed the game?
5th Cell Media
12. When will the game be released?
September 15th in North America, and early October in Europe.
13. What platforms is it compatible with?
Nintendo DS.
14. Is it easy to play or is there a big learning curve?
It is extremely easy to learn how to play the game. There are also tutorial levels that let you guide Maxwell through at the start of his journey that will teach you everything you need to know.
15. What age do you have to be to play the game?
The game has wide appeal to all age groups.
16. What kinds of controls are used to play the game?
The Nintendo DS Stylus is used to move Maxwell and interact with the game world. The D Pad buttons and the X,Y,A,B buttons are used to control the game’s camera.
17. Are there any limits on the kinds of objects you can create in the game as a player?
Yes, no proper nouns, no copyrighted words or adjectives. No vulgar/offensive/lewd/Drug/Alcohol related words.
18. Is there any violence in this game?
It is rated “Everyone 10+” by the ESRB for Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief.
19. When you're trying to create an object, do you have to spell it correctly?
No, one of the great things about our system is that it has a spell checker that will make sure you are creating the right object even if you do not spell it right the first time.
20. How many objects can be created and how long did it take for developers to input all of them? Also, what was the process to make sure so many objects were available for players to create?
It took us over a year just to get words from the dictionary into the game. Art also had to be created for all of these words and then on top of that we had to give each individual object its own behavior. A boy will eat ice cream but will run away from a lion. After that we made the notepad that you use to write these object names into the game.
21. What are some of the more obscure items players can create?
Unicorn, geoduck, xray goggles, black hole.
22. Can characters from other games, TV shows or movies be created in the game?
There are no copyrighted characters available in game.
Check out Scribblenauts when it hits stores September 15th!
