Scribblenauts Showdown

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.

Scribblenauts Showdown
Official cover art featuring Maxwell (left) and his sister, Lily (right)
Developer(s)Shiver Entertainment
Publisher(s)Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
SeriesScribblenauts
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Release
  • NA: March 6, 2018
  • EU/AU: March 9, 2018
Genre(s)Party
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Showdown received "mixed or average" reviews from critics.[1][2] Critics criticized the game's "lack of imagination"[3] but praised the game's sandbox mode for being more alike prior Scribblenauts games.[4]

Gameplay
The player (left) competing against a CPU (right) in the Disc Dive minigame.

Scribblenauts Showdown's main mode, Showdown, has players versing opponents in different minigames. Prior to starting a minigame, players must select a noun which they will use to try to win the game. Before selecting a word, the game spins a wheel, which will decide what letter the player's words will start with.[5] In Showdown mode, players play on different boards, akin to Nintendo's Mario Party series.[5] The game also has a versus mode, which is similar to Showdown, except it's a 1v1 and doesn't take place on a board.[5]

The game's sandbox mode is more alike prior Scribblenauts installments and sees the player trying to solve NPC's issues by creating objects using a magical notebook. After solving an issue, players are rewarded with "Starites", which can be used to buy apparel in the customization menu.[5] The sandbox mode has 8 different worlds and supports up to 2 players.[6]

The game supports up to 4 players. Players can also verse CPUs. Players can customize their characters in the "My Scribblenaut" menu. Players can unlock customization options for their avatars by spending Starites, which are unlocked after winning in the versus or Showdown mode, or by clearing missions in the sandbox mode.[5]

Development and release

Prior to its official announcement, Showdown was leaked by the Game Software Rating Regulations and Entertainment Software Rating Board, after the two boards publicly released the game's ratings.[7] On January 16, 2018, Scribblenauts Showdown was officially announced by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and was set to release on March 6, 2018. Development for Showdown was headed by Shiver Entertainment, making it the first in the series not to be developed by the original creators, 5th Cell.[8]

Showdown released on March 6, 2018, in North America for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game later released in Europe and Australia on March 9.[9]

Reception

On Nintendo Switch, Scribblenauts Showdown received "generally unfavorable reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic,[12] although it received "mixed or average critic reviews" on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[1][2] Critics criticized the game's "lack of imagination",[3] with Edge thinking that Shiver Entertainment couldn't "conjure up a decent party game", despite the game's "great source material."[13]

Marco Esposto of IGN Italy praised Showdown, calling it a "classic" party game. Esposto praised the game's avatar creation process for being "simple" and the game's "attractive" graphics, but criticized the low amount of minigames, citing that they quickly felt "repetitive". Ultimately, Esposto gave Showdown a score of 7.3/10.[15]

The game's minigames received mix reception among critics; Robert Handlery of GameSpot called them "boring",[25] Gav Murphy of IGN Nordic stated that some of them are "awesome",[26] and Stephen Tailby of Push Square called them "hit or miss".[23]

The sandbox mode was praised by critics for being more alike prior Scribblenauts installments.[4] Daan Koopman, reviewing Showdown for Nintendo World Report, stated that the mode is "sadly the biggest standout" in the game. Koopman praised the mode's animations and interactions for being "adorable", but criticized its controls for being "uncomfortable" and its missions for being "bland".[19]

Notes
  1. Based on 8 reviews.
  2. Based on 5 reviews.
  3. Based on 20 reviews.
  4. Based on 17 reviews.
  5. Based on 9 reviews.

References
  1. "Scribblenauts Showdown for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  2. "Scribblenauts Showdown for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  3. Biggs, Tim (March 21, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown review: a lack of imagination". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  4. Ottolenghi, Ugo (March 12, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown - recensione". Eurogamer Italy. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  5. Peter Brown, Robert Handlery (March 10, 2018). Scribblenauts Showdown Is Disappointing. GameSpot. Red Ventures.
  6. Sheridan, Connor (January 16, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown challenges you to have words with your friends in March". GamesRadar+. Future US. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  7. Tailby, Stephen (January 16, 2018). "ESRB Rates Scribblenauts Showdown for PS4". Push Square. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  8. Frank, Allegra (January 16, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown brings the series back in March after four years away". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  9. "Scribblenauts: Showdown (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  10. "Scribblenauts Showdown". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  11. "Scribblenauts Showdown". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. "Scribblenauts Showdown for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  13. "Scribblenauts Showdown". Edge. No. 320. Future Publishing. April 26, 2018. p. 118. It's astonishing that Shiver couldn't conjure up a decent party game from such great source material.
  14. "Scribblenauts Showdown". GamesMaster UK. No. 329. Future plc. April 19, 2018. p. 66. A fun distraction with some word-based cleverness, but it's far less substantial than it should be.
  15. Esposto, Marco (March 11, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown - Recensione". IGN Italy. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  16. García, Juan (March 14, 2020). "Scribblenauts Showdown - Análisis". IGN Spain. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  17. de Izokay, L'avis (March 26, 2018). "Test : Scribblenauts Showdown : Quand les mots manquent". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  18. Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (March 14, 2018). "Scribblenauts: Showdown Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  19. Koopman, Daan (March 28, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  20. "Scribblenauts Showdown". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK. Future Publishing. May 9, 2018. p. 89. Clever and charming.
  21. Gehrling, Johannes (March 6, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown: Mehrspieler-Gaudi im Test". PC Games (in German). Computec. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  22. Cowley, Ric (March 12, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown review - A party puzzler which doesn't quite deliver on its potential". Pocket Gamer UK. Steel Media. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  23. Tailby, Stephen (March 12, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown Review (PS4)". Push Square. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  24. Snaith, Kim (March 21, 2018). "Scribblenauts Showdown Review: Your New Favourite Party Game". GameSpew. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  25. Peter Brown, Robert Handlery (March 10, 2018). Scribblenauts Showdown Is Disappointing. GameSpot. Red Ventures. Event occurs at 01:18.
  26. Gav Murphy (February 20, 2018). The 9 Best Scribblenauts Showdown Mini-Games So Far. IGN Nordic. Ziff Davis.
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