Super Scribblenauts Updated Hands-On

We create our fair share of abominations of nature using this sequel's new adjective system.

Giant baby. That was the first phrase we typed into Super Scribblenauts, the sequel to the game that introduced the concept of typing in a noun and having it appear instantly onscreen for the game's cute little hero to interact with. New for this second game--among other things detailed in our first look from E3--is the ability to add adjectives, meaning any object you pop in there can be modified to your heart's content. Furry igloo? Check. Fire-breathing hippopotamus? Dangerous, but check. Winged flying hobo? Kind of weird, but yeah, you can make that. It just so happens that we made a six-foot-tall baby that we then rode around like a horse. While wearing a suit of armor. And trying to slay a dragon.

Yes, Scribblenauts is an inherently silly, ridiculous game just like its predecessor. But developer 5th Cell hasn't spent all its time in development just goofing off. The studio is aiming to improve on the original with what we're told is a roughly 50/50 mixture of fixes to things that were criticized in Scribblenauts and brand-new elements the studio just didn't have the time to add the first time around. The big change is the addition of D pad controls for the hero Maxwell (as well as less fidgety movement that made him susceptible to flinging himself from the game's two-dimensional ledges). Ideally, this will help you solve the game's 120 levels much more painlessly. Of these 120, roughly 100 of them are puzzle scenarios, while 20 are of the more action-platforming variety. You can expect a large number of puzzle scenarios to take advantage of the new adjective system by requiring an object that has been modified in a clever enough way to solve a given scenario.

At the end of the day, it's hard to not have a good time goofing around for a bit in Super Scribblenauts, spawning things like the aforementioned monstrosities. Whether or not the game will be able to improve upon its predecessor--a fun game that still fell shy of grandiose expectations--is going to depend a lot on how well those 120 levels will keep your attention. You can expect to find that out when the game arrives in stores on October 12.

39 Comments

  • catcondo11

    Posted Oct 26, 2010 12:18 pm GMT

    bum

  • ASADAS234

    Posted Oct 10, 2010 9:34 am GMT

    ill write a FARTING TANK WITH A HOBO INSIDE

  • ASADAS234

    Posted Oct 10, 2010 9:33 am GMT

    TO ALL GAMESPOT USERS: I LOVE SCRIBBLE NAUTS and i am a camping noob and i keep SPAWN KILLING and im proffisonal {{ lol oh yeah and i am an EPIC FAIL and im a PRO NOOB if u dont believe me play BFBC2 with me.... reply to me if u r pro

  • Kaine852

    Posted Oct 7, 2010 7:41 pm GMT

    To All Gamespot Users: I LOVE YOUR IDEAS!!!

  • stebbinsd

    Posted Oct 4, 2010 4:25 pm GMT

    Arrgh! Only twenty levels will be action-platforming?

    That sucks!

  • xY4YOYOx

    Posted Oct 4, 2010 9:33 am GMT

    iv never played the first one so is it as gud as this one?

  • Jacava

    Posted Sep 29, 2010 11:43 am GMT

    Doomsday Coffee. Coffee good enough to die for...and take out everyone in a 12,000-mile radius.

  • flashn00b

    Posted Sep 12, 2010 2:22 pm GMT

    Two words. Flaming... Walrus...

  • chibi-acer

    Posted Sep 12, 2010 1:04 pm GMT

    The first game was pretty interesting. Trying to solve puzzles the "right" way was okay, but trying to find wacky solutions made it a lot of fun. The only problem was that some of the solutions were too global and made some puzzles way too easy (i.e. black holes). It was also disappointing when a seemingly clever solution didn't work the way you wanted it to, but overall it was still a lot of fun.

  • revryk

    Posted Sep 11, 2010 3:50 pm GMT

    Vicsious winged weasels

  • Daiki101

    Posted Sep 11, 2010 9:17 am GMT

    i havent played the first one though... still looks good though!!! :3

  • Akucapri

    Posted Sep 11, 2010 8:38 am GMT

    1st game was a complete let-down.

    This will be better, but by how much?

  • ZombiePhoenix72

    Posted Sep 11, 2010 5:30 am GMT

    Green time-traveling mutant panda or Time-traveling cat. LOL (Man I hate that book)

  • dargvelk

    Posted Sep 9, 2010 7:50 am GMT

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle will be my first word

  • Dragonitrogen

    Posted Sep 9, 2010 4:48 am GMT

    im putting in "swearing turd dressed like elvis" first

  • leoncloud11

    Posted Sep 7, 2010 3:32 pm GMT

    Sword wielding flying baby hobo


    lol

  • nintendo1010

    Posted Sep 6, 2010 9:06 pm GMT

    OMG I HAVE THE FIRST ONE AND I AM SO GETTING THE SECONG ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! guess what the first word i am going too type in is>>> GIANT FLYING FIRE-BREATHING DACHSUND ^_^ this is funny cause i have one

  • tonyantonio

    Posted Sep 5, 2010 4:56 pm GMT

    I AM GOING TO GET THIS ON THE FIRST DAY!!!!!!!!!

  • Yui-Nyan

    Posted Sep 5, 2010 7:05 am GMT

    so going to get this

  • mydsgamer

    Posted Sep 4, 2010 6:02 pm GMT

    i just got the 1st one and ya it makes me mad but man is it FUN!!!!!