Game Builder Garage
- June 11, 2021
- Nintendo
Game Builder Garage is typically brilliant Nintendo, offering a way of creating levels that is only stymied by the lack of online community and curation options.
Game Builder Garage is an educational video game from Nintendo that teaches players how to create their own games through visual programming. Players learn by completing guided lessons with the help of Nodon, characters who explain game programming concepts. After each lesson, players can test their skills by completing Checkpoints and then apply their knowledge in Free Programming mode.
Nintendo Switch
Reviews
- Game Builder Garage offers a fun and engaging introduction to game development, making it accessible for beginners and children.
- The tutorials are well-structured and provide a solid foundation for understanding programming concepts through the use of 'Nodons'.
- The game allows for a high degree of creativity, enabling players to create a wide variety of games and experiences.
- The lack of an in-game community and browsing features significantly limits the ability to share and discover user-created games.
- Visual customization options are minimal, leading to generic-looking games and restricting creative expression.
- The tutorials can be overly lengthy and restrictive, which may frustrate more experienced users or those eager to start creating immediately.
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game allows players to utilize an in-game music creator, but does not permit the addition of custom tracks. While players can link levels and create hub areas, they are limited to adding only 32 objects per level, which may restrict musical complexity. Overall, the music system offers some creative options, albeit with notable limitations.
“Only able to add 32 objects per level; cannot add own music, but can use the in-game music creator. Able to link levels/games together and create a hub level, but there are fail-safe options in-game.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are considered basic, with limited visual appeal, and there is no option to view community creations without sharing codes, which restricts accessibility to user-generated content.
“There is no way to view community creations, and the requirement for codes to share games makes it frustrating. The visuals are quite basic.”
“The graphics feel outdated and lack detail, making the overall experience less immersive.”
“The character models are poorly designed, and the environments lack any real depth or texture.”
Critic Reviews
Game Builder Garage review
Game Builder Garage is typically brilliant Nintendo, offering a way of creating levels that is only stymied by the lack of online community and curation options.
90%Game Builder Garage Review – A creative yet limited design space
Game Builder Garage makes programming fun, with easy-to-follow tutorials and plenty of in-game resources to help you if you get lost. It’s easy on the eyes too, although a lack of visual customisation options was disappointing to see. With so many things it does right, it’s astounding that Nintendo would shoot themselves in their own foot so badly by not including any in-game search function. It may find an audience with some budding game designers, but it’s unlikely to become the phenomenon it could have been.
70%Game Builder Garage Review
Nintendo’s best development toolkit to date, with a gamified process that makes creating enjoyable, even if the curation tools are sub-par.
80%
