Scribblenauts Unlimited

Scribblenauts Unlimited gives imaginative gamers a digital sandbox in which they can tinker with the in-game world at will.

85%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

93% User Score Based on 7,911 reviews

Critic Score 71%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

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About

Scribblenauts Unlimited is a single player and multiplayer open world platformer game with fantasy, comedy and kids themes. It was developed by 5th Cell Media and was released on February 15, 2013. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Venture into a wide-open world where the most powerful tool is your imagination. Help Maxwell solve robust puzzles in seamless, free-roaming levels by summoning any object you can think of. Create your own original objects, assign unique properties, and share them with friends online using Steam Workshop – to be used in game or further modified as you like!

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93%Audience ScoreBased on 7,911 reviews

story166 positive mentions

grinding54 negative mentions

Extremely creative gameplay allowing players to summon almost any object or creature by typing its name, fostering limitless imagination and multiple solutions to puzzles.
Family-friendly with charming, colorful graphics and a wholesome, lighthearted story that appeals to kids and nostalgic adults alike.
Includes robust features like object and character customization, as well as Steam Workshop support, increasing replayability and creative possibilities.

Puzzles are generally very easy and straightforward, leading to limited challenge and reduced engagement for older or more experienced players.
The game can feel repetitive with many tasks being similar fetch quests and some obscure objectives requiring external guides, resulting in tedious 100% completion.
Technical issues including frequent crashing, save bugs, and UI limitations such as awkward controls on PC and lack of windowed/fullscreen options detract from the overall experience.

story
663 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
69%
6%
Scribblenauts Unlimited features a simple, child-friendly story revolving around Maxwell's quest to save his sister Lily from a petrification curse by completing various creative puzzles and missions. While the narrative is light, charming, and offers a positive moral on kindness, it often takes a backseat to the open-ended gameplay and sandbox creativity that define the experience. The story is engaging enough for younger players but may feel repetitive, linear, or lacking depth to older audiences, with most enjoyment derived from player invention rather than plot complexity.
- “This game, Scribblenauts Unlimited, brings all that back in spades with a huge sprawling map, plenty of unique levels and storylines, and incredibly lighthearted and wholesome vibes.”
- “Unlike the other games, though still great in their own rights, this game's story about traversing the different worlds to save Maxwell's sister, Lily, is far better for this reason.”
- “With its charming story and endless possibilities, it’s a perfect game to spark your imagination and bring out your inner inventor.”
- “The story mode is simple and charming at first, but there is no challenge introduced as you progress, making it quickly become boring.”
- “The story mode is a tedious collection quest that I couldn't finish despite my efforts.”
- “So instead we got all these filler quests and puzzles to pad out the game, none of which are particularly fun or interesting for adults.”
gameplay
341 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The gameplay centers on a unique and imaginative mechanic of summoning and modifying objects via a magic notebook to solve puzzles, offering vast creative freedom and emergent gameplay. While praised for its charm, accessibility, and appeal to all ages, especially younger players, the core loop can feel repetitive and simplistic, with a lack of deeper challenge or evolving mechanics. Overall, it provides a fun, relaxing, and creative puzzle experience, though limited replayability and occasional UI clunkiness may temper long-term engagement.
- “Where Scribblenauts Unlimited shines brightest is in its core gameplay loop, which revolves around writing nouns and adjectives into the notebook to create objects that solve puzzles.”
- “+ creative gameplay: the magical notebook concept is brilliant, letting you conjure anything from a "friendly vampire" to a "flying toaster." The sheer freedom is addictively fun.”
- “This open-ended gameplay mechanic provides endless possibilities for solving puzzles and challenges throughout the game.”
- “Gameplay can feel a little clunky at times with the UI requiring multiple clicks just to add an adjective, which could have been streamlined.”
- “While the variety of locations is distinct, the lack of a strong linear narrative makes the gameplay feel like a series of disconnected tasks rather than a cohesive journey.”
- “It's frustrating because Scribblenauts has such a unique game mechanic being the notebook, but it feels like they spent all their time developing the things to spawn and didn't design the game to work properly around it.”
humor
332 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its quirky, imaginative, and often hilarious humor, driven by the freedom to create absurd and unexpected solutions to puzzles. Its charm lies in the whimsical interactions, playful visual style, and a mix of child-friendly and occasionally clever adult humor, though some find the jokes repetitive over time. Overall, it offers a fun, lighthearted experience that sparks creativity and laughter, especially when experimenting or playing with friends.
- “This game gives you the power to type out whatever insane thing pops into your head, and it brings it to life in the most hilarious ways possible.”
- “You will probably spend most of the time coming up with the stupidest, funniest and weirdest solutions for problems, and then laughing because they actually work.”
- “The sheer number of objects and adjectives to combine gives it a lot of replayability and, depending on your imagination, can be extremely hilarious and rewarding.”
graphics
263 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
55%
1%
Scribblenauts Unlimited features a charming, colorful, and whimsical 2D cartoon art style reminiscent of paper cutouts or doodles, which perfectly complements its imaginative and family-friendly gameplay. The high-definition, vibrant visuals combined with catchy, cheerful music create a lighthearted and playful atmosphere that appeals especially to children but can still captivate older players. While the graphics are simple and not demanding on hardware, their cohesive and unique style significantly enhances the game's creativity and overall charm.
- “Scribblenauts Unlimited is a charming sandbox that captures the joy of seeing your own imagination manifest on screen, using a massive dictionary and a cute paper-cutout art style that makes everything from a toaster to a T-Rex look great.”
- “The graphics and art style are brilliant; everybody looks like and moves like wooden dolls, and the backgrounds appear to look like hand-painted boxes. It all looks so adorable and enduring.”
- “The game's colorful and whimsical art style perfectly complements its imaginative gameplay.”
- “I do think the system requirements for a vector-based graphical game are too steep, but this is a mid-console port.”
- “The game doesn't come up to scratch for PC, with locked resolution and simple 2D graphics, it's clearly been designed wholly with mobile phones in mind.”
- “It would strongly benefit from less lazy 'indie' graphical style.”
music
135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
54%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for being cheerful, catchy, and well-suited to its colorful, whimsical art style, creating a vibrant and engaging atmosphere. While some find it repetitive or unremarkable, most agree it complements the gameplay without overpowering it, enhancing the overall charm and nostalgic feel. The soundtrack is considered a standout aspect that players enjoy both in and outside the game.
- “It rocks and it has wonderful music and it's so full of soul!”
- “The soundtrack is full of bangers, and the workshop is a joy to toy around with!”
- “The game's charming art style and whimsical soundtrack further enhance the experience, creating a world that's as delightful to look at as it is to play in.”
- “The music: now, usually in my reviews I do bring up music as something I like about the game, cause I do believe that music adds a lot to the atmosphere of a game, and while there were tunes in this game that I really enjoyed, that can't be said about all the music.”
- “The music however, is a bit repetitive.”
- “- the music is passable but forgettable”
replayability
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
60%
17%
Replayability of the game varies greatly depending on player engagement: while the main puzzles can feel short and repetitive with limited replay value once solved, the extensive creativity allowed in solving puzzles and the inclusion of user-generated content through workshop integration provide near-infinite replay potential for those willing to experiment. However, casual players or those seeking a linear experience may find little incentive to replay beyond the initial completion.
- “It's honestly very short and not much to it; however, the infinite replay value due to workshop integration of user content and flexibility in how the levels/quests can be beaten is immeasurable.”
- “The reward of finding new creative ways of solving in-game puzzles makes this game infinitely replayable.”
- “The sheer number of objects and adjectives to combine gives it a lot of replayability and, depending on your imagination, can be extremely hilarious and rewarding.”
- “Because the difficulty is quite easy, the experience eventually feels a bit repetitive, leaving little replayability once the main puzzles are solved.”
- “Replayability is not very good though, as the situations, characters, etc. are all the same and there are a finite and low number of ways to complete the quests.”
- “Would only recommend on a sale though; not a whole lot of gameplay and it's not very replayable, but $5 or so isn't bad for 20 hours of entertainment.”
grinding
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
12%
83%
Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious and repetitive, especially when aiming for 100% completion or achievements, involving long sessions of collecting numerous object shards and starites. While initial gameplay and puzzle-solving can be fun and creative, the late-game grind shifts to a monotonous chore often requiring repeated, simple solutions. Overall, the grind detracts from enjoyment for completionists, making it feel more like a tedious task than a challenge.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A bit grindy... sometimes.”
- “No grinding.”
- “Most tedious 100% achievement grind ever.”
- “Even after finishing the game, there are another 56 starites to collect and all you get for grinding through it are a few character skins that you will never use and maybe 2 or 3 achievements.”
- “Would not recommend if you're a completionist; getting the item-creation related star fragments is incredibly grindy and unfun, with many dozens of them requiring just going through a list and checking boxes.”
emotional
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Scribblenauts Unlimited is widely praised for its heartwarming, wholesome, and nostalgic emotional tone, combining a cute story with playful creativity and kindness. While its emotional depth and family-friendly vibe create a cozy, feel-good experience, some find the story light and the content sometimes vapid or overly wholesome, though players enjoy the humor and freedom to evoke a range of emotional reactions. Overall, it delivers a charming, emotionally uplifting gameplay that appeals especially to those seeking gentle, creative fun.
- “As you progress through the game, you unravel the heartwarming tale of Maxwell and his quest to save his sister.”
- “Because the game is all about the committing of good deeds, that makes it not only a heartwarming story, but also one of personal kindness.”
- “Scribblenauts visually represents some basic moods and emotions that its many characters have and hints to the reasons behind them, leading the player to work out the dynamical connection between player input and the reaction it leads to, and furthermore the missing ingredient, if one will, that is required to spark the desired emotional outcome.”
stability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
10%
76%
The game experiences a range of stability issues across platforms, including bugs with hitboxes, keyboard glitches, visual flickering, and occasional crashes, which can sometimes hinder progression. While several users report smooth and glitch-free gameplay, many encounter frustrating bugs that affect quest completion and control responsiveness. Overall, stability is inconsistent but does not completely overshadow the game's enjoyable and educational aspects.
- “This version has more community creations and runs great even on the HP laptop I'm using.”
- “Graphics are colorful and charming with no glitches or bugs noticed in my 20 hours of gameplay.”
- “Great character customization, no glitches, smooth gameplay, and super cute graphics.”
- “Bringing up the keyboard would sometimes have glitches where the keyboard would freeze for a few seconds before you could type on it.”
- “Game has some bugs, but on Switch and Wii U it's mainly crashing or issues with the custom object/downloaded object limit, whereas the Steam version mainly has visual flashing glitches and lag.”
- “I've completed a good chunk of the game but several times there would be glitches where the quest for starites or the shards would simply not show up or disappear after a mishap completing a previous quest in the area.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The game features a lighthearted, playful, and wholesome atmosphere supported by simple yet pleasant art and varied thematic settings. While the music enhances the mood, it is somewhat inconsistent. Overall, the atmosphere effectively conveys a cozy, child-friendly tone that aligns well with the game's tone, though it may lack lasting depth for some players.
- “The art direction supports the tone of the game beautifully, creating a lighthearted and imaginative atmosphere.”
- “This creates a happy and cosy atmosphere, with the game overall feeling just as playful and wholesome as its predecessors.”
- “It is worth a look for the initial impression and wholesome atmosphere, but definitely won't have lasting appeal given how inherently vapid it is.”
- “The music: now, usually in my reviews I do bring up music as something I like about the game, because I believe that music adds a lot to the atmosphere of a game, and while there were tunes in this game that I really enjoyed, that can't be said about all the music.”
- “For this type of game, I also think the art played a big factor in the overall atmosphere, and the more I played the game, the more I realized that it really fit the feeling the game was trying to convey.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly on a wide range of PCs without bugs, crashes, or performance issues. It maintains good resolution and stable audio-visual performance across different hardware.
- “Performance-wise, I never encountered any bugs, crashes, or performance issues.”
- “The game runs smoothly and at a good resolution.”
- “Performance is okay, and both audio and graphics are as discreet as it gets.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is visually appealing with cute and well-designed characters, though customization is limited as players are restricted to preset designs, which some found less engaging.
- “The character designs are quite nice.”
- “More to add, the soundtracks are pretty pleasing to the ears and the character designs are cute (as expected).”
- “Character appearance change: usually I like customizing my character to resemble myself, but in this game, you're tied to the character designs of the brothers of Maxwell, which felt less appealing to me.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Users find the game's monetization confusing and feel that in-app purchases are necessary to fully enjoy it, with some noting that certain advertising campaigns are region-specific and not widely seen.
- “This game is not unlimited; you have to buy in-app purchases... oh wait, that's Club Penguin.”

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71%Critics’ scoreBased on 5 critic reviews

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10h Median play time

16h Average play time

7h Main story

13h Completionist

7-20h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 22 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Scribblenauts Unlimited is a open world platformer game with fantasy, comedy and kids themes.

Scribblenauts Unlimited is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, iPhone, Windows and others.

The main story can be completed in around 7 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 13 hours to finish. On average players spend around 16 hours playing Scribblenauts Unlimited.

Scribblenauts Unlimited was released on February 15, 2013.

Scribblenauts Unlimited was developed by 5th Cell Media.

Scribblenauts Unlimited has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Scribblenauts Unlimited for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Scribblenauts Unlimited is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, SPORE™ Galactic Adventures, Crazy Machines 3, Contraption Maker, The Adventure Pals and others.

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Platforms

story

gameplay

humor

graphics

music

replayability

grinding

emotional

stability

atmosphere

optimization

character development

monetization