There are very few games that I can think of that I believe perfectly capture the pure and raw feeling of joy than Scribblenauts Unlimited. The big HD leap in the franchise, Scribblenauts Unlimited offered new changes to the series that would expand on its commitment to unleashing the player’s creativity all while maintaining its trademark sense of humor and charm.

Continuing off of the foundations of its Nintendo DS predecessors, Scribblenauts Unlimited does little to expand the gameplay that the series is known for: solve puzzles by using your magical notebook to summon anything you desire. While this may initially sound like a negative, I find the series works at its best when the game sticks to its more traditionally simplistic gameplay loop. Instead, Scribblenauts Unlimited focuses on expanding, well, everything else. Ditching the older titles' level structure, Unlimited sets its world up within larger, open environments with smaller puzzles scattered throughout it. This allows for the puzzles to theme themselves around the area they inhabit and thus, encourage the player to try different words and adjectives for solutions rather than sticking to the same thing over and over again. I appreciate the variety in the environments as well, with levels ranging from simple locales like farms, prisons, air fields to haunted houses, space, storybook kingdoms, etc. While I did say that I enjoy Scribblenauts Unlimited’s simplicity, there are cases where it can be a little TOO simple.

Although some puzzles require varying levels of creative thinking, more often than not the game will present puzzles with little to no nuance or challenge. For example, there is a particularly infamous series of puzzles that require the player to complete various camping-related activities such as starting a fire, carving a totem pole, hitting a target, etc. Although the answers to these problems may seem simple enough, it’s actually even easier than you may think. Using adjectives, every single one of these puzzles can be solved… with a stick. Use a hot stick to light the campfire, use a sharp stick to whittle the wood, and so on and so forth. In fact, this solution isn’t exclusive to this scenario; it works for a decent chunk of the game’s puzzles. Once the player figures out that oftentimes the word doesn’t really matter, it can cheapen the experience. When a game encourages creative problem-solving, it becomes disappointing when the game itself doesn’t really reward creative solutions. I feel that to really get the most out of Scribblenauts Unlimited, it’s up to the player to find their own amusement and do their best to come up with unorthodox solutions to solve the puzzles rather than just defaulting to the obvious answer. It would be nice if the game would offer some sort of reward for finding creative solutions or at the very least place more restrictions in the puzzles themselves but unfortunately, it does not.

By far and away the biggest gameplay addition to Scribblenauts Unlimited would be none other than the Object Editor. The 'Unlimited' part of Scribblenauts Unlimited, the Object Editor exists to answer one of the most common questions asked by players:

"Wait, this word isn’t in the game?"

A creative alternative to the game’s limitations, the Object Editor allows players to use the game’s 22,000+ words and manipulate their corresponding object’s assets to create their own objects which can then be summoned in the game. While fairly simple for the most part, the Object Editor is incredibly robust. Any little part of an object can be removed, replaced, recolored, resized, etc. Animations can be edited, the object’s behavior can be altered, it’s source audio can be changed, and elemental properties manipulated. There are so many systems and options to play with, the Object Editor itself come be considered it’s own side-game. Even better, if played on PC, you can connect to the Steam Workshop to share your creations or download somebody else’s. While I don’t think most people will use it more than once, I still find the Object Editor to be a fine addition to the series and one that it would sorely need as it continued moving forward.

One of the last things I wanted to touch on with Scribblenauts Unlimited was the game’s art and music which I feel don’t get enough praise. The series' transition to HD gave its simple art style a slight overhaul and does a great job of visualizing the game’s vast amount of objects without being too busy or complex. It’s simple but not excessively so. The music on the other hand, is a whole different beast altogether.

I had always considered the music of the Scribblenauts series as a consistent high point. The tunes that would play in each level was incredibly catchy and perfectly matched the game's playful atmosphere. Scribblenauts Unlimited not only continues this trend, but forgoes the previous title’s funky beats and record scratches for much grander, orchestral melodies. Each song, remix or original, wears its heart on its sleeve and are filled to the brim with a strange mix of sheer joy and melancholy. It’s difficult to describe but the music of Scribblenauts Unlimited, composed by David J. Franco, elicit an emotional response that no other game since has managed to capture. It’s incredible when a game’s soundtrack manages to perfectly embody the spirit of the title it inhabits and I find Scribblenauts Unlimited, as well as its predecessors, a fine example of that.

In the eleven years since the release of Scribblenauts Unlimited, there have only been two new entries in the series, the DC crossover game Scribblenauts Unmasked and the party game Scribblenauts Showdown, as well as two rereleases. What was once a series with annual launches, the fate of the Scribblenauts series is now one filled with uncertainty. While I don’t believe the series is really dead, I do feel that the current states of both 5th Cell and Warner Bros. Games doesn’t instill a whole lot of confidence that a new, mainline Scribblenauts title will release anytime soon. Perhaps the series has truly run its course? Or maybe the death of the Nintendo DS and the industry’s shifting focus towards big, expensive AAA titles forced the Scribblenauts franchise to be left behind? As it stands, I have no clue. All I can really say is that I still have some hope for the series yet. Scribblenauts may never return to the unique heights it once capitalized on in 2009 but I think it’s originality and pure spirit still has a place in gaming today. Scribblenauts Unlimited, as simple as it may be, is a game that just wants to have fun with itself. It’s cute, chaotic, wonderful, funny, and as silly as a game like this needs to be. Until the day the series makes its big return, I can at least return to Scribblenauts Unlimited and remember why I fell in love with video games in the first place.