This week, the ESRB published their rating for Scribblenauts Unlimited on the Nintendo 3DS. Just like the previous games, Scribblenauts Unlimited received an E (Everyone) rating, although the rating summary itself is a bit more amusing:
This is a puzzle platformer in which players assume the role of a boy tasked with lifting a curse that is slowly turning his sister to stone. As players explore side-scrolling environments, they solve puzzles and create customized objects to complete mission objectives (e.g., helping a character prepare for a date; capturing a dinosaur; rescuing a character in distress). By typing in whatever nouns they can imagine, players can create myriad objects or entities in the game world.
By adding adjectives, players can also modify these nouns to create different word combinations, triggering brief, comical scenarios: a “homicidal house” that can attack a man; a “cannibal” that orders food at a diner; a “necrophagous bike” that can eat a corpse; a “suicidal house” that attacks itself with a knife. Players can also summon “cartoony” versions of bats, bombs, guns, and flamethrowers to destroy nearby objects or other summoned items. These triggered animations are minimally depicted and usually accompanied by musical notes, colorful flashes, or small puffs of smoke. If players wish, they may type in the word “vomit,” causing a beige-colored puddle to appear on screen; typing the adjective “flatulent” results in squishy sound effects.
Curious as to what the ESRB said about the previous Scribblenauts games? Here’s their summary for Super Scribblenauts on the Nintendo DS:
This is a puzzle game in which players navigate a series of traps, puzzles, and enemies to collect stars scattered throughout the colorful levels. By typing in whatever nouns they can imagine, players can conjure up a myriad of different objects or entities into the game world. By adding adjectives, players can also modify these nouns to create different word combinations, triggering innumerable whimsical scenarios such as: a ‘flaming snowman’ that can set a Christmas tree on fire; a ‘homicidal house’ that can attack a man; and a ‘carnivorous bike’ that can eat a corpse.
Players can also elect to summon ‘cartoony’ versions of bats, bombs, guns, and flamethrowers. These types of items can be used to destroy objects or even other summoned items (e.g., a bat can be used to club a skydiver; guns can be fired at smelly zombies; a knife can be given to a murderous computer to attack a merman). These triggered animations are minimally depicted and are usually accompanied by popping, musical sound effects; bright, star-shaped flashes; or small puffs of smoke. If players wish to, they may type in the word vomit, which causes a beige-colored lump to appear on the screen.
Scribblenauts Unlimited will be released for the Nintendo 3DS, PC and Wii U this holiday season. The game now has a more open world to explore, and the Wii U version has a multiplayer mode where a second player can take control of objects in the game using a Wii Remote.
