Lots of Scribblenauts Unlimited details

The August 2012 issue of Nintendo Power contains lots and lots of Scribblenauts Unlimited details. I’ve been meaning to write up a summary of the article for awhile now, but I was reminded once again to do so with the news concerning the magazine’s closure.

In any case, you can find a comprehensive transcript of the details after the break.

General

- Players will learn about Maxwell’s motivations and how he got ahold of his notebook
- Super Scribblenauts let you choose between controlling Max by switching between button and touchscreen controls in a menu
- In Scribblenauts Unlimited, the GamePad lets you use either method at any time
- More onscreen objects thanks to the power of Wii U
- Super Scribblenauts let you have 12 items at once; Scribblenauts Unlimited lets you have around 60
- More realistic water
- New shaders, cool particle effects, and more

Controls

- Analog stick: move Maxwell
- D-pad: cycle through on-screen objects
- Touchscreen: shows same content on TV; lets you write words, interact with objects, aim weapons; move Maxwell and the camera if you wish
- B: jump
- A: action
- X: go through doors
- ZR: zoom in
- ZL: zoom out

Gameplay

- In co-op, one player Wii controls Maxwell and his notebook
- Up to three others can join in with Wiimotes at anytime
- They can take the reins of any object that has been produced
- Game is divided into 30-40 large interconnected themed worlds
- 5th Cell still determining the final number
- Each is fully explorable and has multiple objectives
- Areas include Hyphen Heights, the Metaforest, Underscore Mine, and The Saurus Park
- You can use each area as a sandbox
- Anything you make or events that occur will still be there if you leave and come back later
- Worlds are populated with NPCs
- NPCs usually have quests
- Complete a quest, earn Starites or Starite shards
- 10 shards make a Starite
- Quests that give you shards are typically quick and simple
- Ex: lawn may need to be trimmed, tyrannosaurus needs food dislodged from its throat, child has lost its toy
- Each challenge has many solutions
- Full Starite challenges are longer and more complex, similar to previous Scribblenauts games
- Allosaurus on the Loose mission: bring a person capable of tracking a dinosaur, give him a tool to help him find his prey, place something in the cage to entice the dinosaur, provide a distraction to get the dinosaur’s attention, and then find a way to make it sleep once it has worn itself out
- Date Night mission: help a young man look presentable, hook him up with a gift and transportation, establish a romantic mood, and help the couple with their wedding after the man proposes
- Find quests naturally by interacting with NPCs
- Can also use the Starite View
- This points out the NPCs that have missions for you
- 60 Starite tasks
- 400+ shard quests

Object editor

- Object editor lets you start with any object you want
- Alter it by changing its colors, scaling or rotating its various parts, adding textures, and combining it with other objects (applied in the form of stamps)
- Once your object is actually made, you can determine its behavior with the same scripting tools that programmers use to dictate the actions of regular objects in the game
- Can program your object so it behaves in specific ways when certain events occur
- Give your object a unique name
- Write to conjure the object later
- Upload your object to an online server and share it with friends
- There will be Miiverse integration and multiple search filters to help find and share the type of objects you’re interested in

Story

- Maxwell has a twin sister named Lily and 40 brothers
- Maxwell’s parents are Edgar and Julie
- Both were explorers before settling down and having kids
- Each child was given a special magical gift they acquired on their travels
- Lily received a globe that let her instantly visit anywhere in the world
- Max was given a notebook that allowed him to create anything simply by writing it
- Having these powers made the children a bit spoiled
- Max one day decided to play a trick on a hungry beggar by conjuring and feeding him a rotten apple
- After eating the apple, the beggar revealed that he had magical powers
- He retaliated by putting a curse on Lily that caused her to start turning to stone
- Starites are the only things that can prevent the curse from overtaking Lily completely
- You can only receive Starites by earning people’s gratitude
- Max dedicates himself to good and sets out on a quest to travel the world and collect enough Starites to make things right
- Max uses Lily’s globe to travel
- Players will encounter Max’s brothers while exploring
- Complete their missions to unlock them as playable characters
- Their magical gifts aren’t discussed in the game

Words

- Can use adjectives while making objects
- Adjectives bring about strategic elements
- Ex: slip by a dragon by making it sleepy, causing it to be harmless
- New and updated words
- Can make an arcade game and give it a retro-pixelated look
- A handheld video game makes the graphics pixelated and seaweed green like the original Game Boy
- Max and NPCs can be equipped with with different outfits including a hot dog suit, frog suit. hamburger suit, tanuki suit that lets you fly
- Choose to make your creations male or female for the first time
- Can make a female Abraham Lincoln or female grandpa