Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy datesTemplate:Redirect Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox video game Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure is a 2013 puzzle sandbox video game developed by 5th Cell and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Microsoft Windows. It is the fifth game in the Scribblenauts series of games and the final to be developed by 5th Cell. The game combines the series' traditional gameplay of bringing up words and objects to solve puzzles with characters and settings from the DC Comics universe (DC Universe). In September 2018, Scribblenauts Unmasked and Scribblenauts Unlimited were re-released as part of Scribblenauts Mega Pack, with the former game receiving additional characters and levels.

Gameplay

Template:See also Following previous games in the series, players control a boy named Maxwell who has the ability to manifest any object or person using his magical notepad and modify them using adjectives. The game also has a "Hero Creator" that allows the player to create custom objects.

Players can visit a number of locations from the DC Universe, including the Batcave, Gotham City, Atlantis, Metropolis, the Fortress of Solitude, Central City, and Oa. Additionally, there are several optional levels that retell the origins of the Justice League's members.

Scribblenauts Unmasked features a system where the player can earn Reputation Points by completing missions and summoning new objects. Points can be used to unlock additional levels and costumes.

The Wii U version of Scribblenauts Unmasked features co-op multiplayer known as "Sidekick mode". In Sidekick mode, a second player can use their Wii Remote to control characters and objects.

Plot

Maxwell and his sister Lily argue over which of their favorite characters would win in a fight and use Lily's magic globe to travel to the DC universe. However, the globe is shattered and the Starites that power it are scattered across the universe.

After recovering one Starite and restoring Lily's globe, Maxwell and Lily travel around the world and stop Maxwell's evil clone Doppelgänger from obtaining the other Starites. They learn that he is working for Brainiac, who plots to destroy the multiverse. However, Maxwell defeats him by summoning alternate universe versions of the Justice League. Afterward, Doppelgänger reforms and Maxwell creates a sister for him named Doppelily before returning to his universe.

Reception

In Metacritic, the game holds a 68% approval rating across its PC and 3DS versions, whilst holding a 71% on its Wii U version, all indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

GameZone's Mike Splechta gave the PC version 8/10, stating that Unmasked had "a lot to offer, given its plethora of challenges and the equally impressive number of ways to solve them". IGN gave it a 9.1, saying it "is a super way to exercise your mind as well as your love of DC characters". Will Greenwald of PCMag gave the game 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the addition of several DC characters and objects to create, though he criticised the absence of DC Vertigo characters, the weak goal-oriented gameplay, and stating that "it's a nerd sandbox for fans of the DC universe". In a review for Destructoid, the game was given a 7 out of 10 by Ian Bonds, noting the abundance and lack of content, calling it "not so heroic" with its "hard-to-ignore faults", though he cited the experience as "fun" and "solid", and also recommended players to get an audience while they play.

In a more mixed review on CBR.com by Steve Sunu, he states that the game is "ambitious" and "fun", but with its huge amount of content and a lacklustre execution, he called it "ultimately flawed". He also gave a mixed view about its puzzles, noting them as faithful to the DC Universe, but noted the backwards method of delivery for the puzzles, saying that "every other puzzle in the zone continuously switches out every time" and as a result, "there's no real way to measure progress". He also criticised the random encounters (though not from an NPC) that would revert the player's progress should it appear during a puzzle.