Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 17
  2. Negative: 1 out of 17
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  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    May 9, 2018
    80
    Clever and charming. [May 2018, p.89]
  2. 80
    Scribblenauts: Showdown is great fun and sure to amuse you and the younger members of your household. This is how you make learning fun. Recommended.
  3. Mar 6, 2018
    76
    As a huge fan of Scribblenauts, I'm happy to be able to enjoy more word-based mayhem even though the party formula becomes repetitive quite fast due to a limited variety of mini-games. You'll at least get a few hours of fun out of Scribblenauts Showdown but long-time fans such as myself will crave more classic sandbox fun after they experience all it has to offer.
  4. Mar 10, 2018
    73
    Scribblenauts Showdown is a good solid party game, perfect for having a couple of fun hours. But it become repetitive very quickly.
  5. Apr 13, 2018
    70
    It might get repetitive and sometimes the controls do not work as they should, but overall this iteration of Scribblenauts can offer many hours of great family entertainment with lots of clever mini-games and a decent sandbox mode.
  6. Mar 28, 2018
    70
    Scribblenauts Showdown is a fun game you can pick and and play at any time, but you may feel the novelty wear off without friends to play with. Despite this, Scribblenauts Showdown offers some great mini-games and game modes. It feels different to party games we’ve seen in recent times, but it’s also pleasantly familiar.
  7. Mar 15, 2018
    65
    Long-time fans of the franchise will likely be disappointed by a watered-down entry that doesn’t come close to capturing the creative spirit of the original games. In fact, it doesn’t even bother. On the other hand, newcomers with no expectations should appreciate Showdown as a colourful, cute, low-effort party game that’s more diverse than most.
  8. Games Master UK
    Apr 19, 2018
    64
    A fun distraction with some word-based cleverness, but it's far less substantial than it should be. [May 2018, p.66]
  9. Mar 16, 2018
    63
    One of the most creative game series is back, but perhaps it's not what fans expected. Although it has some fun and interesting elements, there's not much to do after a few hours with the game. The party style mini games are repetitive and some times the creation tool feels like a waste. Give it a try if you're looking for a different game for your parties.
  10. Mar 12, 2018
    60
    Scribblenauts Showdown is an agreeable party game that applies the playful vocabulary-stretching gameplay well enough to entertain you and some friends for a while. Unfortunately, the numerous minigames are all pretty shallow, the Showdown mode can grow tiresome, and the appeal of the Sandbox levels only lasts for so long. This will certainly make for an amusing evening with family and friends, but it's not likely to be a title you'll come back to more than a couple of times.
  11. Mar 12, 2018
    60
    Scribblenauts Showdown mixes the classic formula with a new party game options, but none of them are top notch in any way. A good idea that have been downgraded by its limited content.
  12. Mar 10, 2018
    60
    Scribblenauts Showdown gives the feeling of being half complete. It seeks traditional gameplay with its minigames, but the change is not enough and, even though it is fun, delivers two halved experiences. The worst game of the saga.
  13. Mar 9, 2018
    60
    ​Scribblenauts: Showdown fails to celebrate the franchise, and it turns out to be only a pretext to propose a series of simple and repetitive mini-games​.
  14. Mar 20, 2018
    55
    This party game is great fun regardless of your age and the entry barrier is very low. However, the game quickly becomes repetitive since the amount of content in the form of different types of mini games is lacking given the price of admission. Typing with a controller - and you'll be doing lots of that- doesn't work properly and is extremely frustrating. Sandbox mode is way too limited and that is a shame.
  15. Mar 12, 2018
    55
    Scribblenauts Showdown is a fun party-game to play in company, but it becomes repetitive soon. It includes very few minigames and half of them, based on speed, are too simple. The worst game of the series.
  16. Jun 3, 2018
    50
    Disappointment or disillusion. Pick the adjective you want and that's what Scribblenauts will be. Let's just hope that the series will one day come back in better shape.
  17. Mar 19, 2018
    45
    With a database consisting of 35.000 words, Scribblenauts Showdown has the potential of being a creative party game. However, the studio just made a mediocre mini-game compilation.
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 12
  2. Negative: 3 out of 12
  1. Mar 10, 2023
    0
    This game basically has nothing in common with past Scribblenauts titles. It's a terrible Mario Party clone, that is all there is to it.
  2. Apr 5, 2018
    10
    I truly TRULY do not get the hate of this game. I am in my 40's. Played with two boys, 10 and 12. And we all had an amazing time playingI truly TRULY do not get the hate of this game. I am in my 40's. Played with two boys, 10 and 12. And we all had an amazing time playing the board game version of this for an hour. When it was over, the boys said, LETS PLAY IT AGAIN! The game is deep. Also has original sandbox mode with new levels.

    When they were about to leave, I surprise them by giving them the game as a gift. They were SO excited (and, I will simply buy another one for myself)

    I am simply TROUBLED at the hate and negativity for this game. Sure, a couple of the mini-games are not top notch. But there are many great ones within. At $40, solid deal. At $20 sale in most places, you have got to be kidding me. Steal it at that price.

    If you like Scribblenauts or are new to the Scribblenauts world, just buy it now.
    Full Review »
  3. Mar 10, 2018
    7
    ScribbleNauts Showdown
    A decent Party Game
    Scribblenauts showdown is a Mario party like party board game than can be played with up to 4
    ScribbleNauts Showdown
    A decent Party Game
    Scribblenauts showdown is a Mario party like party board game than can be played with up to 4 players.
    This game contains a creative mode where you can create your own character with points you earn while playing the game, and 3 different games modes, all of which you’ll have to play with if you want to unlock all of this games characters, there’s a versus mode, which is a best of mode where you play just the mini games, a sandbox mode which is more like the regular scribblenaut games where you run around and creating items in the world for characters different needs, and my favorite mode Showdown mode..
    You can play a short version, medium, or long.
    Showdown mode is a board game, instead of dice though you play with cards, each character has different cards they can play and then they have to strategically choose when to use each...
    Some cards are instant which allow you to move or punish other players without having to win a mini game..
    But every other card in this game comes down to winning a mini game...
    This stops the game from ever feeling like it comes down to who gets the most luck.. You have to rely on skill to come out on top most of the time...
    And the tricky thing is that no matter who plays the card, the winner or loser gets the reward or benefit...
    So playing a powerful move 5 spaces card could hurt you in the long run if you aren’t confident in your skill of a certain mini game..
    Most of these mini games are pretty fun, you’ll be doing games like a best of 3, which are less skilled base but still fun, but a lot of head to head games where you’ll be racing a rover, trying to eat faster than your opponent, balance items on your carpet better for example..
    But where it gets interesting is the scribblenauts twist... you have to spell the item youll be balancing or eating for example...
    And sometimes a card requires a word swam so youll be choosing the item for your opponent rather than yourself..
    This makes games such as the balancing carpet much more fun and strategic... where the serving game or the hurdle game, I feel like there was a missed opportunity here..
    I would have much more fun trying to think of the fastest animal to race on or give my opponent the smallest animal, or come up with a large item for my customers to eat so I had more time to collect plates…
    The care put into these mini games are really half baked..
    It’s done great in the eating challenge and the balancing challenge...|
    In these games the item actually matters…
    As does the flappy bird mini game and to tower mini game...
    But some it just doesn’t matter what you spell which is a shame...
    it stops this game from being as special as it really could be..
    I still managed to have a lot of fun with this game though.
    I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for playing solo however...
    The sandbox mode is pretty boring... the fun is in yelling with exciting and strategizing with friends and family in the showdown... and playing against the computer just doesn’t recreate that feeling...
    I give Scriblenauts Showdown
    Full Review »