Scrabdackle
Preview
What is this Wizardry?
by William Thompson
previewed on PC
The Story of Blue
You take on the role of a wizard known as Blue. The adventure begins in chaos after an attack on the wizarding school results in Blue being cast out of the Academy. Now stranded in the unknown world of Scrabdackle, your job is to help Blue explore the outside world for the first time while navigating a path back to the safety of the school.
Exploration and Discovery
At its heart, Scrabdackle is a game driven by curiosity and the urge to find out what lies behind the next corner. The world design actively encourages wandering; most areas are accessible from multiple directions, meaning there is rarely a single linear path. Discovering the alternate routes and shortcuts between locations often proves to be just as engaging as the battles themselves.
Combat and Consequences
When you do encounter threats, combat is controlled entirely using your wand. However, you cannot simply fire away recklessly, as the wand has limited uses before it needs to be recharged. While most standard combatants are easily dispatched with a couple of waves of your wand, the difficulty spikes when you are surrounded; facing a group of enemies is a much tougher experience than picking them off one by one. The stakes are raised even higher during boss battles, which can be particularly punishing given your limited health.
To manage these threats, you must utilize save locations spread evenly throughout the world. These spots allow Blue to heal and refill all magic vials, but this relief comes with a catch: resting here will respawn all enemies in the area, forcing you to weigh the safety of a full health bar against the danger of clearing the path again.
Play Your Way
Despite the potential challenges, Scrabdackle is designed to be accessible to everyone. The game features 5 difficulty settings, allowing for a highly customizable experience. This range lets players choose to enjoy the narrative without taking any damage from monsters, or conversely, crank up the difficulty to provide a gritty, tough challenge for experienced gamers. With its charming hand-drawn aesthetic and flexible difficulty, Scrabdackle shapes up to be an accessible adventure that still offers depth for those who want to master its exploration and combat mechanics.
As always, follow Hooked Gamers on Instagram for news updates, reviews, competitions and more.
