Game Builder Garage Reviews
Learn how to create your own games. It is really fun and informative.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
"These games will stay inside your garage."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Nintendo's latest game creation tool is defined both by the Switch's limitations and the impressive breadth of creative expression it enables.
Creating games ain't easy, but Game Builder Garage does a great job introducing the logic and workflow of game design with simple and intuitive tools.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Game Builder Garage is a decently realized editor, which unexpectedly lacks one function, but even in this situation, the production can awaken dreams.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Game Builder Garage is a great way to learn the basics of game programming through an easy to use visual language. The tutorials may be overbearing for some, holding your hand through each step, but the engine is surprisingly robust and will let you create whatever you want. However, there is no active sharing or receiving interface in the game itself which is incredibly frustrating and limits learning opportunities.
With all of this said, is Game Builder Garage worthwhile? The answer to this question largely depends on the mindset one goes into the game with. Keep in mind that this isn’t a traditional video game. Rather, it’s an application for game development. This isn’t Super Mario Maker 2 where, despite the focus on level creation, a full-fledged game exists within it. Game Builder Garage is all about building levels and projects from the ground up. This isn’t to say that the game lacks value for those uninterested in game development. This is where the user-generated content mentioned earlier comes into play. Within days of Game Builder Garage‘s initial release, a number of promising projects hit the internet. Everything from a first-person shooter level inspired by Doom Eternal to a Super Mario Kart track to a recreation of Minecraft can be seen and downloaded right now. Furthermore, even without an online sharing option in the game, there are fan communities that ensure such creations are found and experienced. YouTube channels such as GameXplain have been actively showcasing many of the best Game Builder Garage creations, generating that much more awareness. If you’re willing to do some digging online, you can find an ever-growing treasure trove of concepts waiting to blossom.
If you want to make your own games and share it indirectly, or if you want to experience the productions made by others, it will be a good choice.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Game Builder Garage is signature Nintendo. For better and for worse, GBG exemplifies the Japanese company’s commitment to innovation, and it’s a real compliment to the already brimming back catalogue of titles. What GBG represents is a company dedicated to game development, to young and aspiring programmers, and to the future of video game design. Naturally, anything ‘signature Nintendo’ does come with a few concessions that hold it back from being everything it could be, but that shouldn’t deter anyone even remotely interested in this games’ offering.
As a first step into game development, Game Builder Garage represents a fun and engaging way of dipping your toes. It is not overly convoluted, and is approachable when it comes to creating polished experiences with a little bit of work. The software educates, guides, and makes the creator’s enjoyment a key part of the process. If only Nintendo would fix the online and community gaps, then it will truly be a playground of creativity.
Game Builder Garage manages to explain the logic of making games in a fun way with its simple interface and Nodon system.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Game Builder Garage is an excellent choice for any gamers who are fascinated by the video game designing process but have little experience with how it all works. Its simplicity and cutesy approachability make it the best entry point for those with no experience, and a great learning tool for kids in particular. Without the ability to share creations or more complex design features, Game Builder Garage probably won't hold anyone's attention for long, but it fills a niche well and accomplishes all the major goals it sets out to with its presentation.
Once again, Nintendo shows they have the magic touch with a unique experience that is very outside the box thinking. With the help of seven very complete interactive lessons, learn the basics of being a programmer with a simplified approach that eases us into the complexity behind making video games.
Review in French | Read full review
Much like most people's first efforts with Game Builder Garage, it's a good first effort. It's just not something people will be revisiting after a few weeks pass.
Game Builder Garage seems to want to showcase just what it’s like to make a game, albeit in a simpler way. It’s sometimes challenging to the point of being headache-inducing. It is unrelentingly complicated. When it clicks, however, it’s fun, magical, and incredibly rewarding.
Overall, this is not your typical “game”, but it is still a lot of fun one to play. Game Builder Garage is also a game that is uniquely important and necessary for people to understand how games work. While all of this may sound like a chore, it really isn’t, as Nintendo is probably the only company that could make visual scripting actually fun. That alone is a huge achievement and one I am excited as well as relieved to champion.
Nintendo's new game creation software may not let you make the game of your dreams, but it's a fun-to-use toolkit nonetheless.
Game Builder Garage makes programming fun, with easy-to-follow tutorials and plenty of in-game resources to help you if you get lost. It’s easy on the eyes too, although a lack of visual customisation options was disappointing to see. With so many things it does right, it’s astounding that Nintendo would shoot themselves in their own foot so badly by not including any in-game search function. It may find an audience with some budding game designers, but it’s unlikely to become the phenomenon it could have been.
If you have aspirations of making your own video game but haven’t taken that first step, Game Builder Garage is for you. Just keep your expectations in check. You probably won’t be able to make your perfect game with just this software, but it could provide the creative spark that pushes you to turn your game developer dreams into a reality.
Realistically, adults who want to program are just going to go learn an actual programming language and/or pick up a tool like GameMaker. But for impressionable preteen children, which arguably seems to be the prime demographic for this software, Game Builder Garage on Nintendo Switch can provide a comprehensive and accessible introduction to programming, despite a few glaring oversights. However, not just anyone is going to instantly click with and love this game. It takes time, determination, and raw passion to get the most out of Game Builder Garage. But maybe that's a good thing.