Game Builder Garage Reviews

Game Builder Garage is ranked in the 67th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.5 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

As a learning tool, Game Builder Garage provides an easy-to-follow experience that makes learning the basics of game programming fun. With that in mind, there are definitely more comprehensive and robust ways to create games on console.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

Game Garage Builder is wonderful. Nintendo has come up with a new programming language made up of hilarious characters, tasking the player with having them interact with each other to code their games. A real video game laboratory, where you can experiment and learn with a smile on your face.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

An interesting videogame development software with a bit of a target audience issue.

Review in Italian | Read full review

79 / 100
Jun 10, 2021

An interesting game making tool, easy to learn and powerful enough to create and share our own minigames. Still we miss some utilities such as importing assets or composing music.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

7 / 10
Jun 10, 2021

Game Builder Garage is a frighteningly powerful game creation tool dragged down by a few limiting factors. The lack of an object creation tool (and pyramids) means that most games are going to look like they were made in a game creation suite, but the sheer scope of what's possible helps to take the sting out of the tail. This will actually teach you how to make games, the tutorials that lead you through are by-and-large excellent, and the inclusion of USB mouse support is a godsend. We're probably unable to even conceive of half of what Switch owners will be able to create using this software, but we're certain this is going to help propagate the next generation of game developers.

Read full review

Spaziogames
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

If you would like to create your own video games, this is key that may open that door.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10
Jun 10, 2021

Behind the humorous, colorful atmosphere, Game Builder Garage proves a real creation environment, with a phenomenally intuitive interface and a clever didactic approach to such a huge amount of possibilities, using almost every function of the system. But Nintendo also made delicate compromises between simplicity and ambition through technical or sharing limitations, hence production will heavily rely on Nodon game designers' efforts.

Review in French | Read full review

Polygon
Top Critic
Unscored
Jun 10, 2021

Children are like sponges, eager to learn and soak up new knowledge to apply to the decades ahead of them. If you’re an adult who’s curious about how games work, Game Builder Garage is a fun, informative experience most of the time — but it’s one you may prefer to experience in short bursts, lest the slow-moving lessons force you to snap your Switch in two.

Read full review

Unscored
Jun 10, 2021

I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving Game Builder Garage a score or full evaluation until I’ve made a game of my own that I consider to be complete and finished, but I’m still far from having any clue what that actually means. One of my personal goals is to make a multiplayer party game that my friends will legitimately enjoy, but I still need to come up with a concept and plan out its design, let alone start building it to see if it’ll all come together. How do I put a timeframe on that, when the very first step is reliant on creativity and inspiration? And then, how much time will I need for coding, testing, bug fixing, focus testing, and so on?

Read full review

83 / 100
Jun 10, 2021

Nintendo has created a fun and accessible product that is a great introduction to programming. Through the perfectly paced interactive lessons, anyone can start making games in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, the omission of in-game community creations does hinder what could have been a complete creative suite, however, this won’t stop enthusiasts from creating and sharing their games in other ways.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

Game Builder Garage is typically brilliant Nintendo, offering a way of creating levels that is only stymied by the lack of online community and curation options.

Read full review

GameXplain
GameXplain
Top Critic
Liked
Jun 10, 2021
Game Builder Garage is Impressive, but Not Perfect - REVIEW (Switch) video thumbnail
Jordan Minor
Top Critic
Jun 10, 2021

Game Builder Garage is a tremendously powerful and accessible piece of game development software that gives you the tools and guidance to make video games with ease.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

‎A fairly satisfying experience that immerses us fully in the world of programming without requiring hundreds of lines of code. It adapts perfectly to object-oriented programming, although with much simpler concepts achieved thanks to the 'nodon'. Without a doubt, a great stimulant for your imagination‎.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.3 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

Game Builder Garage is a courageous experiment that deserves the attention of those who are not content to stay on the surface of the video game medium. The experience is presented on the first as less captivating than titles such as Super Mario Maker, but the satisfaction that is obtained by entering the Bianconiglio lair and discovering the secrets of programming is priceless. We're curious to find out how the Game Builder Garage community will evolve, and we'll be interested in trying out the creations of grass developers from all over the world.

Review in Italian | Read full review

IGN
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

Game Builder Garage is a robust, yet easy to learn, game engine that's absolutely delightful.

Read full review

Unscored
Jun 10, 2021

The game excels at giving people a small taste of programming, but the game’s pupils will have to seek unabridged coding lessons elsewhere. It’s hard to give the game a final score in its current form, because what people design in free programming and post online will ultimately add to the game’s potential.

Read full review

Dave Aubrey
Top Critic
Jun 10, 2021

In reality, Game Builder Garage feels like the perfect place to build a game prototype. You can create a basic idea, see if it works and is fun, and then maybe take that concept into a real game engine development kit - but not much more. It can truly pique the curiosities of kids, and I hope it does, but it's launched in a world where it has big competition, and the depth and charm of those tutorials which only Nintendo could pull off so well can't carry the rest of the experience.

Read full review

8 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2021

Nintendo’s best development toolkit to date, with a gamified process that makes creating enjoyable, even if the curation tools are sub-par.

Read full review

Jun 11, 2021

Game Builder Garage attempts to turn a scary and complex task like programming into something easy and fun with its simple mechanics, clever design and bags of personality. While it can feel frustratingly restrictive at times (especially in the beginning) and the tutorials don’t so much hand hold but grab on tight with no intention of letting you go, they do make it a playful and charming experience.

Read full review