Game Builder Garage Reviews

Game Builder Garage is ranked in the 67th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Ollie Barder
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Jun 21, 2021

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.

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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.

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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.

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Jun 11, 2021

Game Builder Garage might be pitched at a younger audience - and I can genuinely see Nintendo selling a bunch of Switches to schools for use in the younger grades as an introduction to the all-important education space - but the systematic clarity with which the tutorials of Game Builder Garage are arranged, and then the ease of use and accessibility of the software to play around with afterwards, makes it the best introduction to programming that I've come across, for anyone of any age.

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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

8.5 / 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

8.5 / 10.0
Jun 22, 2021

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

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.

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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.

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Alex Donaldson
Top Critic
Jun 21, 2021

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.

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Jun 16, 2021

From Mario Kart racers to 2D platforms, this charming game-maker gives you access to the Nintendo toolkit

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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

Jake Su
Top Critic
4 / 5.0
Jun 28, 2021

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.

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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.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 8, 2021

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

8 / 10.0
Nov 9, 2021

Learn how to create your own games. It is really fun and informative.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

Jun 28, 2021

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.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 11, 2021

Like any good game creator, it’s a quick way to jump into fast access game development to explore creative ideas on the fly anywhere you may be, and it’s accessibility for the young makes it a good jump start in interests towards game development as a hobby or career.

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Jun 15, 2021

If you're new to programming and want to see what it takes to make a game, this is a wonderful and humorous introduction. It does have limitations, though, and mastering its intricacies can take a long time.

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