De Blob 2

Posted 2 years ago By - Jay Acevedo

Have you ever heard of a little game called de Blob? Never? Are you sure? It was one of those great third-party titles that many Wii users overlooked in 2008 because it was released on a console that, at the time, didn’t care for anything other than Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii Fit and Mario Kart. Starting out as a freeware PC project by a group of college students, THQ saw the potential in the platforming-puzzler and bought the rights with the intention of turning it into a full-blown retail title. With positive critical reception and solid sales numbers, it deserved a sequel. However, it was clear to THQ that this new IP needed more exposure. So here we are, three years later, and de Blob 2 is now a multi-platform title...and a great one too.

Taking place immediately after the end of the first game, de Blob 2 sees Comrade Black - the big bad from the first game, posing as religious guru Papa Blanc - taking control of Prisma City and sucking away all of its colors and music. With a depressive world in the making, Black also indoctrinates its inhabitants into wearing special “conformity” outfits that prevents them from being the happy and joyful bunch they are. At this point, the only person (thing??) capable of stopping this non-sense is the dangerous color criminal known as de Blob!

Similar to the original game, de Blob 2’s gameplay revolves around absorbing loads of colored paint and give objects and buildings their groove back. By doing so, new objectives and challenges will unlock. Since Prisma City is divided into twelve stages - each having its main and secondary objectives - the new areas will subsequently become available for you to explore as soon as all main story challenges are completed. Then, players will have two choices: either move forward in the adventure or stay a little longer to complete bonus challenges such as saving captive Graydians, find painting styles or collect “Inspiration”, among others thing. The latter is used to improve Blob’s abilities via the new “Idea Emporium” upgrade system, which will allow de Blob to improve his various feats such as life, body armor, body size, etc. For the sequel, de Blob has been granted a special charge attack and wall running/jumping moves. These will be helpful in combat as well as in the interior 2D platforming areas, which are rather nice to look at and fun to play.

Note that all levels also carry a certain time limit. However, as de Blob eliminates Inky enemies, additional time is added to the game clock, giving players plenty of time to complete their primary objectives. Already being a rather easy game to complete, a time limit may be useless to the seasoned gamers, but young ones will get to experience the gratifying feel of seeing their gameplay clocks go from a mere 15 minutes to a full-blown 60. While being on the “kid” subject, de Blob 2’s main campaign is also playable cooperatively. Parents can grab a second controller, jump straight in and control Pinky, de Blob’s robotic sidekick. Fully upgradable just like de Blob, Pinky uses paint points as ammunition and is able to accomplish the same tasks her blobish buddy can. Pinky’s support implementation in the game is very low-profile, meaning that adults can play alongside their child and they wouldn’t even notice. For more fun, there’s also “Blob Party”, a world-coloring split-screen competitive mode where two players can join in and complete time-based missions. It adds nice measure of replay value once the 10-15 hour single player campaign is completed.

If the first de Blob game managed to surprise more than a few, everything was due to its funny, family-friendly, up-beat and charming presentation. No wonder THQ partnered up with SyFy to bring de Blob’s world to the small screen. Anywho, the same magic permeates de Blob 2. Even though we can see the minimalist visual design and overly repetitive gameplay, Blue Tongue manages to deliver everything in such a subtle and eye-catchy way that players will be powerless to keep their qualms to themselves and enjoy the colorful atmosphere. After all, allow me to remind you that this game isn’t intended for a hardcore market. Still, I don’t see why any gamer couldn’t fall in love with it. Still, why did the developer fell the need to keep telling me where to go and what to do? It does becomes annoying, especially after the first level. I think players will get the point.

Finally, I would like to point out that both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions support 3D. Move support is also featured in the Playstation 3 version for those interested. The game doesn’t play better with Move controls, but it does add something to the experience, particularly when playing as Pinky for its point-and-shoot ability. Oh, a quick word on the game’s music. Those who know me are aware that I’m a sucker for game soundtracks. While this one may not feel that special at first, its rather interesting to see it evolve and change rhythm as buildings and roads are being painted.

Conclusion

We don’t get to see titles like this one very often. And by that I mean an actual kid/family-friendly game that is worth every second of time invested. The industry may have shown us various games where exploiting the licensed brand was more important than delivering interesting gameplay but here, de Blob 2 managed to merge simplicity, fun, charm and addictiveness in one cute package that will sure please both the young and old ones. My recommendation? Pick it up, without hesitation.