Publisher: THQ
Developer: Blue Tongue
Multiplayer: Yes (4)
Online Multiplayer: No
Review by Schrekdog + Wrecker
“De Blob” can be loosely classified as an “arcade platform puzzle game” and was based on an original free game developed by Dutch students for a university project called
“The Blob”. The game rights were then bought by THQ who handed it to the Aussie development company, Blue Tongue. Blue Tongue, which is now a part of THQ, are out to prove that the Wii has more games to offer than inferior ports from PS3 or XBOX 360 and they have not disappointed with “De Blob”.
Gameplay: 9.0
De Blob is among a small group of Wii games that can be considered unique and original, yet still incorporate fantastic game play elements. The Playstation 2 was the birthplace of Katamari Damacy, the PSP has Loco Roco and Patapon, and now the Wii claims De Blob as its own.
De Blob is a game that takes place in Chroma City (no, not a place where kids sniff paint out of plastic bags) during an invasion by the evil I.N.K.T Corporation (aka the fun police), whose leader Comrade Black is attempting to eradicate all color and enjoyment from their environment. A small group of resistance fighters called the “Colour Underground” are attempting to fight back and ensure that every dull, grey surface is splashed in vibrant colors and crazy patterns (the way Ken Done would have wanted).
The Colour Underground’s star recruit is of course “de Blob”. De Blob starts out as a colourless, well…blob, that can roam and bounce around the landscape. De Blob’s main task is simply to splash coloured patterns onto everything he touches like a psychedelic King Midas. You obtain colours by smashing the tick-like robots that have sucked up the colour into paint pots. The more paint you collect the larger De Blob gets. You can mix colors together by collecting different pots. You’ll have to remember your primary colour rules too, i.e.: Red + Blue = Purple etc. It is not just different colors either, each level will be stocked with style (pattern) power-ups that will change the design, in addition to the colour, of objects you paint. You can wash De Blob by jumping into water and you can then start fresh with a new color. The I.N.K.T Corporation has also left puddles of ink around the place and you will need to avoid touching it as it will slowly kill you, so get to water fast to clean De Blob up.
For each object you paint you will score points, and the more points you accumulate the closer you will be to unlocking the gate to the next part of the level. You can score higher by performing combos by making consecutive wall bounces. As you progress through levels you will also gain access to more moves such as Z-jumping from point to point and learning to smash those pesky I.N.K.T soldiers.
When you completely paint a block of buildings you will liberate the “Graydians”, the citys civilians who were locked inside. You can then brighten them up too, by rolling over them, turning them back into “Raydians” (who sound like Lemmings) and earn more points.
Each level has a series of goals including, completing all challenges; collecting all the extra time; collecting all hidden “styles” icons; painting all the trees; converting the landmarks; collecting transforms; painting the level 100%; and painting all billboards. Challenges involve tasks such as painting a city block orange or painting all billboards in a sector. Each challenge is rated in difficulty (and subsequently points) by 3 stars; 1 star being the easiest. There are also a series of landmarks to convert on each level. You can do this by collecting the required number of paint points, then jump inside the landmark and then shake the hell out of the wii remote and nunchuck.
The levels are well thought out and each part of Chroma City is different from the last. There are even a few shorter puzzle type levels to break-up the main story mode, but all are entertaining and will require you to continually devise new strategies and test your problem solving.
We know that no game is completely original nowadays and De Blob does tend to borrow or expand on a few existing ideas. De Blob’s core gameplay involves coloring in a drab grey world using “de Blob” as your paintbrush. Old School gamers will notice that the gameplay concept resembles the old Commodore 64 game, Wizball. The game feels a bit like Katami Damacy when you are bouncing about the landscape and for those who are familiar with the multiplayer “graffiti” mode available in Tony Hawk, you will notice some similarities with colouring objects when touching them, particular in the multiplayer mini games. De Blob’s atmosphere also feels reminiscent of Tim Schafer’s acclaimed Psychonauts. However De Blob only seems to borrow small amounts of these elements and it definitely remains its own unique game.
There are three game modes in De Blob. They are Story Mode (single player adventure), Free Paint (revisiting levels to finish them off 100%, with no nasties or timer) and Blob Party (multiplayer mode). As already discussed, the single player mode follows the story of the Color Underground’s mission to liberate Chroma city. The multiplayer mode features three key games called Blob Race (paint the designated targets within the time frame), Paint Match (paint more objects than your opponent) and Blob on the Run (only one blob can paint at a time). Each game is simple but fun and addictive, especially when you add more players.
An aspect of the game that was annoying was not being able to save the game midway through the level. Levels can be quite long, so if you are spending the time to try and complete a level 100% and your annoying brother/sister/partner demands the TV back, then you will either have to turn it off and play again later or have a family punch-on. Occasionally the camera angles can obstruct your view which seems to be the bane of most platform style games, although the D pad and C button can be used to adjust your view of De Blob.
There is great attention to detail too; finishing touches to the game include the trail of paint De Blob leaves behind (which is handy to track down your opponent in multiplayer game) and the ability to view some simple storyboard comics or draw on the screen while the game is loading.
Graphics: 9.0
The art direction in De Blob is top notch. The whole look and feel from the game’s menu to its gameplay feels clean, polished and professional. De Blob’s style seems to be an eclectic mash-up between art deco and the modern graffiti culture with some really unique results.
The game features excellent looking levels. Each level features many buildings and objects; all set up like a blank grey canvas just waiting to be saturated in color. The game really capitalizes on the use of color by the contrasting drab and lifeless levels with outrageously vibrant colors.
Once de Blob has absorbed paint he will also leave a splattering trail behind him wherever he goes and eventually the whole level starts to look like a primary school art class floor. The amount of paint that De Blob has absorbed will also affect the color of objects. For example, when you are low on paint the objects you paint will be lighter shade, but when you are full of paint then the result is a “fuller” saturated look.
The game also has excellent cut scenes with humorous depictions of the battles between the “Colour Underground” and I.N.K.T Corporation. The characters in the game have a cutesy look but have a slightly darker side to them, not unlike characters from games such as Day of the Tentacle or more recently, Rayman Raving Rabbits.
The unlockable movies and galleries are also impressive with some fantastic concept art and animation available, and are well worth a look.
Too often, Wii games are ported from console rivals with the result being a similar game with poorer looking graphics. Some Wii game developers should learn from games such as De Blob that are designed with simple yet effective visuals that truly suit the Wii’s capabilities, rather than trying to dumb down PS3 or XBOX360 textures and models in order to obtain adequate Wii frame rates.
Sound: 8.5
The sound in De Blob is very good. It has a funky assortment of tunes that you can select to set De Blob’s mood before entering a level. The bright music matches well to the game’s vibrant visuals and the different selections available can describe its feel; Blissful; Funky; Righteous; Euphoric; Smooth; Unstoppable; Fearless; Defiant; Brazen; Revolutionary; Victorious; Energetic; or Random.
One excellent feature, that is rather subtle at first, is the inclusion of music snippets when De Blob colours objects. For example, you might have a baseline playing in the background, then each time De Blob colours an object you will hear some guitar riffs or other instruments that blend into that baseline. This ensures that when the gameplay is frantic the music also has a higher intensity; the music also speeds up in tempo when the time is running out to give that added feeling or urgency.
Another nice touch is that the characters in the game have their own language which is a mix of mumbo jumbo, much like the voices in The Sims, which is amusing and adds to De Blobs odd atmosphere.
Difficulty: 5.0
The game is very easy to pickup. The game features some excellent in game instructions that you can read at your own pace so it isn’t long before you get the hang of De Blob’s odd behaviors.
The controls are intuitive enough and you’ll need to use both remote and nunchuck. Although sometimes getting De Blob to jump to the desired spot can get frustrating it's not enough to consider it overly difficult. The camera angles can be slightly obstructive but this is really no different to most other platform games.
Difficultly is really focused on completing tasks in a given time limit. It would be safe to assume that most people could breeze through the game if they had unlimited time. However the game does get progressively more difficult, especially in the second half. There is a suitable balance though between the difficulty and gameplay to ensure De Blob will appeal to a wide audience.
Value: 8.5
De Blob offers an in-depth single player story mode that will keep gamers entertained for hours. This is one of those games you can finish faster if you don’t take time to smell (or color) the roses, but the side challenges and trophies are addictive and you just won’t feel right leaving one building without a splash of paint on it.
Some people may find that the formula of obtaining color, painting the landscape, completing challenges, then heading to the exit as a bit repetitive. This may be true in some aspects and after a couple of hours you might find the psychedelic visuals overwhelming and feel compelled to go stare at a plain white wall for a while, at least until you get the urge to paint it.
There are a lot of unlockables to obtain by completing side challenges and getting that elusive “100% painted” status. The unlockables feature great videos and some beautiful concept artwork which makes 100% completion that much sweeter.
The multiplayer modes are a blast, the simplicity and sheer addictive gameplay will ensure you will keep coming back for more.
Overall: 8.8
De Blob has simple, effective gameplay with some great looking visuals and sound effects. The controls feel naturally suited to the Wii. It has an entertaining single player storyline (complimented with some great cut scenes) and it also offers some addictive multiplayer modes. De Blob really sets a benchmark for what gamers should expect from “true” Wii games. This was the brainchild of Dutch game design and development students; so if this is a taste of what the future holds for gaming then it looks like we are headed in the right direction.