De Blob always looked like it would be an intriguing experience. I typically never saw the original game in stores, but the sequel was always around. Luckily, I found this one in Gamestop’s 5 dollar and under bin along with the Casper game. It looked decently fun so I quickly got it and it was worth the 2-3 dollars that I spent. It’s surprisingly fun, but the timer takes away from the experience. It’s time to beautify the world!
The plot involves a corporation known as INKT. They have enslaved the world and taken away all of the color. Everyone must now live in black and white, which is no fun for the city dwellers. What about having fun and getting ready to pwn anyone that tries to get in their way? Unfortunately, that won’t be happening. The heroes are forced to call in the Blob! The Blob has some pretty unique abilities and he’s able to absorb the colors that he touches and then spread them to other objects. It’s up to him to take down the entire army of INKT that has taken over the world. He may be outnumbered over 1000-1, but the Blob has heart as well as allies. Time to rock and roll!
The gameplay is very unique and it’s actually a lot of fun. As the Blob, you just have to roll around and bang into things to paint them. I’d have fun coloring in all of the buildings and freeing the citizens, but you can also hit billboards and small objects. (Trees for example) Along the way, there are also a bunch of missions to get into and some of them are mandatory to complete the level. They are broken down into different kinds of missions. Green missions mean that you have to color in objects with certain paints. They’re the most difficult ones in my opinion and I usually avoided them. After all…I already painted the buildings; why do it in another color? Blue missions require you to run after the flares and get to the goal line. It’s basically a race against time. Orange missions are combat. Just take out the enemies. Finally, grayish/yellow missions mean that you’re going to take down a big enemy strong hold or building. Those require a lot of points so it can be a tough job, but it’s rewarding to see such a big transformation.
Fighting against the enemies can be a little uneventful. Just shake the wii remote and take them down! This works for every kind of enemy. Some of more defense than others, but it’s always the same formula. So, De Blob revolves around running, jumping, and swinging the Wii Remote around. I’l admit that it really made me miss the Gamecube remote. This game would work so much better with that control scheme. (Luckily, the sequel is on the PS3!) My wrist was hurting by the time I finished the game from all of the jumping. I don’t know how I made it through Barrel Blast. (Although I still plan on purchasing it someday)
While I did enjoy the gameplay; there was one factor that really took away from the experience. The timer that was in each level. This meant that you couldn’t take your time and finish every mission in the area. The worst part is that you have to start from scratch if you complete it. I was expecting to be able to go back into the level to have fun (Because I believe that you can do this in the sequel) but the levels go back to scratch. There is a free roam mode, but there’s nothing to do there since it doesn’t affect your completion% or have any big statistics. That was my big flaw with the gameplay and it means that you may not want to bother going through the levels again. Imagine spending over an hour on one level to get the 100% and then the timer runs out. Game Over!
One of the game’s weak points was definitely the Story Mode. None of the characters are particularly likable and the graphics are pretty underwhelming for the cutscenes. The worst part is that it’s just not interesting. The story is pretty much a parody, but they could have still made the characters fun to root for. I can’t say that I’m confident in the sequel’s chances for a solid cinematic experience.
The graphics for the gameplay are still average at best. They aren’t bad, but they could be much better and I’ve seen Gamecube games that could give it a run for its money. (The better Gamecube games crush this one in graphics of course…) The soundtrack is very good. It’s not monumental, but it fits the tone of the game. The music is typically very refreshing and it works subtly in the background. Aside from a terrible lyrical song that played in one of the moods for Blob, the rest of the pieces that I heard were solid.
There are 10 levels in the game and each one takes around 30 minutes to complete. If you decide to complete all of the missions in the 10 levels, then you can possibly double that time. 10 levels is the bare minimum to what I would call acceptable length so the game does well on that account. For replay value, this game does have a multiplayer mode, but I haven’t tried it yet, which is why I didn’t review that part. This game will last long enough to be considered a good purchase. (Unlike Casper’s 15 minute game)
Overall, this game is fun to try out. Considering that it’s under 3 dollars, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to give it a shot! Painting objects may sound boring, but it can actually be pretty interesting and you are helping to reclaim the world from the INKT army. The characters are all Sonic rip offs, but they’re not terrible. They just aren’t likable. De Blob could be the game for you and now you can claim that you know which two colors turn into green when mixed!
Overall 7/10
