Pixar Perfection
I regret buying a Wii. That is something I can never undo. While the hardware seemed ambitious and fresh the software let it down hard. Eventually I had to accept that it was a choice between low-res ports of popular games with motion controls crammed in, or the shovelware motion games that were in no way better than Wii Sports, which you may recall came free with the system. I hung desperately to whatever first party games Nintendo decided to roll out, but even those were starting to feel derivative and unnecessarily full of waggle. Enter De Blob, basically the Jesus of my Wii.
Unfortunately De Blob did indeed die for the horrible machine’s sins. Being a non-first party Wii exclusive, “unexpected success” amounted to about 700,000 copies over its life. Modern Warfare 3 sold 6.5 million copies in 24 hours. Granted there are a lot of differences between the games, it’s still a sad state of affairs.
In case you didn’t play it (which is rather likely), De Blob saw you bouncing around as the titular character bringing colour back to Chroma City, a world which has been whitewashed by the evil (and unashamedly soviet) Inkies. The premise was simple; going to paint pools colours Blob, anything he touches will be painted that colour. Of course there were complications in the form of enemies and colour mixing but it was a game that was simple enough for anyone to enjoy.
Thankfully THQ had the sense to put the sequel out on all consoles, and that is why I am currently able to play in glorious high definition on my PS3 (or 360, if you’ve got one). De Blob had a simple but powerful art style that flourished despite the Wii’s hardware limitations. That design philosophy is largely unchanged but the environments are much larger, much more dense and much MUCH more detailed.
As nice as the HD-ified visuals are, it’s the music that really thrives with the upgrade. While De Blob had some stellar sound design, it suffered from heavy compression to fit Wii hardware. The sequel is free of those shackles, and it certainly doesn’t squander the freedom. De Blob 2 works even harder than its predecessor to bring synergy between soundtrack and gameplay. When entering a level the are is dull and grey, the music just slow percussion and bass, but every splash of colour rings out a new note, every different colour is a new instrument.
As the area become more colourful the music builds in intensity and the compositions are sublime. It’s to the point that I almost avoided progressing into unpainted areas so I didn’t lose the jazzy tones. The level design incorporates the sound fantastically. Crossing a bridge that has a dozen planks of wood to paint means each one of those is a note. Rolling over it coloured bright red gives you a roaring saxophone solo and one hell of a smile.
The central new addition is 2D platforming sections, and these have been done, on the whole, relatively well. They start out pretty bland but get interesting when the game introduces gravity switches and magnets. They’re certainly a fine addition to the game and don’t detract from it in any way but lack the colourful chaos that makes De Blob special.
While the original was a little unsure of who it was trying to appeal to De Blob 2 is very much a kids game. It says it on the front of the box actually; “SyFy Kids.” so there’s no question as to the central audience. That doesn’t mean that it’s not a brilliant game for everyone else as well. The writing is surprisingly hilarious. Kids won’t notice it, but watch the news ticker down the bottom. For the observant reader, there are some laugh out loud moments. I won’t spoil them here but actually stop to read the dialogue once in a while and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
Having said that, it is a great game to play with kids. Player two can jump in and help out ala Super Mario Galaxy, leashed to player one and able to fire paint, either to fight inkies or assist with painting challenges. This can make things much easeier for younger players, as it almost completely removes the possibility of failure. This is an approach that makes sense too, young kids get frustrated easily if they fail. It strikes me as odd then that it’s quite possible to get a ‘game over’ when you run out of lives (and you only start with one).
De Blob 2 can still be difficult if you want it to be. Trying to achieve 100% in every level is no small feat, and you will fail jumps dozens of times (I distinctly remember spending twenty minutes trying to paint one tree on a tiny island, always losing my colour in the water).
It’s also worth mentioning how insanely adorable the cutscenes between levels are. The visual quality and animation is astounding, easily on par with any Disney-Pixar venture. All the characters are just a little dopey, and watching them stumble around is almost painfully endearing. The kind that makes you want to spoon out your eyes so your last sight can be something wonderful.
Above all De Blob 2 is a fantastic game for just relaxing (provided you don’t try and get that tree on the island I mentioned earlier). The tunes are near perfect, the visuals are hypnotic and the gameplay is satisfying. If you didn’t pick up the first one and you enjoy 3D platformers I’d highly recommend it. If you’re a parent who wants to play games with their kid, I can’t think of anything better. If you’re just looking for something a little different than testosterone fuelled gunfights and drag races, De Blob is there to welcome you into his gooey rainbow arms.