de Blob 2 Review
Played on:
Xbox 360
In 2008, Australian developer Blue Tongue released de Blob and its titular character showed us you don't have to have muscles to be a strong video game hero. (Hell, you don't even have to have legs.) It also showed us the simple joy that comes from bringing color to an otherwise drab world and hypnotized us with its unabashedly rainbow-bright approach to action platforming. Three years later, Blue Tongue is back with de Blob 2, a sequel that breaks new ground while confirming the universal appeal of the original’s core gameplay.
de Blob 2 starts after the events of the first de Blob, not long after the defeat of the Napoleonic, color-hating villain, Comrade Black. De Blob foiled Black’s plans to leech the color out of Chroma City and its inhabitants, and the villain is back to try again, this time in the guise of cult leader Papa Blanc. Wearing Thulsa Doom-like disguises, he and his Inky followers start sucking the life out of the world and brainwashing its vivid little Raydians into renouncing all color. Naturally, de Blob arrives just in time to save the day and he, along with rebel group the Colour Underground and Pinky, his cute little sass-bot sidekick, set out to re-paint the Raydian world and free its people from Inky tyranny.
In many ways, de Blob 2 is de Blob all over again. The storyline's so similar to the first game, you won't feel you've missed anything if you haven't played it and the main objective—restoring color to bland, gray environments—is also the same. The mechanics in many ways are also largely unchanged since you still roll de Blob around sucking up red, blue and yellow paint and slathering it all over white-washed objects. You still mix three primary colors in order to get purple, green, orange and brown, and you still take damage by touching ink and restore yourself by rinsing in water. You also still use blobby bodyslams to defeat enemies. What's new in this version are a range of new powerups, some new 2D sidescrolling sequences and a new two player co-op mode.
de Blob 2 builds on the previous game's “paint everything” core mechanic and adds to it progressively. Aside from adding new enemies every level, there are a variety of new powerups like the Graviton powerup (which allows you to roll vertically up buildings) and the Hazmat suit (which protects you from fire and ink). These make for all manner of creative level design options and mission challenges and add a welcome layer of complexity that deepens even more as the game goes along. Part of this new creative complexity plays out in the game's new 2D side-scrolling sequences that represent areas either underground or inside of buildings. De Blob squeezes himself through manholes or portholes on the sides of a structures and suddenly he's in a library, a warehouse, a factory or a theater. These sequences contain lots of platformy fun in the form of switches, elevators, ramps, jumps and obstacles as well as hamster-like pneumatic tubes that whisk you suddenly between rooms. While inherently more linear than the more free-wheeling 3D part of the game, the side-scrolling elements are easily as entertaining. And adding equally to the fun of the 2D and 3D parts of the game is the new local co-op mode which allows another player to jump in and help by taking control of Pinky.
Because of these smart additions to an already strong core concept, de Blob 2 is an extremely entertaining game with near universal appeal. And while it still might not be challenging enough for some hardcore gamers, it's elegantly designed with levels that successfully anticipate what players will do next. Conveniences in the form of text directives and handily-placed color pools keep the pace flowing and prevent excessive backtracking. Some players may feel the game guides them a bit too much, but the childlike—or perhaps family-friendly is a better term—nature of the game makes this level of guidance absolutely apropos and does nothing to diminish the fun. In fact, not only is it fun, it’s almost absurd how satisfying it is to simply (and even repetitively) transform gray, Kansas-like environments into vivid Wizard of Oz-like riots of color. One thing to note: de Blob 2 is highly dangerous for obsessive-compulsive completionists. If you're the type (as I am) who feels compelled to finish every mission and paint every blade of grass, the game will take you much longer than it will players who don't mind leaving things undone.
de Blob 2 is new to the Xbox 360 and can be played in 3D with a 3D enabled TV, but its strength still isn't its graphics. Things definitely look cleaner on 360 but the game's inherently flat-color cartooniness means it doesn't look that much better than it did on the Wii. Similarly, the game's music system, which plays different melodic threads depending on the color you choose, also continues to feel fairly simple and despite there being different theme music for every level, the repetitive nature of each theme can get a little tedious.
Though de Blob 2’s music and graphics don't do much to transcend what was previously implemented, thanks to the new powerups, 2D sequences and two player co-op mode, the game as a whole is still a notable improvement. It's amazing how much mileage Blue Tongue gets out of something as simple as rolling a squishy little guy around and using him to paint things but the appeal and addictiveness is undeniable. Fans of the first game will enjoy the new additions to the franchise and newbies will enjoy jumping in and feeling immediately up to speed. Equally good for kids and adults, solo players and co-ops, hardcores and casuals, de Blob 2 is wildly entertaining and has a little something for everyone.
