Gamertell Review: A Boy and His Blob for Wii
by at February 10, 2010 9:38 am
Sections: 2D, Action, Adventure, Consoles, Developers, Exclusives, Game-Companies, Genres, Originals, Publishers, Reviews, Wii
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The original A Boy and His Blob was a game that required you to use your brain to survive. Challenges weren’t always spelled out directly, and you’d have to find ways to outsmart or out manuever enemies since the blob didn’t have any real weapon transformations. The result was a game that become a revered NES classic.
Wayforward and Majesco have revived that classic with the Wii game A Boy and His Blob, and in doing so have created an homage that honors the original and will easily become a classic based on its own merits.
A simple story of how friendship and teamwork can save a world.
A boy is in his treehouse in the woods, spending the night, when he sees something streak across the sky and crash to the ground. As he ventures out, he sees weird dark blob creatures in the forest. As he works his way through to the wreckage, he sees a pure white blob come out. At first he’s scared, but he then sees the blob is no threat, and a friendship is born. He calls the blob over, and the two embark on a journey to save both the boy’s world from the inky invaders and the blob’s home world.
The key is in the jellybeans. Pressing the Z button brings up a jellybean menu. You see an image of different color beans, and what form the blob will take if he ingests one. You can then use this to help the boy and blob get through the levels and overcome dark blob bosses.
The beauty is in the details.
The real joy in A Boy and His Blob comes from taking in the small, artistic details WayForward incorporated into the game. For example, if you press up on the Wii Remote’s directional pad when the boy is standing next to the blob, he will hug the blob and you’ll hear some adorable coos. In areas with fireflies, you’ll see the firefly’s light highlight characters. When the boy and blob are in a cave and the boy calls for the blob, his voice will echo. It’s this attention to the smallest aspects that makes A Boy and His Blob an even more memorable gaming experience.
It’s also interesting how Wayforward chose to present the game. There is no spoken dialogue, aside from the calls of “Blob!” or “Hey!” that the boy will utter if you need to call blob to his side. The story is told through actions. It only serves to add to A Boy and His Blob‘s charms.
I also enjoyed the extra challenges you can unlock. When you go through levels, you can collect chests by having the blob absorb them. When you return to the home base for that area, blob will regurgitate them, and they will open adding a new decorative accent to the area. Each object gives you access to a bonus level, and completing that level gives you decorative art or extras to view.
A game everyone with a Wii should own.
I knew A Boy and His Blob looked adorable, from screen shots I had seen before playing, but I had no idea what a truly enjoyable and challenging game it would actually be. I enjoyed it immensely, and get the feeling that many others would as well. It’s challenging, but not too challenging. Plus, it’s absolutely beautiful. Every Wii owner should experience, if not own, A Boy and His Blob.
A Boy and His Blob is also a fantastic title for people who like action games that focus on puzzle solving and using your brain to overcome difficult situations, rather than violence. The boy doesn’t have any violent weapons, but is able to use blob’s transformations, like an anvil or ball, to get past tricky areas or outsmart opponents.
Site [A Boy and His Blob]
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