I was raised by video games. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve jumping on the heads of pixilated crocodiles in Pitfall, or fighting evil aliens and mad scientists in Maniac Mansion. To this day, I find it hard to pass by a flying turtle without giving it a little stomp and kicking the shell into a wall.
Yet despite the incredible advances in game and console technology, the quality of games hasn’t kept pace with the technological advances. I’ll gladly take an old PC copy of King’s Quest over the latest photo-realistic shoot-em-up offering for PS3 or Xbox 360. It’s not that the new games aren’t impressive, but they just all start to look the same after a while. Maybe after lounging around the Playboy Mansion for a while the Bunnies start to seem mundane as well, and who you really want is Velma from Scooby Doo. Sometimes uniqueness is a more desirable quality than beauty, and finding a truly unique video game these days is a rare occurrence. Finding that truly unique game available as a $15 download is as exciting as discovering the secret message on a tombstone in Goldrush.
Yet a $15 giant killer is exactly what you’ll find in World of Goo, a stupendously fun and challenging release from 2D Boy. It’s available as a WiiWare download directly to your Wii console for 1500 Wii Points, and is also available for PC and Mac. Apparently, there’s a Linux version in the works as well for you OS geeks out there.
The premise behind World of Goo is simple- you are dealing with a world full of living, moving balls of goo. These goo balls come in a variety of species, each with different abilities. They can usually be connected together and travel along bridges and towers formed by their fellow gooligans (note: I just totally made up that word, and now it belongs to me). Each level starts with a set number of goo balls and a vacuum tube somewhere nearby (or not so nearby) that serves as a final destination. Your object is to get a set number of goo balls into that tube using any means necessary, which may mean having to get by any number of obstacles. The game is reminiscent of Lemmings, but with a whole new level of complexity and an incredible simulation of real-world physics. The levels range from simple and obvious to incredibly difficult, and require equal parts of engineering, strategy, physics and dumb luck to succeed. The game rewards not the ability to press buttons quickly or master a few key movements, but instead focuses on forethought, strategy, and cleverness, Gameplay is simple and intuitive, and if you fail in your mission (and you will!), you can just try that particular scenario again.
The 2D world that has been created is colourful, cartoonish, inky, and almost apocalyptical, managing to be visually stunning without resorting to photo realism or a particularly graphics intensive game. There’s also a quirky little story that develops as the game progresses, but I won’t reveal the details. You’ll have to figure that one out yourself. In addition to being a truly stellar game on its own merits, it’s also impressive that World of Goo has been created by a team of just two designers, as opposed to the full design studios behind many other releases. The creativity and effort that is apparent in World of Goo needs to be supported, both because of the quality of the game itself and because of what it represents.
There are very few things to criticize about this game. Perhaps the closest thing to a complaint that I can muster is the relative brevity of the game. 4-6 hours of continuous gameplay will probably get you to the end, although each level has OCD (”obsessive completion disorder”) goals and targets that will really challenge even the most accomplished player. I’m hopeful that 2D Boy will release a sequel or add-on for those of us looking for even more challenges.
And just to be clear, I have absolutely no financial interest in World of Goo or 2D Boy, and there are no affiliate links or commissions here. The only thing I have to gain from all my readers rushing home and buying World of Goo is the knowledge that a fantastic, creative game is getting the support it needs to ensure that other novel, creative games will get the same chance. And that, my friends, is well worth $15.
Image by doctor paradox.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
MGL,
Another great post! I’ve only recently stumbled across your blog, but I’ve made up for lost time perusing the archives. Whether the subject is just for laughs or more thoughtful, your posts are consistently enjoyable. Kudos! I’m not sure I’d have been able to procrastinate so effectively without them.
Cheers,
AHW
MGL
I am loving your blog! Great sense of…umm humor!
Thanks for pointing me towards a cool game. Might just have to quit paling civ now.
Cheers
good job, money grubbing lawyer. as per our agreement, i just sent you the check for promoting our game.
just kidding everyone, he really doesn’t have any financial interest in world of goo or 2d boy. i had fun reading your writeup, as well as your “about” page. stay warm, mgl!
We just bought a Wii and I’m definitely going to check out this game. Sounds like a lot of fun and for $15, you can’t go wrong.
They want $20 from me…