Review: de Blob 2

de Blob 2 is the successor to the often-overlooked Wii exclusive de Blob. You play as Blob, a protagonist with the ability to absorb paint in a rainbow of colours to repaint the world. Set two years after the original, your goal is to save Prisma City – a once vibrant metropolis now leeched of any colour by Papa Blanc: the new mayor who only won by rigging the election, bearing a striking resemblance to Blob’s former enemy…

The plot is lovingly told through the use of charming cutscenes sans dialog and text, each beautifully animated. Blue Tongue have injected a healthy dose of humour in these scenes as well which is necessary as the oppressive government systems enforced in Prisma City would otherwise be frankly depressing.

In each level your ultimate goal is to repaint a whole area of the city, bringing colour and life back into it. There are a bunch of continual little quests to lead you through each level. These generally involve painting a region of the city in specific colours which involves a nice mix of 3D platforming and a tiny, tiny bit of problem solving. You solve said problems by colour mixing and avoiding touching the buildings you’ve already painted the correct colour. You’ll find yourself running (err… rolling?), jumping and wall-sticking through city zones filled with objects and buildings to paint, with various enemies and obstacles to pound and charge out of your way.

Movement in general was a seamless experience. I played this game on Xbox so it was interesting to play without the waggle mechanic I was used to in its predecessor; I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very satisfying to L-target and bash the crap out of the local “Graydians” to turn them back to colourful “Raydians”. L-targeting was also very useful  for anytime Blob is jumping, when you can just lock on and zoom to the other platform mid-jump.

A new addition in de Blob 2 is the new 2D platforming levels. These are executed brilliantly as mini-levels any time you go inside a building. There are several of these inside each of the game’s 12 levels and I found myself looking forward to these sections more and more as I played.

One of the outstanding features of the game, aside from it’s visual style, is the uniquely jazzy soundtrack. Each time you paint part of the environment, more depth is added to the music, with different instruments for each colour you happen be painting with at the time. This interactivity really helps to feel like you are helping to change the game world for the better.

A nifty feature is the little “skirt” map that Blob has which lets you know at any moment where the nearest paint sources are in each colour, as well as any other objectives such as the next quest can be found. Particularly useful once you’ve completed the main part of the level.

In every level there are secondary objectives to paint EVERY building, billboard and tree as well as destroy all the crates littered around the map. If you want really complete the level (and get all the achievements!) you’re going to have do this. It’s not a deal-breaker as it’s kind of fun but tedious to run around the level which is now devoid of enemies. I actually found it reminiscent of Spyro the Dragon when you used to have to do the same thing to get all the gems in a similar manner.

Of questionable importance is the upgrade system in de Blob 2. By collecting “inspiration” in the world, Blob can use this to upgrade things such as how much paint he can carry or reduce the cost of his charge attack. While admittedly useful some of the boss fights later in the game, it’s more annoying with little benefit for the majority. The combat is a bit simplistic (but still fun); this can be forgiven as it’s accessible to everyone and really more about the platforming.

I found the levels were a little bit too long. On average, they take at least half an hour each, and then some more if you’re a completionist and want to collect and paint everything. Each level also has a time limit. While not too punishing as you can easily snag some extra time by quickly painting a block of buildings or converting some “Graydians”. If you don’t manage to finish a level when the time runs out, you’ll have to start again or go back to your last checkpoint – with the same amount of time left.

de Blob 2 is a quality game. I’d say the best to come out of Blue Tongue Entertainment: the Melbourne developers who sadly closed their doors as of August this year. The visual style, jazzy soundtrack and smooth controls make it a joy to play. It’s perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon just to pick up and play a level or two, though I found it didn’t really hold my interest for long play sessions.