Review: World of Goo

World of Goo is a puzzle game for the PC, Macintosh, and the Nintendo Wii. World of Goo was created by 2D Boy. The game can only be downloaded onto the Wii or a computer for fifteen dollars.

A goo bridge the player has managed to build across a chasm without it falling in.

The plot of World of Goo centers on the World of Corporation, which has installed pipes throughout the planet to suck up sentient blobs of goo so they can be made into products like drinks and facial creams. The blobs of goo are inexplicably drawn to the tubes, and are trying to reach the tubes in any way they can. But the blobs and discover what the Corporation does with the blobs and try to do something about it.

The objective or each level is to get a certain number of blobs of goo to a tube by connecting them together to form constructs to reach the tube. Each level has a tube at one end of the level and a set number of blobs at the other end of the level, usually with some sort of obstacle between them. The player connects two blobs of goo by dragging one blob away from the rest a certain distance and letting go. The single blob will connect to the closest blobs in the construct, like stretching a rubber band between two nails in a board. The player keeps doing this until whatever is being built can reach the pipe, at which point the remaining blobs will be sucked up.

The challenge is keeping whatever the blobs are building from collapsing. The blobs have weight and can only be stretched out so far. That means anything that is being built has to be given support with additional blobs of goo. For example, anyone who is trying to build a bridge over a pit cannot just build a straight line of blobs because it will fall into the pit. Similarly, anyone who is trying to build a tower has to make sure that the base of the tower is wide or else the tower will fall over. And anything built has to be done with the limited number of blobs that inhabit each level.

There is also a side game where any extra blobs that are sucked up can be used to construct as tall a tower as possible, which can then be shown to other people over the internet and compared to other people’s towers, the heights of which are represented by clouds that appear on the screen with the different player’s names.

The game becomes even more challenging when more obstacles are introduced. It is easy enough building a bridge, but building a bridge that dodges around fire or buzz saws is much more difficult. There are also different types of blobs that are added as the game gets hard, like flammable blobs, blobs that are sticky, or blobs filled with helium, which add variety to the game. Usually the special blobs are needed to get over around obstacle like using the flammable blobs to explode a bomb.

The majority of puzzles in this game are entertaining and challenging. The puzzles never feel so challenging that they become more frustrating than fun. The levels do get harder as the game goes on, but they increase in difficulty gradually with the skill of the player. Building some sort of structure without it being destroyed is always fun, and the variety of obstacles that are thrown at the player make sure the levels never feel repetitive. One or two levels can be annoying, usually the ones that involve moving a very small number of blobs around a variety of obstacles, but they are not many of those.

There is some replay value. Players can go back and see if they can build their structures faster, or with less blobs. But the shape of the structure will probably always be the same and there is no reward beyond the challenge.

The graphics are deliberately simplistic and cartoony, but it fits well with the setting. The music is quiet and pleasant enough without being distracting. There is not much story, but what little story is shown is told through cut scenes that are pretty funny. Most of the time it is told either through poorly drawn cut scenes, or on signs found left by the mysterious Sign Painter.

World of Goo is a fun and challenging puzzle game that should be entertaining for anyone. Some puzzles might be annoying at times, but overall the game is very enjoyable. Anyone who enjoys puzzles that do not have only one solution and enjoy being creative will like this game.