Review: De Blob 2

De Blob 2 is a 3D action-platformer for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. It was developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment. This review covers the Wii version, though there is probably little difference.

Blob collecting yellow paint in a level that has been partially colored.

Blob and his new robotic sidekick Pinky are sent by the Color Underground to check up on the Comrade Black, the despotic leader of the INKT Corporation that tried to take over Chroma City and drain the place of all its color in De Blob. Blob and Pinky discover that Black has escaped his island prison and is attempting to take over Prisma City and its color. Blob, Pinky, and the Color Underground have to stop Comrade Black again, and restore color to Prisma City and its people.

The objective of De Blob 2 is to color the buildings in each level. Blob finds color in pools or in paintbots. Initially a clear ball of water, Blob changes into the color he takes from the pools or paintbots. The amount of paint Blob holds is represented by paint points; coloring a building costs one paint point. All Blob has to do is touch a building and it will be painted that color.

Each level has a time limit. If Blob colors a block of buildings he releases the prisoners inside. Coloring the prisoners adds more time to the limit. The time limit is never a challenge for the player since there are so many people to rescue.

Blob is led through the level by markers, where members of the Color Underground give Blob missions to complete. Completing the missions eventually unlocks a color generator, which when smashed makes animals appear and unlocks the next part of the level. The level ends when all the generators are smashed.

The missions are not difficult. Most of them are “paint all the buildings” or “paint all the people”, things the player is doing anyway. They are really more for the player to know what to do next than impose a challenge. The only difficult mission Blob sometimes will get is to paint buildings specific colors, which is a problem when a paintbot of a certain color is on a building that needs to be a different color.

Sometimes Blob has to break into a building, which costs paint points. Inside a building the game turns into a 2D platformer. Blob has to jump over pits full of ink and fight enemies to hit switches. Normally Blob has to be a certain color to hit the switch, and the paint needed is far away from the switch, so the challenge is in getting from the ‘bot to the switch without losing color by touching water or ink.

A look insdie one of the buildings.

INKT Corporation soldiers, or Inkies, try to drain Blob’s color points with ink attacks. If Blob loses all his paint points he dies; if Blob loses all of his lives the player has to start the level over and lose all the progrees they have made painting a level. Blob has two attacks, a slam attack and a dash attack for Inkies with spikes on their heads. Attacking Inkies also costs paint points.

It is really easy to load up on paint and slam all the Inkies in the area. The only challenge in combat is in the end levels, when the game throws so many Inkies at Blob to slam, that it can distract the player from stronger Inkies shooting at Blob and draining his points.

Nothing in De Blob 2 is challenging. Enemies are easy to kill, there is plenty of time and paint to complete a level, and buildings are never too hard to reach. That does not detract from the game though. The fun in De Blob 2 is watching the progress Blob makes in restoring color to Prisma City.

When the player starts a level, it is all grey and white, covered in ink, lifeless, and has no music. As Blob paints everything the color of the sky changes, people come out and dance, and the level’s music plays. It is nice to go through a level and see all the work you have done. Levels have a decent variety to them, which makes them more fun to explore and color.

The story is told with humorous animated cutscenes that have a lot of slapstick.The Color Underground are likable and Comrade Black is funny, and I liked the way Blue Tongue came up with different reasons for Blob to visit the levels he goes to, like when Blob has to stop a cult, or unfreeze a stream.

De Blob 2 is an easy but fun game. I would recommend it for people who are not looking for a challenge, but just want something to be entertained by.