Moby Games reviews “A Boy and His Blob,” the Nintendo Switch-exclusive puzzler from developer WeirdBeard. It’s a time-tested formula that is bursting with charm, but it can feel like more of the same at times.
A Boy and His Blob is a game originally released for the NES in 1989. It has been remade several times, most recently for the Nintendo Switch. The game features an adorable protagonist, who must rescue his girlfriend from an evil blob.
Despite the fact that I grew up with a NES and had heard about A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia when it initially came out in 1989, I never got around to playing it. Then, in 2009, developer WayForward gave it a complete makeover, but I never got around to playing it. Now that it’s officially available on the Nintendo Switch, I couldn’t wait any longer to play it. It’s time to put A Boy and His Blob to the test and discover what all the excitement is about.
A Boy and His Blob isn’t a really profound tale. When his home planet of Blobolonia is threatened, the titular blob goes to Earth and meets a little kid. The child and his blob then join forces to defeat Blobolonia’s terrible monarch. They must first complete specific tasks on Earth before proceeding to Blobolonia to fight the ruler. As I previously said, it’s a pretty simple storyline, but it’s sufficient to give your actions some logic.
The Emperor of Blobolonia must be avoided!
A Boy and His Blob is a traditional 2D platformer in terms of gameplay. It does, however, have its own distinct gimmick that distinguishes it from the competition. The youngster will be able to feed his blob a variety of jellybeans, each of which will change the blob’s shape. A trampoline, a hole in the ground, a parachute, a ladder, and so on are examples of these. To get past numerous barriers, the youngster will have to decide out which shape the blob should take.
There’s no need to guess what you’re tossing out of the bag since each jellybean is color labeled for a certain shape. As if that wasn’t enough, each barrier or adversary you must overcome will be marked with a large wooden sign depicting the precise shape the blob must adopt in order to go forward. At first, I assumed they were just on the first level as a teaching area or something, but they are, oddly enough, a part of the whole game. I get that this is a family-friendly game that must appeal to a wide range of people, but it eliminates the difficulty. To begin with, there wasn’t much.
Thank you very much for the huge sign! I’m not convinced if common sense was enough to overcome this obstacle.
The same may be stated for boss fights. The game A Boy and His Blob is divided into four worlds, each with 10 stages and a monster. While I loved the boss fights, I felt like there were not enough of them. They were a fun way to break up the monotony of platforming, but there aren’t many of them left. You’re also told which jellybean to utilize so the blob has an easier time defeating them. As I already said, there isn’t much of a difficulty here.
However, for the most part, the game is well-controlled, and it’s simple to go through. The controls were pleasantly surprising in their responsiveness, which is crucial in any platformer. Any fatalities I racked up were the result of my own errors, not weak controls. If the kid comes into contact with an adversary, a dangerous item, or falls from a tremendous height, he will die instantaneously. Thankfully, he’ll respawn just where he died the previous time, so there’s absolutely no need to go back. There are almost no loading periods between deaths, so it’s not that aggravating when you do die.
This yellow bird is a jerk, stealing all of my jellybeans.
The only gripe I have with A Boy and His Blob is that the blob will remain motionless in his designated shape until you summon him. This may not seem like a big deal, but it usually takes numerous calls to the blob before it registers and makes its way to you. This ruins the flow of a game that was otherwise sleek and fast-paced.
That is, however, the only significant criticism I have about A Boy and His Blob. It’s a lovely game with lovely hand-drawn graphics. The character animations are also quite fluid. I would note that after a time, some of the sceneries and music may seem a little monotonous, but it is a minor quibble. It’s a very nice game. Some of the lighting effects, particularly with the firefly and city lights, were really fantastic. The dramatic lighting served to bring out the most in some already fantastic artwork.
The light that these fireflies emit is just stunning.
In terms of artwork, there are three alternative chests to discover in each level. If you discover all of them, you’ll be able to take part in unique challenges. You’ll get concept art for A Boy and His Blob if you complete these tasks. Of course, there’s also the satisfaction of accomplishing additional tasks. The additional look inside the drawings that inspired A Boy and His Blob was really rather enjoyable. It’s a little bonus, but it adds a new level of enjoyment to the game.
I had a lot of fun looking at all of the concept drawings.
My experience with A Boy and His Blob was fantastic. I can see why this beautiful little game has captured so many people’s hearts. Although it isn’t the most difficult game on the market, it is nonetheless a lot of fun. The stages are all fairly short, making it an excellent Switch game. It’s the ideal game to take with you and play on the move.
|
The hand-drawn images are stunning, particularly the lighting effects for some of the animals, such as the firefly. However, after a time, the backgrounds for each region might start to seem too identical. |
A 2D platformer in which you feed jellybeans to your blob in order to modify his shape and avoid hazards. |
|
The sound design is also very good. The basic sound effects and the little language provided by the youngster calling his blob are adequate. The music is great, although it becomes tedious after a while. |
It’s a basic game with a lot of charm. It’s easy to understand how it grew in popularity over time. For those who have already played the game on the Wii, this transfer provides nothing new, but it is a fantastic opportunity for novices. |
|
Final Score: 7.5 |
|
On Android, iOS, Linux, OS X, PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Switch, Wii, and Xbox One, A Boy and His Blob is now available.
On Switch, the game was reviewed.
The publisher sent me a copy of A Boy and His Blob.
As an example:
As if Loading…
Look at them!
Related Tag
- de blob