| System: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS |  |
| Dev: Blue Tongue Entertainment | |
| Pub: THQ | |
| Release: February 22, 2011 | |
| Players: 1 | |
| Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p |
Don't get me wrong, this is not Final Fantasy. It's not the kind of story that wins awards. However, it works very well. The plot revolves around Comrade Blanc, who weasels his way into the office of the president, then imposes martial law and attempts to force all people into conformity. There are some heavy topics involved, even if they're acted out by adorable blobs. The game's characters are cute little blobs, so when Comrade Blanc starts brainwashing them and forcing them into servitude, I naturally boiled with hatred for the nefarious villain – far more so than I would have if the characters had been human. One particularly poignant scene featured a husband-wife pairing of blobs being marched in front of a courtroom of the evil Graydians. Before the husband even speaks, he is pronounced guilty and forcibly dumped into a pile of black ink that strips him of his color. These aren't even important characters, but their intrinsic cuteness endears them to the viewer immediately. There's even a little homage to the Tiananmen Square protests as a little blob halts a Graydian tank.
That isn't an isolated event either. There are frequent allusions to an anti-communist agenda in the game. We expect this in a realistic shooter, but its inclusion in this colorful package is downright brilliant. Before long, it becomes clear that these small scenes of blatant anti-communism aren't accidental. In fact, the entire game is a metaphor for the perils of communism and the glory of personal liberty. I bet you didn't expect to read anything like that in a review of a colorful all-ages platformer.
There are also multiplayer modes that add some value to the game. The entire single-player campaign can be played cooperatively. The second player takes control of a helper character that assists Blob in completing levels. The Blob Party mode is also cooperative and features much of the same type of content found in the single player campaign. The only real difference is the time restrictions are tighter.
de Blob 2 does have a few problems, but they're barely worth noting. The controls aren't always perfect, and the camera gets in your way occasionally. The bigger problem is that the game takes several hours to reach a decent pace. The first few hours are fun, but include too much hand-holding and easy gameplay. Once the training wheels come off, the game comes into its own, and some interesting new play mechanics are introduced that will keep you interested for many more hours. Thankfully, the game starts to pick up around the third level, which leaves nine meaty levels for you to dig into.
I had more fun with de Blob 2 than any other platformer since the original Super Mario Galaxy. It's not the most high-profile game on store shelves, but if you're in the market for a unique game with an awesome presentation and a great personality, you simply can't do any better than de Blob 2.
By
Andrew Groen
CCC Freelance Writer
Game Features:
