A Boy And His Blob review

Stepping into the gaming world of A Boy and his Blob for the first time is an enchanting experience. The distinct lack of a tutorial or front-end menu allows you to make discoveries as you leave the confines of the treehouse den for the first time. There is an undeniable feeling wonder and that you are about to embark on something special. Perhaps this is due to the subtle music and fairytale visuals on display, but its a quality that we can recall in some of our fondest adventures over the years such as LostWinds, ICO and Zelda Ocarina Of Time. The story is simple and straightforward, as you take the lead role as a young lad who stumbles across a crashed space ship whilst out in the forest. Here you find a strange blob creature who has arrived from the planet Blobolonia, seeking help against the evil emperor. A new tag-team is formed as you both set out to achieve this aim by conquering over forty levels across a variety of landscapes. A traditional platformer by nature the twist of the game is that the blob is able to change his form on command. These transformations enable you to scale unreachable heights by ladder, or drop down to new areas via a hole and with fifteen such abilities at your disposal it brings an original twist to the experience. Your blob can also transform into a trampoline or even an anvil or parachute, all at the toss of a jellybean. You also have the option to scold your blob and also hug him if you so desire. These have no tangible purpose other than to cement the growing relationship between you and the thing from outer space.The treehouse hideout acts as a central hub where you can view your progress across the world landscape and enjoy bonus content. Here you can also try one of forty challenge levels, which are unlocked by finding each of the three treasure chests hidden on a normal level. It certainly pays to explore the levels in search of such bounty, as WayForward have kept some of their most fiendish examples of level design for the unlockable challenges. The overall implementation is of a high standard and the watercolour inspired visuals really give this game a unique look. The side on perspective works extremely well as it did in LostWinds, allowing you to see just enough of the layout above, below and beyond; enabling you to form a strategy to overcome the latest pitfall or danger. The level of detail is impressive as vines; wildlife and plants are to be found everywhere. The overall animation is charming and WayForward also show some skill in slowly introducing new elements into the mix that you have to overcome and that force you to constantly think and evolve.A Boy and his Blob is not without its faults, as ideally more should have been made of the hosts motion control functions. These are ignored and even a logical possibility such as the ability to toss jellybeans is not utilised, instead relying on the nun-chuk stick. The game also suffers from the same blight as Scribblenauts in that the concept has not been fully harnessed to allow complete experimentation and freedom. Instead the blobs range of transformation options is limited to a handful on each level, restricting how you can innovate to reach the end. The blob will only perform a transformation that it sees as being possible, so if youre out with the pre-defined area or trying something that wasnt programmed, then hell simply refuse to comply. The experience could become one of trial and error, especially as you have unlimited lives and a generous save system, that normally returns you to the nearest obstacle. Yet its a credit to the design and overall gameplay that it never sinks into the traditional lair of the platformer; namely frustration. You cannot help but feel compelled to keep progressing and rise to the challenge, whatever your age or skill level.Clearly A Boy and his Blob has been lovingly created by a team who appreciate the original and overall have done a tremendous job. History is littered with resurrected retro games that fail badly on all counts yet this is a Nintendo Wii title that will appeal to all ages and the challenge levels will keep the more adventurous players transfixed. Finally Gamestyle has a genuine reason to dust down our Wii and experience something memorable.