There are few games as easy to recommend for
your desktop PC as World of Goo by 2D BOY;
while there are similar titles that could
be considered more challenging, the charming
story and presentation of this game goes a
long way to absorb and lock players in. Its
eventual release on the iPad was a boon for
the iOS device and a great way to experience
this game on the go. Sadly, iPhone and iPod
Touch users were left in the cold, but a Universal
update and a separate iPhone/iTouch App have
recently launched to spread the love even
further.
Your adventure in World of Goo starts out
with a simple task of utilizing semi-sentient
blobs of Goo to form tenuous rubbery structures
with the intent of helping a set amount of
blobs to escape. Building structures is as
simple as tapping and dragging a Goo blob
from the level and placing them near other
blobs to form a chain. Initially the task
is fairly simple, however as the story progresses
you'll need to explore the strengths and weaknesses
new varieties of Goo in order to succeed.
The sheer variety of challenges to overcome
is almost overwhelming, but players will find
themselves attempting to conquer puzzles that
range from something as simple as building
a bridge to complex challenges like creating
a Goo airship. Most levels allow players to
correct mistakes by reversing 'time' by a
few seconds, but careful planning and judicious
use of a pinch-to-zoom feature will save you
more times than not.
The necessity of a zoom feature highlights
one of the few weaknesses of playing World
of Goo on a smaller iDevice, namely the speed
and accuracy with which you can place each
ball of Goo. It's certainly not game breaking,
but being able to quickly and accurately select,
drag and place Goo makes later challenges
(and many OCD bonus challenges) much easier
and spending several seconds shaking off the
wrong Goo ball over and over can be annoying.
Thankfully this really is only a minor concern
and one that is covered well by patience,
a bit of practice and the game's stunning
and absorbing world. Each individual Goo ball
coos, burbles and squeaks depending on their
type and how you're currently manipulating
them, while also changing in appearance depending
on how they're utilized in a larger structure.
All of this is bundled in to a world that's
vibrant and alive with plenty of unique challenges
based on the environment you're in and several
twists that even end up with players fighting
in the 'digital' world. Should you get bored
with the campaign you can try your hand at
being ranked globally by building a tower-of-babel
with the Goos you have emancipated.
While many hardcore gamers are likely to have
played World of Goo by now (it is a three
year old game after all), those who have not
experienced this stunning title should definitely
do so as soon as they get a chance. What starts
out as a casual puzzle game quickly becomes
a compelling and emotional roller-coaster
following the plight of these Goo-ey creatures
as they seek their freedom.
