One of the greatest innovations attributed to the Wii aside from its unique controls is the sheer amount of unique games it brings to the table. De Blob is no exception to this, with the main antagonist being a small gelatinous blob whose sole purpose is to bring color back to Chroma City by painting it, one building at a time. The story is that the Inkt Corporation has sucked all the life from the environment and it's up to De Blob to absorb various types of paint in order to leave his mark on just about anything he touches.
The concept seems pretty simple, but the game play seems amazingly addictive. Apparently, you control de Blob with your nunchuk and simple wiggle the Wii-mote in order to make him jump. De Blob also has the ability to slide and jump from wall to wall, performing wall jumps and leaving splashes of color. The game play is quite open ended, as there is a story-line, but you complete various different challenges based around a clock. The more challenges you complete, the more time the clock gives you to complete your ultimate goal. There are tons of these mini-challenges scattered around the free range environment, including such small tasks as painting a specific building a certain color, to more action based tasks like taking out enemies which come at you in waves. Keep in mind if you'd rather just paint your way through the game, you're able to do this as well. Each building you paint adds time to your clock and contributes to your color meter. When you get the specified number for that level, a gate opens and you can exit to the next level.
Small cutscenes splice the levels together and help keep the story moving. They're pretty humorous little clips of what life is like for ordinary citizens under the oppression of the Inkt Corporation. If you enjoyed a particular cutscene, you can always return and watch it again by bringing it up in the extras menu. Many of the scenes are reminiscent of Pixar's style and humor. You also have the ability to change de Blob's mood, which in turn changes the soundtrack of that level. This is a great way to keep the game fresh and interesting, as many people complain music gets too repetitive in their favorite games.
In addition to the story mode, de Blob also has other modes of play available. Free paint is unlocked after you've beaten a certain level, and grants you the ability to play through the same environment without having to worry about the clock or enemies. It's basically the Sandbox mode for each level in the game and allows you to paint the buildings in which ever way you'd like. There are also several multi-player modes, in which you can compete against three other players.
All in All, de Blob is shaping up to be a great game which will keep Wii owners busy for quite awhile.
Find out more about this and other upcoming Wii releases at Are you a Wiiener? |
