3D platformers are the rage for the gaming market- and why wouldn't they be? They're accessible for all gamers; from gaming veterans to kids getting their first console. It's not like Call of Duty with its confusing first-person perspective, nor it is Fortnite with its online. It's Mario, it's Sonic during his Genesis golden years. It's a timeless genre that will never grow old. So, what does this game have to bring to the table as a linear semi-open world game?
De Blob, developed by Bluetongue Studios (now defunct) and THQ (Now THQNordic), is an extravagant yet simple game of color, radiance, and revolution as you take down the evil Comrade Black and his dreadful INKT Corporation from its hold on Chroma City as the stylish and titular named De Blob. With the help of the Color Underground, a group of revolutionaries ready to help spark revolution alongside you, you’re here to take back the color of the city from the evil Comrade’s clutches!
The gameplay behind De Blob is accessible; you start as a small Blob in a destitute locale. To progress, you must generate Color Points to unlock the gate to the next area, and you do it with coloring buildings, smashing Transformation Engines and revitalizing areas, completing challenges from your comrades, saving captured Raydians from their “Graydian” prison, or simply coloring trees. Colors are accessible by smashing onto a Paint Bot and can be mixable; if you’re Revolutionary Red and mix some Sky Blue, you get Pointedly Purple. Mix them all together, and you get Beautiful Brown. Now, with color absorbing said, you can absorb Ink and erase color while your health decreases. So, avoid pools, traps, or being blasted by ink, and if you are, splash some water on yourself and recover your color pool.
Speaking of Ink, your enemies- the Inkies- will try and stop you in varieties of ways, from types to vehicles. But, not to worry, you got smashing color power to squish them. The targeting system allows you to easily pick out the easiest of targets. But be careful, if your color pool is near zero and you get hit, it’s game over. Your targeting system also allows you to zip around the area on Zip Pads, but for long distances, you’ll need an Air Cannon to blast you to farther places. At the heart of the game, outside of color, the platforming of the game is easy at the push of a button or a swing of a motion control, depending on what system you’re using.
Coop challenges are available, allowing four players to competitively color areas and gain bragging rights. It’s not hard but be ready for fierce competition. Like Spatoon, but without squid kids and guns.
One crucial note to know about De Blob is that the dynamic soundtrack will always make the game. As you continually color the area or complete challenges, the music will amplify the gaming experiences from minimal instruments to a Bossa Nova group, a rebellious soft rock song, or a grooving disco track. Plus, if you are a certain color, a musical sting or solo of an instrument plays; basically, you get to be a chroma conductor of power chords. Try saying that three times. Personally, one of my favorite tracks, "Euphoric," is the best because of that build up and said grooving disco track. "Unstoppable" and "Righteous" are also songs that I can’t help but bob my head to while I paint an amusement park or revitalize the downtown district.
Now, with praises said, there are a few pieces that I must go over. The camera is still wonky and if you are using motion controls, it must be precise, otherwise you will be bouncing all over the place and may end up in the water. It isn’t as bad as the original Wii game, but some hiccups remain. I miss the little touches the original game had, like the trail of paint from the cursor.
If you want a game for the whole family on the go, to play with your kids on your high-end gaming computer, or a chill game to play by yourself and remember the height of the Nintendo Wii's popularity, then this game is for you. With its simple gameplay, even though it's a port, it’s a masterfully revamped experience for this generation of gamers who want to make the world more colorful.
De Blob 1 and 2 are 19.99 on Steam, Ps4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
-Written by Johan Wyckoff
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