de Blob 2
Platform: Multi (tested on DS)
Genre: Jump & Run
Street: 02/25/2011
Publisher: THQ
After the remarkable success of “de Blob”, which was released in 2008 and still counts as one of the best third-party games for the Nintendo Wii, it was only a matter of time for the franchise to see a sequel. Though the main reason for its success probably lies in the symbiosis of platform and game, as the controls, the looks and the setting and story of “de Blob” fits the Nintendo Wii like a glove, THQ took the successor to HD consoles and Handhelds as well. If the porting to the Nintendo DS and DSi is more than the attempt to milk this cash cow a little more, is the question I’d like to elaborate.
The story, which is told in short comic strip-like videos, takes place after the events of “de Blob”. The main protagonist Blob falls into the trap of Dr. Von Blot, a scientist under super villain Comrade Black, who is experimenting on some new INK creatures. Facing his own mutation, Blob manages to escape the lair thanks to an adversity which turns Von Blot into a giant INK himself. Soon, Von Blot starts to terrorize the city and after the abduction of the Professor, a recurring character from the first game, Blob sets out for the Professors rescue and to wreak vengeance on Von Blot.
The apparent distinction between the Wii game and “de Blob 2” on Nintendo DS is the reduction of explorable dimensions by one, making it a classic handheld 2D side-scrolling Jump & Run. You travel through the six worlds (each consists of four levels plus one optional bonus level) along a world map to your final destination. The goal of each level remains the same as on the Wii; coloring the dismal and achromatic environment, accomplishing certain missions and freeing the oppressed Graydians. To do so, Blob uses the power of color, provided by INK-bots or paint fountains. Once again, each color represents a certain musical instrument and as you mix and match all different colors in order to make the environment more and more colorful, the background music enhances, making this franchise’s soundtrack one of the catchiest in video games. The complexity of the game however has been brought down a lot. The biggest flaws of the first game were the insanely big levels and the vast amount of achievements. You could easily spend two hours on one level if you wanted to color all buildings, trees and billboards, free all Graydians and hit the blimp. Still, the DS version has been simplified too much, given that the average level time is now only ten minutes and there are 
only three achievements left: small notes (100 of them give a 1 Up), big notes (three per level – like the big coins in New Super Mario Bros.) and the Graydians (varying, but luckily known, number per level). The degree of difficulty (regarding combat) is also unworthy for a real “de Blob” fan, as the chance of dying is very small due to the new ability to shake of black ink with a stomp attack instead of hurrying to a clear water fountain. And even the Boss fight (the resemblance to the first Boss fight in Donkey Kong Country Returns is uncanny, by the way) is oddly simple and Von Blot can be beaten at first try, providing that you avoid getting hit frequently, which isn’t very hard actually.
Yet, there are a lot of positive features in “de Blob 2”. First of all, the harmonious blend of 2D Jump & Run, small puzzles and dexterity creates an entertaining game. All elements are equally represented and when combined, they show the games real strength. Furthermore, Blob did learn some new skills, so apart from the familiar basic jumps, aiming attacks and wall slides, our hero now uses stomp attacks and slingshot traveling to manoeuver himself through the levels. Along with the new environment that features trampoline-like balloons, walls than can be activated only if Blob has a certain color and walls and blocks than will appear only as long as Blob has a certain color, you find yourself repeatedly in tricky situations that require both skill and brainpower. And as the game proceeds, those skills become mandatory to free all Graydians or collect the big notes. Even the basic tasks like saving the imprisoned by smashing their guards or painting walls a particular color become more challenging throughout the game since they depend on the interaction of color, skills and environment.
Still, all is not gold that glitters and some missions are ridiculously easy, since you can’t paint certain things in any color different than the demanded. On the Wii, you had to be very careful not to paint a building blue again that you earlier painted green in order to fulfill the assignment. On the DS, you can jump around like crazy; if a certain object needs to be painted yellow, it cannot be painted with any other color. Also, you are in no hurry as all levels and missions leave you with an unlimited amount of time, contrary to the Wii game where every task had its specific time limit. Only a handful of escape scenarios remain in the DS game, making you aim for a lock before it closes. But still those missions are moderate, giving you enough time to look for Graydians and notes. So within four hours you’ll have finished the story, after another one and a half you’ll have completed all 31 levels and collected everything there is. But since there are no bonus features to unlock like video sequences, pictures or tunes, the necessity to go for 100% is not given.
Bottom line: “de Blob 2” is one of the better games in the Jump & Run genre you can find for Nintendo’s handheld consoles (as far as the Nintendo DSi features are concerned, I have no idea what they are, but I guess that they are no major improvements to the game itself). It features the same humor, the same spirit and the same awesome soundtrack
its bigger brother does and brings some nice old school 2D action to the NDS. Sadly, the game lacks of real challenges as it is very easy (under my care, Blob died just once) and way to short. Still, if you’re looking for a diverting game or just want a filler between the first and the second part for the Nintendo Wii, the Blob won’t disappoint you.
- Presentation: 6 / 10
- Soundtrack: 9 / 10
- Gameplay: 7 / 10
- Replayability: 5 / 10
Total Rating: 6.8 / 10
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