de Blob 2 Review
Release Date: February 27th, 2018
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Platforms: PS4 (Reviewed), PS3, Xbox 260, Xbox One, Wii and Steam
Price: $30 on consoles and $15 on Steam
de Blob 2 is a sequel to 2008’s de Blob on the Wii. The funky paint filled platformer staring a white blob is back. The biggest question is does the sequel live up to the first game's greatness? Do the new features make it stand out enough from an already pretty crowded marketplace?
THQ Nordic did the work on this remaster for the PS4, the game was already about on the last generation of consoles back in 2011. There are some interesting new features in the sequel. Blob has some access to power ups and has a dash move. He paints the world different colors and frees the inhabitants. De Blob 2 also features a co-op option that can best be described as Mario Galaxy.
Blob can absorb colors from paint pools and use this against enemies and puzzles. Some of these involved mixing colors. Fling paint and buildings or jump on them and watch the colors change. The plot isn't much, as an alien invader has sucked all the color out of the world. Most of the enemies are pretty easy, the challenges comes from danger pools of water and deadly ink.
The controls are easy and simple, which makes me think they had younger players in mind. The puzzles aren't too complicated, but they serve as a change of pace to the rest of the game. De Blob 2’s co-op is limited in the sense that the 2nd player doesn't have much influence on the game’s outcome but is there to assist the player as needed. The 2D parts of the game are fun and the platforming for those is excellent, very top notch.
But with the good also comes the disappointing. While the game is a little on the short side, the camera is terrible. Several times I wanted to throw my controller due to missed jumps and having to backtrack. The camera has manual controls but it likes to get stuck or not turn. This reminds me a lot of games that were from the era of the N64.
Overall, the game is fun and there are some neat concepts but at $30 it's a tough pill to swallow. I think I would like this game more if it was a proper sequel for $30 with a lot of new features for the PS4. If you have younger gamers in your household it could be good for them to play de Blob 2 together or with an adult.
Thanks for the publisher for letting us review it
Final Score
Pros:
-Interesting gameplay
-Colorful world
Cons:
-Terrible Camera
-Boring co-op