''A STICKY SITUATION''
Â
Developed: 2D BOY
Published: 2D BOY
Genre: Puzzle
Release Date: August 2nd, 2024
Platforms: Switch/PC
*PRODUCT PROVIDED TO ME BY NINTENDO
World Of Goo 2 is the long awaited sequel in the World Of Goo series and it is developed and published by 2D BOY. With not having a new entry into the series in well over a decade, was it a wise move to bring back this puzzle centric title or should it have stayed at one entry and stopped while it was ahead? Only one way to find out, so lets go!
''SLIME EATING GRABOID!?''
Â
GAMEPLAY:
If there was one game I never thought would make a comeback, it was World Of Goo. Its not because it was bad or anything, actually its the complete opposite, the original World Of Goo on the Wii was fantastic. I mean when else can B.P. Oil have their own mascot as the main character with oil blobs solving puzzles without having to go on an apology tour to apologize for their latest oil spill?. Ok, it's not about B.P. Oil, that would be tragic, but it is about colored blobs that sometimes look like they're made of oil though. Thankfully its not the LITERAL BLOB or this fun puzzle game would immediately turn into a horror themed title title instead, and I don't think kids are ready for that one, just saying. Back on topic however, its been 16 years since the last entry in 2008 and quirky physics and overall charming puzzles are back once more for the first time since the original games re-release on Nintendo Switch in 2017 and now World Of Goo 2 aims to take the series to even newer heights like its the 90s Nickelodeon and sliming the place up. Here in World Of Goo 2, the core gameplay from original is retained, in which you as a player guide Goo Balls to a pipe or structure by using their bodies to build yourself a pathway to get them there. Simple, straight to the point, but very addicting, what more can you ask for? other than a Goo Ball crossover with the Fuzzy's from Super Mario in a Deadpool and Wolverine type of crossover. Why would we want that? well Wootheywanttomakeanameofthemselves, that's why. But lets get back on topic.
Being that this game is roughly 6 hours long if you know what you're doing and a tad bit longer if you dont know what you're doing, like, at all, then you'll notice that if you get addicted to this game and don't want to put it down, you can probably beat it in just one or two sit downs if you're that dedicated, which not only gives it its own STAR of achievement like you just got a word right in a kindergarten class room - but it also makes it one of the perfect pick up and play titles for any age, regardless of skill level as well. Once you first start your journey in the whacky world known as World Of Goo 2, you will definitely see a key difference between the visual style in regards to its animations, colors and even art style, because... I mean... come on, its been like 16 years, you had better upgrade something within that time frame. Just like Nintendo did when they updated their own titles from the Wii. But... that also means they upgraded away from the banger O.S.T of the Wii too, Nintendo's biggest miss of the Switch era. Nintendo, come on, how did you ditch all those bangers, they were the stuff of LEGEND. Banger music aside, World Of Goo 2 continues its narrative and story with its anti-consumerist message, with things littered through the background for you to spot and reference like signs in the back that are written with sass and charm, on top of completely building an even stronger foundation than the first game had and introducing some brand new Goo Balls to the mix, alongside some new mechanics as well.
Â
''STICK TO THE PLAN, GUYS!''
Â
Here in the sequel, you'll encounter various types of Goo Balls, some that are mostly familiar to you, while others make you question their very existence such as liquid goo, which is.. kind of a redundant name, which work in tandem with the Conduit Balls to be able to move them around at a decent pace, as well as be able to use the Liquid Balls to slap the crap out of other Goo Balls and tell them to WAKE UP YOU BIG JERKS, WERE NOT HAVING A REPEAT OF SUPER MARIO BROS 2 ON NES AND THIS IS NOT ALL ENDING UP A DREAM, SO WAKE. YOUR STUPID BUTT UP, NOW. Uh. Sorry, I still have pent up anger from playing Mario 2 as a kid and leaning the entire game was just a dream, mentally I don't think I got over it, my bad. Moving past my own issues and realizing I need therapy, these Liquid Balls can be sprayed across large gaps or hard to reach places that give you further options on how to proceed with building your structure to get your Goo's where they need to go as you build towards your objective - which in turn, if you've played the original World Of Goo, makes its sequel feel excitingly fresh as the devs perfectly blend and mix the styles of new and old together to create brand new and varied gameplay experiences not seen before in the last entry. I admit, I am not very good at the game overall, with some puzzles requiring a tad bit more thinking than I anticipated, which made me feel as dumb as those kids used to be on Legends Of The Hidden Temple when they couldn't assemble the monkey statue properly. Gosh I hated those kids so much and now.. I have joined their ranks. Might as well have a sad montage for me now with Johnny Cash's song ''Hurt'' at this point. But with having expanding and shrinking variants of Goo Balls, alongside rock Goo Balls, which have a strong resistance to things like fire and can create permanent changes to the levels itself, made even frustrating puzzles feel like less of a chore and more of an achievement for solving something that might not have been straight forward as you think it would be. Which actually makes you feel pretty good, like you've finally accomplished something in your life, unlike Yamcha.
Playing each chapter and the further you get into it helps you realize that for every progression you make, an advancement or tweak of the gameplay itself seems to be introduced to you, which makes your experience extremely satisfying due to the challenge of each level that is brought upon you. Beating the levels once isn't just a one and done either because with each new level, brings a different level of replayability due to every level offering new goals to achieve to make you WANT to continue playing levels multiple times by beating your own times via time challenges, beating a level in the least amount of movements, etc. Trust me, just like a bottle of Pringles, once you pop, the fun don't stop. Pringles, that's fair use, please dont sue me. While not stopping at giving you replayability, the surprises keep heading your way with middle half of the game now offering different twists that you might have seen coming. I mean I know when people see the word Twist or ''ITS A TWIST!'', usually have PTSD of every M. Night movie ever, but no no, were not talking that level of BAD twist, were talking about, COME ON BABY, LETS DO THE TWIST. Ok no, again, we aren't the great Chubby Checker, so not THAT twist either. Dang it, I'm talking about just a normal story twist, so leave me alone. I'm not spoiling it, so go away.
Â
''ALL FIRED UP''
Â
OVERALL:
At the end of the day, World Of Goo 2 is a fantastic entry into this series, even if it was a rather long wait. Its not without its negatives though, sad to say, which technically really isn't in regards to the actual game itself if I'm going to be honest. During your playthrough of this title, you'll notice the main thing holding the game back here is the actual controls themselves, mainly due to the Joy-Cons and their motion controls leading to inaccuracies with movements and connectivity issues with them itself. It can be fixed by going strictly touch screen, sure, but you really shouldn't have to, to be fair. However, even with that slight drawback, it doesnt take away from the amazing game that lays at your feet here that gets your brain thinking with its great puzzles, fun new mechanics and hours of replayability for challenges. Its definitely just an overall fun time and well worth the decade long wait for its newest entry. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW
Â
Comments