B.L.O.B.

B.L.O.B. is a unique puzzle game that somewhat reminds me of the 2-D version of Portal. But, instead of firing space-defying holes into the walls, you fire cubes of Jell-O.

The Graphics:

Decent. The game is set in a high tech facility constructed of what I believe are all custom graphics. Everything looks consistent and coherent, although there are some places where things are a little vague. Some blocks look like they are solid (but aren’t), and you could find yourself tumbling down a pit just when you thought you were safe. This was the only instance I had any trouble. All the rest of the graphics are easy to tell apart, and you never have to wonder what it is you’re looking at.

The Sound:

There isn’t much of it, but what is used is good. The blobs make squish sounds when they form or trap enemies, and a bounce noise when you hop on top of them. There are distinct noises for each event that occurs on-screen (except for spikes extending/retracting), so the sounds work okay. The only one I couldn’t figure out was the “enemy collide with object” sound. When the enemies bump into a blob wall, they make the same noise as if they collided with the player. That can be a little misleading.

The Music:

Elevator music! It suits the game perfectly, and this is even noted for us by the hero’s supervisor. There’s only one track, but it does fit the circumstances, and it even helps to calm you down when the puzzles are too frustrating. Or, at least, it did for me.

The Story:

There’s something of one, but I think this game’s focus is more on puzzles than story. Regardless, the story is given through the commentary of the supervisor and the hero’s own responses to them. The dialogue has some personality, but occasionally goes by too fast. Every once in a while, you may not catch the last few words if you’re not a fast reader.

The Gameplay:

The game’s true shining point. As a puzzle platformer, you have to use your wits and keyboard-tapping skillz to succeed. The player has the ability to fire two kinds of blobs from the special equipment being tested out: green and blue. The green ones can trap enemies and stack on top of each other. The blue ones can bounce you higher when jumped from, but can’t be stacked or trap enemies. Using the two in combination is key to moving through the technological maze.

I enjoy a good puzzle game every once in a while, and I think this one will be great once it’s finished. Some people found it frustrating, but I personally didn’t have too much trouble thinking my way out of each situation. Finding your way through while avoiding hazards is the basic premise, but clever level design could make this an excellent game. As it is now, though, I give it a…

6/10