Games for Lunch: World of Goo

In a nutshell: Not as disgusting as the title would lead you to believe. Quite the opposite, in fact...
12/29/2008 6:34 PM | 1 Comments | Page 1 of 3

Developer: 2D Boy
Publisher: 2D Boy
Release Date: Oct. 13, 2008
Systems: PC (reviewed), Wii
ESRB Rating: E
Official Web site

0:00 For an indie game, World of Goo has been getting massive, massive amounts of hype. It was this RPS piece that finally pushed me into sitting down with the demo, though.

0:01 The game displays some cute, SimCity-esque messages while loading up: "Distilling beauty ... Challenging everything ... Debating games as art ... swapping time and space." Heh. The title screen has a small globe in silhouette and some soaring music. On to Chapter 1, "The Goo Filled Hills."

0:02 "Summer," says white text on a black title card. The first level is "Going Up," which is described as "Easy as Goo pie." A sign in the background tells me to "Drag 'n' drop to build to the pipe." Down below there's a sort of black latticework structure. On it are thick, black balls of goo traveling all over the place. They have eyes. Creepy!

0:04 At first my dragging and dropping does nothing ... the goo balls just drop back to the ground. Eventually I notice some thin, wispy lines when I drag the goo close. When I let go, those lines become new struts on an ever-expanding, teetering tower. When I reach the pipe hanging above, all the goo balls that are still traipsing about get sucked up. I have the option to submit my score to the "World of Goo Leaderboard of Excellence." Nice name.

0:05 Level 2, "Small Divide," is described as "Easier than it looks."

0:06 Quote of the moment, from an info sign: "Its opening looked warm and inviting."

0:07 As I build across a gap, my makeshift goo bridge teeters and droops. It never quite falls over, though. I finally get one edge to rest on the other side, which stabilizes things quite a bit. Kind of simple so far.

0:08 In "Hang Low" I have to "wake up the sleeping goo." Everything's white and snowy and quite beautiful. The music is especially pretty and lilting.

0:10 Interesting ... this time I had to build down to the sleeping goo on the ground, then build up to get them all to the overhead pipe. This requires some support struts on the sides. Interesting, but I'm still waiting for the game to really bring the hard.

0:11 The ground shakes and "World of Goo Corporation is now open." "Let's go shopping," says a disfigured, hand-drawn girl, and three ugly companions hop along. The World of Goo Corp. is now unlocked, but for now I'm gonna check out the next level, "Impale Sticky." "If you get in trouble, just go back in time," says an in-game message. So it's Sands of Time now?

0:13 A wooden sign describes this level's layout as "ridiculously contrived terrain." I love games that don't take themselves too seriously...

0:19 Be careful what you ask for ... I asked them to "bring the hard" and they did, with a level that involves curving a tower around a steep overhang with two black buzz saws on it. Everything I build either tilts into the buzz saws or away from them and into the bottomless pit. When I finally succeed in creating a sort of makeshift structure that can support the kind of tower I want, I've lost too many goo balls to complete the level. Retry.