World of Goo

"One of the best puzzle games since... hell, Tetris."

When I read World of Goo got GotY 2008 by IGN.com, I thought "Wow, this must really be one of the greatest games of the year, if it's good enough to edge out SSBB." And I really, raelly enjoyed SSBB. And most of the time, I agree with IGN, so I thought "Hell, I'll give it a try". I was blown out of my mind. The physics engine, the Patapon-like graphics, the grim and yet happy world... but what really got me was its dark humour. Yes, the mysterious sign painter that is nice enough to leave a sign or two every level is what got me. It's unique, somehow. Very few games bring you this kind of humour.

The game starts with no explanations. No introductions, nothing. Like Braid, where you start at a bridge, no credits, nothing, with this epic music and this dark background. Well, it's kind of like that, except you really do start on world one. And the storyline is not as contemporary (Not sure that's the word I'm looking for here). However, Braid and World of Goo do have one thing in common: They're both extremely fun puzzle games. One makes you think more than the other, I mean, Braid is like an 8 hour long IQ test. But nonetheless, World of Goo makes you think like hell.

When you first enter the first world of the first of four chapters, you face a mystery. There's a pipe up there, and all these little ball-things down here... hmmm... And then you see the sign that tells you about goo, and how if you drag them, they create a kind of structure-thingy. Well, if you don't know what to do by now, you're probably not fit to play this game.

That's the objective of World of Goo: To lead these... balls which apparently are called Goo into these pipes, which for all you know could lead to the depths of hell. Where do they lead, actually...? Hmmm, I guess you'll have to find that on your own. You have a minimum number of goo-ball things that you must lead into the pipe. If you exceed that number, it's a good thing. I'll explain that later on. But how do you get these things into the pipes? You ever heard of the story of the Tower of Babel? Well, it's kinda like that, except on a smaller scale, and the pipes are God, and the signs are those ass-kissing helpers looking for a promotion, following you around. Nah, just kidding, they're nothing like that. They're just helping you for no apparent reason. Also, it would appear they're activated by motion, or something. If a goo gets close to it, it'll activate. And then it'll start sucking, in a good way. All your little goo friends that aren't yet towers will get sucked into that pipe. This may sound a bit confusing, but I'll explain.

I haven't really explained the game mechanic. There's four chapters in the game, enclosed in each chapter several levels. In each level, you have to join together different kinds of goo to reach the afore-mentioned pipes. It's difficult to explain... You place them next to each other, in any direction and they'll join together with what I can only assume to be really strong arms that just popped out of nowhere. Anyway, these "Structures" or "towers" your gooie friends "Climb" or "Slide through" to reach their objective. Your objective can either be up, down, or to the sides (Of course, with obstacles in between).

For example, in the first level of world of goo, there's a pipe right above you, and several goo balls below. You objective is to get one goo ball (That's already turned into a structure or part of one) so the pipe will start sucking all your goo balls in and take them God knows where. Well, that's the basic part of the gameplay. The real fun comes by trying to get OCD (No, not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Obsessive Completion Distinction Criteria. Hehe), which is kind of like "Acing" a level. The goal of getting OCD is, in most levels, getting a set number of Goo balls. This is very, very hard to achieve and is the part of World of Goo that gets your brain juices pumping. Otherwise it's just a puzzle game, not much brains you really must put into in. There's levels where, in order to "OCD" them, you must finish the level in a set number of time (Or less) or with a set number of moves (Or less) Believe me, this is more fun than it sounds, and if you're the kind of fellow who likes to really 100% a game, then this is for you.

Anyway, by the time you reach level 3, the ground will start shaking and a new feature/world/whatever will open up, called "World of Goo Co." or something like that. In this boundless space (Yes, 'tis infinite in every single direction) you are given your goo balls that exceeded the minimum number in each level so you could build a massive tower that leads to the skies, see what is up there (Hmmm, where have I heard this before?) Because of fire safety regulations, up to 300 goo balls may be in this space simultaneously, no more. I wonder why, if World of Goo Co. states it's infinite in all directions...? As you construct the tower, you'll find clouds, just... circling around, with a flag next to them. (Hmmm....) Surprisingly enough, there's quite a variety of countries here, not all of them are US or JP, as one would expect. Anyway, these are your fellow players from around the world that are constructing their massive Tower of Babel, just like you. Their progress is shown when you select them. I'm kind of getting off-topic here, so I'll cut to the point. This section of the game (Which isn't really a section, it kind of covers the entire game) is, in my opinion, the funnest part of the game. There's several ways you can construct your massive tower leading to the skies: Pyramids, parallel towers later joined together, plain towers... the point is to get as high up as you can without the tower collapsing. Actually, it's more than that. There's actually an objective, it's not just to mindlessly construct a really high tower. But I won't spoil it, so just keep building! And, as you progress further into the game, you'll have ore and more goos to build your tower with. Kind of like Lego, but way more fun. And, if you screw up, press one button and it's kaboom, you'll start from scratch and all your little goos will come plummeting down. Don't worry, no goos were harmed in the creation of this game.

Damn, I'm such a bad review writer. I forgot to mention that up to three people can join you in your gooey quest (However the hell that's spelled), including the building of your tower. So get out the chips and dip and you've got yourself a partay! It's just co-op, nothing more, but it's more exciting than it sounds. The player in control of the camera is player one and everyone else just helps build whatever structure needs to be built. Of course, player one can help too.

There's several types of goo "races". The first you get are the black ones. But not pitch-black, that's a different kind of race, just a hybrid between grey and black. These are just to help you build your structure, and you can only place them once. They can stick to two other goo balls. Then, the white ones. These are the "Albino goos". They're identical to the black goo balls, with one difference: They can stick onto up to four goos, two minimum. Then there's the grey goos, which you get after you clear the third level, with the white goos. They're just like the black goos, only you can place them and remove them at will. since you can remove them, then they MAY stick to one goo ball, and I'm pretty sure it may stick to up to three. Then there's the green ones, which may stick to up to four other goo balls, and can be placed over and over again. You'd be surprised at how many puzzles you can solve this way, really. Anyway, these are my favourite kind of goo ball and you'll understand why, once you use them. Then there's several other kind s of goo balls, but I won't spoil it for you. Let's just say that some are lighter, some are heavier, some are more volatile, etc...

Of course, World of Goo is not just about building towers. It's also got several other puzzles later on in the game almost not related to tower building. In fact, there's a couple of them that have nothing to do with tower building. I won't spoil it, but like I've already said, some goo balls are lighter, some are heavier, some are more volatile...........

This is World of Goo in a nutshell. It's kinda one of those games where you REALLY have to play it to understand just how good, fun and complex it is. Again, just like Braid. If you've played Braid, or even Portal, you'll know what I mean, and why World of Goo is the best thing since sliced bread-- no, the wheel.

Love, the mysterious review writer.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/04/09

Game Release: World of Goo (US, 10/13/08)