World of Goo

"Revo-goo-tionary."

You know, I saw the review on IGN, and just thought it too good to be true. Was it a joke? It had to be. But then they announced it their Wii game of the year. Yikes, that's pretty impressive, eh? Still, I wasn't sold (crazy, I know).

But my friend, who doesn't play videogames like I do, was like “dude, you have to get this game.” So I was like, “if you think it's sweet, then it probably is.”

So I finally got it, and I am SO happy I did.

PRESENTATION:
I have no idea what WoG's story is. Something about… the goos, like… aw, hell. I have no idea. I was too busy laughing at the Sign Painter.

WoG's got so much quirk and originality that its presentation alone is ground-breaking. With obvious inspiration from Tim Burton, we are introduced to a humorous sort of dark fantasy land where the Goos all live. You really have to look and experience it for yourself—it's unforgettable.
PRESENTATION: 10/10

GRAPHICS:
This is a WiiWare game. WiiWare isn't supposed to look this great! WoG is colorful, cartoony, cute, and courageous. What do I mean by that last adjective? Well, besides giving me some nice alliteration, it really is the truth—everything moves so smoothly, with NO slowdown whatsoever, yet it's just a WiiWare game. Easy on the eyes, nothing too over-the-top… it's just phenomenal. And those goos are so darn cute!
GRAPHICS: 9.5/10

SOUNDS:
Once again, WoG exceeds our wildest expectations. The music ranges from the ambient to the ironic—no joke. Hell, one of the tracks sounds like it came straight from a war movie. But it fits so well! It sets the mood, and there are more than enough tracks, so you never have to use that mute button.

The sound effects mainly come from the goos themselves, with their little grunts and shouts, as well as the sticky-ish sounds made when you use them. Again, nothing over-the-top… the creators knew what they were doing, and knew when it sounded perfect.
SOUNDS: 9.5/10

GAMEPLAY:
We've all played puzzle games in our time, yes? Well, let me tell you something. WoG is a puzzle game. But it is unlike any puzzle game you have ever experienced. Tetris? Lumines? Braid? All brilliant puzzle games, but they are in a whole ‘nother playing field than World of Goo.

First of all, WoG can be played by up to FOUR people. There is no competing with each other, just working together towards that one common goal (the pipe). And that's what WoG is all about, anyway. I'm betting you'll actually completely forget about the game's lack of a vs. mode, because you and your friends will be so focused on working together to get those goos to that pipe. And if not, then it's always fun to just goof around together, too.

As I said, your goal in every level is to get the goos into the pipe. A lot of the time it's easier than it looks… then again, a lot of the time it's harder than it looks. Every level is a new and intriguing challenge.

Using the Wii-remote (no nunchuk), you point and click to drag the goos where you want them to go. For the most part, goos can only be attached to other goos. You may need to build a tower, a bridge, or something COMPLETELY zany. Every level is a pleasant and tricky surprise. One thing you'll be surprised about with WoG, is that you'll actually find yourself ENJOYING the hard brainstorming you'll be doing. Who woulda thunk it—thinking can really be fun!

Of course, you have to bring in goo-physics to get the little guys and gals to the pipes at the ends of the levels. If you're clumsy, your structure will come toppling down. You can work too fast, you can work too slow, or you can even pace yourself quite steadily—you just never know when something will go wrong. You gotta stay focused and be observant of everything that's going on around you. And you'll love every second of it.

WoG would have been pretty good with only one species of goo, but there's actually quite a few. I won't bore you with the details of each one, but I will say that each species will excite you and require more and more strategy as you encounter new ones. In addition to the various species, we also have various obstacles that will try to block your path to the pipe—and you usually have to get a certain amount of goos in the pipe to beat the level, so watch out! Spikes, razors, bottomless pits, even the wind will test your devotion to the goos. But you won't give up—WoG guarantees that.

Every level has an OCD challenge, too. Not only do these greatly increase the game's replayability and overall difficulty, but they are just plain fun—especially with friends. They vary from level to level, too, so it never gets old.

In your downtime, you can visit the World of Goo Corporation. It's basically a playground where you can build up your extra goos to make as high a tower as you can. You can also see how high other players' towers are, if you have online. What could be up there if you build high enough? I'll let you try to find out yourself.

If there were any problems, they would be minimal. Only player 1 can control the camera, which can frustrate the other players. Also, a zoom-in and -out button would have been nice, just to save time from scrolling up and down all the time. But really, those are TINY little complaints.

When you read about it, you just don't get the same feeling as when you actually play it. Trust me, WoG is unlike any puzzle game (or any game) you've ever played. It's fun, unique, challenging, and addicting.
GAMEPLAY: 10/10

LASTING APPEAL:
There are four main levels, each with plenty of fun stages. For the newcomers, beating the whole game could take over ten hours. You'll fail stages a lot, but you'll never give up (you'll beat Tower of Goo, I promise!). Then we have the multiplayer, which is always fun to introduce to your clueless friends—they'll be skeptical at first, but play like five or six levels with them, and they're hooked. Finally, you've got the Corporation and the OCD challenges, both of which should take of a ton of your goo-dragging time.

Oh, and I hear there's some DLC on the way. Yippee!
LASTING APPEAL: 10/10

OVERALL:
Did I mention it's only $15? Did I also mention that the entire game was made by like three people? World of Goo is a must-buy for any Wii owner. This game is so many things. It's trust, friendship and teamwork. It's hard work, devotion and constant focus. It's artistic, cute and imaginative. But more than anything, it's fun. WoG is such a breath of fresh air in this world of crappy sell-out Wii games, that its fun-factor ultimately makes it revolutionary. You know what? No. It's not revolutionary—it's revo-goo-tionary. Buy World of Goo. You won't regret it.
OVERALL: 9.7/10

Thanks for reading =)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/30/09

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