World of Goo

I was feeling quite philanthropic a while back, and decided to open my wallet for a good cause. Luckily, being the clever minx I am, I found a cause and reward. I am referring to the Humble Indie Bundle. This group of 6 independent games had a "pay what you want" price point and whatever you paid would be sent to a charity, or the developers (which is essentially a charity for starving artists), or split your funds down the middle. So I decided to give my money to the "real" charity, and give the developers my time.

I'd heard of World of Goo before, its around two years old, available and Wii Ware, and generated quite the buzz. Here's the thing, most people are selling this game short.

The concept of World of Goo (hence forth WOG) is a simple one. You grab little pieces of goo, and stack them with all the physics based puzzle action your brain can handle. But wait, you say, that sounds like pretty thin gameplay, won't it get *gasp* repetitive. Short answer is: no, it doesn't. The shorter answer is: no.

As for the actual physical nitty gritty down and dirty gameplay: You build towers, bridges, gadgets and gizmos to get the goo balls to a pipe that sucks them to the next level. The physics play a crucial part, obviously, as you watch your tower sway and frantically build to that just out of reach pipe. There were many moments where I was on the edge of my seat trying to help the little anthropomorphic blobs reach their goal.

There are different types of gooballs to mix things up a bit. These supply for new brain teasers as you try to find the quickest path while using as few gooballs as possible.

WOG takes an idea so simple and applies such wonderful personality, art, music, and variety that it transcends its own gameplay limitations. This is what happens when you get style and substance, and it feels good.

The world in World of Goo has an important role to play as well, and it unfolds in a beautiful way as you make your way through the game. The story is "narrated" by the mysterious sign painter, who leaves you signs with hints, facts, and love. The isn't much in terms of a traditional story here, but that brings me to my next point...

Another wonderful aspect of WOG is its approach to philosophy. It has a sense of humor yet still remains deep and quite thoughtful, very tongue in cheek stuff. I don't want to spoil anything for the uninitiated, but there is a sequence where you find out what powers the world, and it's rather profound. Mere moments after that sinks in. however, they turn it around into a poignant criticism on todays culture. Simply put, it's fantastic and got a hearty chuckle out of me.

One aspect of WOG I want to pause and give special mention to is the music. It is ear rockingly heart wrenchingly awesome. It's been a LONG time since I've played a game and actually stopped and said to myself "wow, this music is really, really good. The music helps build atmosphere and establish a mood. It fits perfectly in each level and scenario, and if you like Danny Elfman it will fit perfectly on your ipod (the soundtrack is available for FREE on World of Goo's website and I highly recommend it).

It's hard to believe this was put together by just two guys. This game really amped me up, I mean it is a serious accomplishment. It reminded me of why I wanted to get into the industry in the first place. So with that I bid you farewell, as I am off to start my own indie game studio.

Watch your step

-The always elusive Sign Painter