As you might have noticed, indie games are sort of a niche thing. Only a fraction of the gaming public is even aware of the little gems of a variety of karats. What makes indie games so rewarding is that if you take the time to explore the various developers, you will find something rather cool. Indie developers are not constrained with the same-old, same-old conventions: They feel free to create new concepts that have never been attempted or attained before — or take those old ideas and give them a fresh spin. I found a game that is one of the most unique games I’ve seen in years: World of Goo.
In case you don’t know, World of Goo is about getting various goo from one side of the area to the other. So how do you do this? It’s actually quite simple: You click on the goo you want and place it wherever it connects. Eventually, you’ll create some sort of bridge that is within contact of the pipe, and the unused goo will be sucked in. Collect enough goo, and you’ll be able to go to the next level. Along the way, there are odd signs created by The Sign Painter, who fills in information about the world. You never meet the guy, but you learn a fair amount about him by the time the game ends.
Thus far, I’ve made it sound like there is no story. That’s not true. It may not always be clear how your actions affect the game world, but you’ll watch events unfold in front of your eyes. After completing the first level, you quickly learn that the goo has something to do with a corporation named after them while all the goo desire is ... adventure. Different products become available for the population after you complete various levels, and you’ll watch how excited the populous becomes when released. And if I write anymore about the plot, I’ll ruin some of the joy of discovering the truth for yourself.
Anyway, there are all sorts of different goo that you get to play with throughout the game. And each goo has its own purpose. The traditional black goo just sticks together two by two, while the white goo can connect up to three goos together. Green goo can be moved and reapplied wherever needed, and red goo can be set on fire. And the weirdest and most underused goo is the skelegoo, which is dead goo that is immune to spikes. From there you’ll use goo, as previously stated, to create the best pathway possible for the goo to get the pipe.
The joy of the game comes from the wonderfully intuitive interface and the fun in creating things using cute little goo. It’s like building with Legos: Almost anything is possible. Just point and click and drag. Really, it’s that simple. Sometimes you have to be aware of your creation’s weight — sometimes more often than naught. But it’s never something like, “place 30 goos here, and it’ll be balanced.” Oh, no; it’s about learning how to create a balanced path for the goo so that it becomes a natural part of the puzzle solving process. This can be done by reinforcing the goo structure or using balloons to help keep things floating. Thus, the puzzles are challenging. Sometimes they can be frustrating, but it never stops being fun. Each new level builds on the previous level, making it so that the solution is truly never out of your grasp. It may not be quickly apparent, but it is there waiting to be discovered. No matter how you discover it, it‘s completely and utterly rewarding. I tried explaining this to a few friends (they’re girls), and they couldn’t see it. However, when I told a co-worker about this game, her eyes lit up. So it might be a crazed learner thing. Or a teacher thing. Or a person who’s truly a kid at heart thing. I’m going with the latter.
Graphically, the game is exceedingly easy on the eyes. The goos are insanely cute. Wait. Can goo be considered cute? The backgrounds are well-detailed, and the various structures in the game exude personality. They are quirky, interesting and add depth to the world. The same could be said of each area that you work through. Each is completely unique, even though they are based on the different seasons. Summer is the most innocent with idyllic pastures and flowing water. Occasionally, the wind can be seen in front of everything. Eventually, you get to winter, and the innocence is gone as the world is either asleep with snow or has dramatically changed since the last time you saw it. Heck, the goos even go inside a computer, and that’s by far the coolest chapter theme. It actually feels like you’re working inside a virtual world (within a virtual world ... nope, the irony is not completely lost on me).
The sound is stickily solid. There’s the upbeat game theme with its emphasis on percussion, the windy days with the sound of the wind blistering by and wind instruments that gently fly high. There are the sounds of fire and the burning of goo. There are the happy sounds as the goos connect to one another. Other than the sounds of the goos, it may not stick with you. But like any good soundtrack, when you do not hear, something feels amiss. It creates a disconnect, and it makes the game somewhat less enjoyable. Thankfully, if you enjoy the soundtrack enough, you can download and add it to your music collection (for free, I might add).
World of Goo is one of those rare games that has just exploded since its release this past year. It has the attention of teaching and parenting magazines (which ones, I cannot tell you ... but my co-worker who subscribes to one of each has told me that is how she became aware of it), has penetrated mainstream gaming sites and, even now, is available at your local Best Buy and on other online sites. To look at World of Goo is to see something that does not seem like much. However, as soon as you get your hands on it, the magic and lure of the game quickly becomes apparent. This is not just something to pass the time; it is an experience! It is something to be felt, not to be dissected like the starfish back in high school. Read about this game all you want, but make absolutely certain you download the demo if you have any doubts about this game; it will dispel all of them. For $20, you’re getting a great deal of fun and a ton of challenges (or as it is known in-game, “obsessive completion distinction” (OCD), which are self-imposed) regardless of platform. Thus, there really is no excuse not to pick up a copy of this game unless you’re trying to pay off some major debt.
Good job 2D Boy! I look forward to playing your next project, whatever it may be!
