Following the arrival of the 'next generation' in videogaming, big names in the industry are putting increasing amounts of funding into future titles, both exclusive and multi-platform. Having such a hefty development budget undoubtedly has its advantages, yet for the minds at 2D games, creativity and originality have resulted in a gaming experience unlike any other. With goo.
World of Goo by 'indie' (independent) game developer ‘2D-Boy’ is a breath of fresh air, proving that a game does not need a massive team behind it, nor a briefcase full of money to fuel its success. On the contrary, World of Goo is the product of a team of just 2 young men. Kyle Gabler (previously a game designer for EA, creators of popular PC franchise ‘The Sims’) and Ron Carmel (Also of EA fame) have been described by the media as “an unstoppable force on the front lines of the indie revolution”, and with a horde of Goo-loving fans now behind them, it looks like their latest project is something to look forward to. Clearly, claims that the pair have defined what it is to be truly inspiring 'indie' developers are justified, through both the quality of their work and the reception from the public.
Admittedly, it’s only when you play World of Goo that you can begin to get a sense of the amount of work the talented pair of designers put into the game. World of Goo's simplistic interface, vibrant use and implementation of colour and charming gameplay fuse together to form a well-paced puzzle game that has universal appeal. The fact that the game mechanics are so simple yet so deep at the same time also helps keep the game accessible, yet at the same time keeping players with higher skills levels coming back for more. Any game that fails to offer replay incentive will ultimately result in a lack of interest, yet World of Goo's charming personality ensures this isn't the case. Even humorous, mysterious messages from the elusive 'sign-painter' within each level will keep a grin on your face, offering players both advice on how to approach the level itself and tongue-in-cheek conversation.
As players load the game for the first time, a barrage of vibrancy and seamless, fluid animation seem like a worthy reward for the purchase. The visual aspect of World of Goo is unique, and it's this quality that, for me, keeps me coming back for more. World of Goo seems to do a great job of enticing players in. The visual look manages to combine a 'cartoony' look with a crisp, polished finish. The game comes to life with the inclusion of moving cogs, wind turbines, bobbing water, grumpy creatures (It seems only fair. Can you imagine having no arms or legs?) and a host of other objects and structures that all add to World of Goo's world of imagination and wonder.
The concept is simple. The player starts the level with a certain numbers of 'Goo's', with the goal being to send these 'Goo's' to a drain pipe placed somewhere on the level, which sucks the chattering blobs to safety when they get close enough. To reach these pipes, the player must make a tower with the resources given to them whilst at the same time ensuring the tower does not topple. The challenge concerns where the drain pipe is placed. Earlier levels will see the pipe placed in the sky, with players having to simply build a tower upwards to enable the 'Goo's' their freedom, whereas later levels will put the pipe in more challenging locations. One of the later stages in the game, for example, places the ending pipe over a pit of spikes, meaning players have to use balloons to keep their gooey bridge suspended safely.
World of Goo's exciting and mesmerising gameplay is born through how the players must use their initiative to construct towers that defy gravity, as well as structures that dodge and duck under various obstacles. Build a solid structure, and a container full of smiling, happy and relieved (obviously) faces is your reward.
Harder levels such as the one shown above rely heavily (get it? No? Fine – We'll move on) on gravity, whilst at the same time introducing added dangers such as spikes and wind turbines. In levels such as these, players are introduced to the 'Water droplet' game mechanic, which allows the player to build downwards using water. This variety keeps the game interesting, and the regular introduction of new game mechanics keeps World of Goo feeling fresh.
Perhaps one limitation to the World of Goo experience is the lack of substantial online gameplay. In saying this, the game does support minor online connectivity (in the form of leaderboards revealing who can build the highest 'Goo' tower) however players never directly interact with one another. This addition would have provided a welcome change to World of Goo's offline adventure, as vibrant and as varied as it is. Personally, I found the idea of building an endless tower up into the air (with a nice, hefty amount of 'Goo's' I had accumulated during my playthrough) reminded me of a pencil with no lead – It was pointless.
What 2D-Boy have done is proven to the world that independent game developers can be just as creative as the big names in the industry, if not more so. World of Goo is a hint of what the talented pair are capable of, bringing a world of originality and accessibility to the gaming world. It's a shame that the talented pair have denied rumours of a sequel, but nevertheless, I greatly look forward to seeing what they come up with next.
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