de Blob: an infectiously enthusiastic joyride

Wow. Two of our strongest reviews of the year have come in the same week. First there was "Silent Hill: Homecoming" and now we have another in "de Blob," which Variety critic Tom Chick calls "a wonderfully simple, infectiously enthusiastic joyride." I've edited a good number of review by Tom and trust me, he doesn't get that enthusiastic very often.

For those who don't know, "de Blob" started as a project by nine students in Amsterdam to present their city's urban renewal. After it showed at festivals and won awards, THQ picked it up and decided to turn it into a full-fledged Wii release. Little independent project getting adapted by a bit company sounds like a bad recipe, but it appears THQ and developer Blue Tongue pulled it off. Tom was entranced by the wildly creative visuals, the "cooly fluid" soundtrack that adds "aural color" to the experience, and the level design that can be finished quickly but makes it easy to get lost (in a good way). And how often do you see a sentence like this in a videogame review? " It's so visually and musically rich that watching is nearly as captivating as playing." We don't need online multi-player here.

But I think the sentence that really convinced me I have to play this game (as soon as I have a break from all the titles I'm reviewing and check out "Silent Hill: Homecoming" on Leigh Alexander's endorsement) is this one, which was like an arrow stuck in this gamer's heart: "The only thing remotely like it is the madcap Japanese videogame series 'Katamari Damacy.'"

With so many huge AAA shooters and sequels coming out this fall, though, can "de Blob" find an audience? Or at least become the cult hit it apparently deserves to be? That's the big question, I'm thinking, and the challenge for THQ.

Here's an full excerpt from Tom's review:

"de Blob's" gameplay is akin to giving an artist a blank canvas. Players roll a gelatinous blob that picks up paint and splashes it around colorless city streets. There's a satisfying sense of havoc and beauty as the monochrome backdrop comes alive in brilliant reds, yellows, purples, and more (the inclusion of brown was the only unwise choice). As the city transforms, stray paint is splashed and trailed all over the place, making it look like the art studio of some mad genius trafficking in primary colors. In addition to newly lurid buildings, trees, cars and billboards, even the sad grey citizens become dancing, cheering, candy-colored pips. The only thing remotely like it is the madcap Japanese videogame series "Katamari Damacy."

And you can read the whole thing right here.