Trouble on Blobolonia

[syntheticgerbil]

http://kotaku.com/5164608/a-boy-and-his-blob-looks-swell-in-motion-too

This is apparently coming out. It looks fun, but it could just be the Braid-rip-off graphics influencing me. The video seems to suggest sparse level design, but maybe it's an early level. The original game sucks though, even though it had good ideas. It was just too hard. I'm sure this won't be the case this time around.

It should definitely be better than this incarnation:

Oh god, the oozing attitude.

Edited March 5, 2009 by syntheticgerbil

[William_Dhalgren]

The graphics are Braid-ripoff? I don't think so. They look more like a children's picture book. They're very effective.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Since Braid I love the idea of playing in a moving painting. There should be more of it. (Ironically this character looks a lot better than Tim in Braid, but Braid's backgrounds piss all over this one -- at least from this single screenshot )

[syntheticgerbil]

The graphics are Braid-ripoff? I don't think so. They look more like a children's picture book. They're very effective.

Well character designs aside, they both have soft digitally painted backgrounds with similar brushstrokes and share a lot of the same color palettes if you compare screenshots.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all, but I would be very surprised if the art team wasn't inspired by Braid.

[Chris]

I think it's more that both Braid's Hellman and this game were inspired by similar storybook sources. I don't see any greater influence from Braid here than I do from children's storybooks generally--it never even came to my mind.

[Jake]

The first thing I thought of when I saw their palette choices and the style of brushstrokes in the background was "hey that looks like Braid." I don't think it's a ripoff, but Braid was definitely the first thing which came to mind for me, too.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Definitely. How many games are there out there that look like paintings, anyway?

[Churchy]

The main character model doesn't make me want to gouge my eyes so obviously the graphics can't be a Braid ripoff.

But for real this game just looks super charming.

[gdf]

Definitely. How many games are there out there that look like paintings, anyway?

Average of Persia made a pretty good fist of it, probably the best aspect of that game.

Okami is another obvious candidate, and Street Fighter IV does some nice brush-stroke effects from time to time.

So, a few anyways

[Erkki]

Didn't make me think of Braid at all. But looks fun. I actually tried to play the original for the first time a couple of weeks ago, but couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do so it didn't hold my interest much.

[Udvarnoky]

The original game sucks though, even though it had good ideas. It was just too hard.

Agreed. A Boy and His Blob is one of those games that you pretend to love because of its originality, but it's effing impossible. I've always loved the concept and WISHED I could get further than ten minutes in, though.

[syntheticgerbil]

I actually tried to play the original for the first time a couple of weeks ago, but couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do so it didn't hold my interest much.

You have to collect 25 treasures around the city and underground and use the them to buy special jellybeans. Then you feed a certain one to your blob on the street and rocket away to Blobolonia when you are all stocked and ready.

There you have to dodge a bunch of marshmellows and shit on every screen and try not to lose whatever small amount of lives you have left from trying to get all the treasure in the first section of the game. That's about where I left off. I could probably win with an emulator, but it pissed me off so much back then repeatedly trying to beat it, only to be killed in that area, that I just no longer care.

The game was just too sensitive and hard to handle, especially if you do something retarded like accidentally turn your blob into a bowling ball and throw him off a cliff, while you are out of the teleport-type jellybeans. Then you have no choice but you kill yourself.

[n0wak]

Agreed. A Boy and His Blob is one of those games that you pretend to love because of its originality, but it's effing impossible. I've always loved the concept and WISHED I could get further than ten minutes in, though.

Yeah, that's about right. It's a game I liked for the idea and the mechanics at the time, but it was, for some strange reason, a game that just weirded/creeped me out. I was nine though, so that probably had a lot to do with it. I don't know what it was. The atmosphere of it or something.

But this new one is just charming. It looks even better in motion

http://www.offworld.com/2009/03/wiis-a-boy-and-his-blob-in-mot.html

Although I am filled with an improbably amount of annoyance over his "falling through a hole animation". Everything is so nice and smooth and that is just... clunky. But it is early.

[Noyb]

Braid's artist responds to A Boy and His Blob: http://www.davidhellman.net/blog/its-blobsexual/

[syntheticgerbil]

NO THEY WERE IMITATING A STORYBOOK, GOSH!!!

[DUHH]

This game looks incredibly good. The art-style and layering and effects are just lovely. And even though the gameplay looks to smart for me, it looks fun. I must get my Wii back.

I don´t have any experience with the original ones though. Because at that time I knew that Nintendo consoles were for kiddies and Commodore was for the cool kids.

[syntheticgerbil]

GrouchoClub, are you enjoying the new Boy and his Blob?

I'm still on the fence about getting this, but it beckons for me.

[Murdoc]

This is apparently coming out. It looks fun, but it could just be the Braid-rip-off graphics influencing me. .

:(:(:(:(:(

I saw a video of this a year ago and thought it looked pretty fantastic, one day I hope titles like this can get a little more animation budget for some more keys, but aside from that I think they've nailed the art, it's a far cry from Braid.

[Garple]

GrouchoClub, are you enjoying the new Boy and his Blob?

I'm still on the fence about getting this, but it beckons for me.

Yes, sir. It's very simple and charming. It's not very challenging, but it's cute and atmospheric. It might be more of a rental, unless you're philosophically opposed to renting. I wish I had more to say about it, but it's just a gently pleasant atmospheric puzzle platformer. It's somewhat reminiscent of a game like Kyntt, in that it's meandering and has no sense of urgency but still manages to be fairly compelling. It didn't hold my interest for very long, but I got a warm and happy feeling from playing it. If you like the idea of being a little boy who has an amorphous pet that doubles as (among other things) a portable trampoline, you should give the game a try. You go so high bouncing off that thing!

Also: it combines two of your great loves: video games and animation. The art style and animation really are as good as they look in screens and videos you may have seen. I don't have component cables for my Wii, but I imagine they would enhance the experience quite a bit.

Edit: Also, I forgot about the parachute. That's really really fun.

It really is the kind of light-hearted joyous experience the Wii was made for. Just don't expect a lot of depth or variety.

[brkl]

The Wii version seems just charming.

[syntheticgerbil]

I saw a video of this a year ago and thought it looked pretty fantastic, one day I hope titles like this can get a little more animation budget for some more keys, but aside from that I think they've nailed the art, it's a far cry from Braid.

Come on man, I didn't bump the thread to continue this argument, I already went over it earlier in the thread. I'm still interested in the game EVEN if I still think it's ripping off the style or at least inspired by the style used for Braid's backgrounds.

Also: it combines two of your great loves: video games and animation. The art style and animation really are as good as they look in screens and videos you may have seen. I don't have component cables for my Wii, but I imagine they would enhance the experience quite a bit.

Edit: Also, I forgot about the parachute. That's really really fun.

It really is the kind of light-hearted joyous experience the Wii was made for. Just don't expect a lot of depth or variety.

Sounds good. I do like the character designs for the kid, the blob, and the bad guys and the clips I saw of the cutscenes look charming.

I'm guessing it's no where near as infuriating as the original Boy and his Blob then? Is it sort of "puzzle-lite?" I'm guessing it would be alright if it is as long as I don't get bored after a while. Really anything would be better than how tough the first game was.

[Murdoc]

Come on man, I didn't bump the thread to continue this argument, I already went over it earlier in the thread. I'm still interested in the game EVEN if I still think it's ripping off the style or at least inspired by the style used for Braid's backgrounds.

I'm not arguing, I'm saying this game art looks fantastic and if they kept with the game-play of the original I'm sure it's gold.

The only arguement here is your impression of it's influence, but I'm not the one arguing with that, just a emoticon lament on how people made that connection. I could agree with the idea that the decision to make it a more illustrative direction could be based on the fact braid exists and was successful.

What I will do later is go into why this game looks great and cite the actual influences it stems from that are could have potentially been used by hellman as well.

[brkl]

There is a button for solely for hugging.

[syntheticgerbil]

What I will do later is go into why this game looks great and cite the actual influences it stems from that are could have potentially been used by hellman as well.

How could you possibly know the *actual* influences without having spoken to the art team or art director?

You are actually starting an argument since now you are just acting like an arrogant jack off and don't like my "impression of it's influence."

I know you dislike Braid's art style, but avoiding any possibility that this new Boy and his Blob could have had the art team taking cues from Braid's success to try out a similar painterly traditional style for a commercial game is just being purposefully dense. Even checking out the link Noyb posted to Hellman's blog should be enough to say it's not crazy to get the image. And as Thunderpeel said much earlier, in no way is it bad thing that people are using a similar art style for new 2D games.

I'm sorry I bumped this thread, I should have just made a new one to talk about it, geez.

Edited March 23, 2010 by syntheticgerbil

[miffy495]

I've been playing off and on for the last week or so. Gerbil, I remember you were curious a few months back what my impressions would be when I got around to it. I'm using it primarily as a way to calm myself down after getting frustrated doing way too much homework lately. I freak out with stress, and play ABAHB to decompress my brain. I've only finished the first set of levels (that is, I beat a boss) but from what I've experienced it's just a very whimsical, simple, pleasant game in all respects. The puzzle design is clever enough without being frustrating, the checkpoints are generous if there's a tricky jump coming up, and I like that they give you only the jelly beans that you'll need to complete each level. It's nice to have a defined set of tools for each challenge.

So yeah, go for it. It's not the most engaging or exciting thing by any means, but if you'd like a game to help you relax it's wonderful.