A Boy and His Blob (2009 video game)
Encyclopedia
A Boy and His Blob is a platform
-puzzle video game developed by WayForward Technologies
and published by Majesco Entertainment
for the Wii
. It was released in North America
on October 13, 2009, and in Europe on November 6, 2009. It is a re-imagining of the Nintendo Entertainment System
title, A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia.
WayForward's director Sean Velasco, a fan of the original NES title, expressed a desire to re-create and update the experience for current generation gamers, streamlining the NES title's gameplay mechanics to create a more "forgiving" experience.
A Boy and His Blobs art direction has received widespread critical acclaim and praise, and was utilized by the developers, in addition to a minimalistic story, in order to create a "heartwarming...and friendly game" accessible by a wide audience.
A Boy and His Blob is a 2D
puzzle platformer. The main characters progress through a variety of levels with various obstacles to get to the end of the level and move on to the next. The protagonist feeds the blob jelly bean
s in order to transform it into one of fifteen different objects that can be used to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Unlike the NES game in which only the jellybean flavor was displayed, the Wii version uses a more intuitive menu that shows each transformation. By calling for Blob, it will revert out of its transformation and follow the boy, who can also scold it to make it stay put. The boy will die if he touches an enemy or other hazards, or falls from a great height.
The game has pre-set stages surrounding a central hub. In addition, every 10 stages concludes the current hub with a boss battle. The game consists of 80 stages; 40 standard levels and 40 hidden challenge levels unlocked by collecting three chests hidden within a standard level. The 40 standard levels provide an average of ten hours of gameplay. The protagonist has access to an unlimited amount of jelly beans, although the type availability is pre-set at the beginning of each level. Completing challenge levels unlocks bonus developer material such as concept art and story boards.
A Boy and His Blob does not utilize the Wii Remote
's motion detection or IR controls, and is controlled either by the Wii Remote (with the Nunchuk accessory) or by the Wii Classic Controller. Many reviewers have noted the "hug" button, which serves no in-game purpose except to hug the blob companion.
WayForward
's director Sean Velasco, a fan of the original NES title, felt the series "had a ton of potential" and was "a title whose time had come to be re-imagined." He felt the title would be a natural fit for WayForward's signature proprietary animation
and 2D visuals. The rights to the series originally belonged to Absolute Entertainment
, but Majesco Entertainment
was able to acquire the rights after Absolute went bankrupt in 1995. WayForward, already having a positive working relationship with Majesco, pitched the "idea of [creating] a very heartwarming Boy and Blob, and having a very friendly game" that both improved upon the usability of the original title and featured 2D hand-drawn animation "reminiscent of animated movies from the '80s." The designer of the NES title and co-founder of Activision
, David Crane
, was not involved with the Wii title. However, the new developers expressed respect for both him and his work when creating the new title.
In terms of faithfulness to the original NES title, producer Robb Alvey explained "(it's about) the original spirit of the game and creating something for this generation of gamers. If you're familiar with the original game, you'll recognize immediately the homage we pay to its origin. And if you've never played the original, it's not going to feel like anything 'retro'." Sean Velasco similarly expressed that the game is a "re-imagining" of the original title instead of a direct sequel
or remake
. Some changes made to the gameplay include frequent save checkpoints and unlimited jellybeans.
Marc Gomez, as art director, was responsible for most of the game's signature look and feel. He wanted to do something very soft, inspired by the works of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki
. The decision to make the boy "much younger and rounder" than his NES counterpart was also Marc's, as was the idea of making the blob "a more faithful companion (similar to) a dog." With the new, younger design for the boy and the blob, Marc "wanted them to have (a) mutual need for each other... One can't progress without the other." Overall, the game has around 4,000 unique frames of animation.
In terms of the game's controls, Sean Velasco wanted something "very intuitive for the family crowd" and wanted to "avoid anything that doesn't directly serve the game itself" such as, "waggle controls simply for the sake of waggle". The "hug" button is a vestigial feature of a more fleshed out emotion system abandoned during development. Managing the blob's emotions and keeping him happy throughout the game proved too much of a hassle during testing, so the mechanics were largely thrown out. However, Sean Velasco felt the in-game hug was "too heart-melting to ignore," so it was kept.
Velasco, remarked that its simplicity allowed them to create a "very heartwarming...and friendly game" and to really highlight a "major component of the game, which is the friendship between the boy and blob." Gomez explained that "everything is about subtlety. There will be hints here and there letting you in on what is taking place. The story will develop as much as the player wants to venture in the details."
original. Nintendo Power
called it "a super magical adventure full of mesmerizing sights and compelling gameplay" and praised that the game "can be enjoyed on multiple levels and by players of all ages," giving it a score of 8.5/10. IGN
praised the game's art direction, yet criticized the control scheme and "die-and-retry nature of the level designs," awarding the game a 7.6/10. GameTrailers
likewise questioned aspects of the control scheme but praised the game's puzzles and overall feel, giving the game a total score of 8.5/10.
Game Informer
awarded the game an 8.0/10 (with a "second opinion" score of 8.75/10) calling the game "a stylish rebirth [of] the NES cult classic" and praising the game's learning curve, atmosphere, and nostalgia factor. However, similar to other reviews they faulted the game's "twitchy controls". Joystiq
noted that A Boy and His Blob was a "really good example of how to update a classic; the game feels new, yet retains what fans love about the original experience," yet expressed frustration at the game's need to "hold [your] hand" at times by providing "hints" to a puzzle's solution in the form of overabundant signs. They noted, however, that this feature may be appreciated by younger children and casual gamers.
1UP.com
gave A Boy and His Blob a B+, noting occasional problems with the blob's AI
and some shortcomings in terms of the game's secondary animation, but praising the game's more "forgiving" gameplay when compared to the NES A Boy and His Blob and calling the art "gorgeous". G4TV called the game "the kind of game the Wii was designed for."
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
-puzzle video game developed by WayForward Technologies
WayForward Technologies
WayForward Technologies is a game development company based in Valencia, California. Founded in 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis, as well as TV games and PC educational...
and published by Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. It was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on October 13, 2009, and in Europe on November 6, 2009. It is a re-imagining of the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
title, A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia.
WayForward's director Sean Velasco, a fan of the original NES title, expressed a desire to re-create and update the experience for current generation gamers, streamlining the NES title's gameplay mechanics to create a more "forgiving" experience.
A Boy and His Blobs art direction has received widespread critical acclaim and praise, and was utilized by the developers, in addition to a minimalistic story, in order to create a "heartwarming...and friendly game" accessible by a wide audience.
Gameplay
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
puzzle platformer. The main characters progress through a variety of levels with various obstacles to get to the end of the level and move on to the next. The protagonist feeds the blob jelly bean
Jelly bean
Jelly beans are a small bean-shaped type of confectionery with a hard candy shell and a gummy interior which come in a wide variety of flavors. The confection is primarily made of sugar.-History:...
s in order to transform it into one of fifteen different objects that can be used to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Unlike the NES game in which only the jellybean flavor was displayed, the Wii version uses a more intuitive menu that shows each transformation. By calling for Blob, it will revert out of its transformation and follow the boy, who can also scold it to make it stay put. The boy will die if he touches an enemy or other hazards, or falls from a great height.
The game has pre-set stages surrounding a central hub. In addition, every 10 stages concludes the current hub with a boss battle. The game consists of 80 stages; 40 standard levels and 40 hidden challenge levels unlocked by collecting three chests hidden within a standard level. The 40 standard levels provide an average of ten hours of gameplay. The protagonist has access to an unlimited amount of jelly beans, although the type availability is pre-set at the beginning of each level. Completing challenge levels unlocks bonus developer material such as concept art and story boards.
A Boy and His Blob does not utilize the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
's motion detection or IR controls, and is controlled either by the Wii Remote (with the Nunchuk accessory) or by the Wii Classic Controller. Many reviewers have noted the "hug" button, which serves no in-game purpose except to hug the blob companion.
Plot
The planet Blobolonia is threatened by an evil emperor, and the titular "blob" flees to Earth seeking help. It crash-lands on Earth and finds the eponymous "boy". They team up in order to dethrone the evil emperor, first by completing a quest on Earth and then by traveling to Blobolonia. Along the way, minions of the Emperor attempt to stop them.Development
WayForward Technologies
WayForward Technologies is a game development company based in Valencia, California. Founded in 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis, as well as TV games and PC educational...
's director Sean Velasco, a fan of the original NES title, felt the series "had a ton of potential" and was "a title whose time had come to be re-imagined." He felt the title would be a natural fit for WayForward's signature proprietary animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
and 2D visuals. The rights to the series originally belonged to Absolute Entertainment
Absolute Entertainment
Absolute Entertainment was a video game publisher based in Glen Rock, New Jersey and later in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Through its development house Imagineering, Absolute Entertainment produced titles for the Amiga, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Sega Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive, Mega-CD, Game Boy,...
, but Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
was able to acquire the rights after Absolute went bankrupt in 1995. WayForward, already having a positive working relationship with Majesco, pitched the "idea of [creating] a very heartwarming Boy and Blob, and having a very friendly game" that both improved upon the usability of the original title and featured 2D hand-drawn animation "reminiscent of animated movies from the '80s." The designer of the NES title and co-founder of Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, David Crane
David Crane (programmer)
David Crane is a video game designer and programmer.Crane started his programming career at Atari, making games for the Atari 2600. After meeting co-worker Alan Miller in a tennis game, Miller told Crane about a plan he had to leave Atari and found a company that would give game designers more...
, was not involved with the Wii title. However, the new developers expressed respect for both him and his work when creating the new title.
In terms of faithfulness to the original NES title, producer Robb Alvey explained "(it's about) the original spirit of the game and creating something for this generation of gamers. If you're familiar with the original game, you'll recognize immediately the homage we pay to its origin. And if you've never played the original, it's not going to feel like anything 'retro'." Sean Velasco similarly expressed that the game is a "re-imagining" of the original title instead of a direct sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
or remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
. Some changes made to the gameplay include frequent save checkpoints and unlimited jellybeans.
Marc Gomez, as art director, was responsible for most of the game's signature look and feel. He wanted to do something very soft, inspired by the works of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
. The decision to make the boy "much younger and rounder" than his NES counterpart was also Marc's, as was the idea of making the blob "a more faithful companion (similar to) a dog." With the new, younger design for the boy and the blob, Marc "wanted them to have (a) mutual need for each other... One can't progress without the other." Overall, the game has around 4,000 unique frames of animation.
In terms of the game's controls, Sean Velasco wanted something "very intuitive for the family crowd" and wanted to "avoid anything that doesn't directly serve the game itself" such as, "waggle controls simply for the sake of waggle". The "hug" button is a vestigial feature of a more fleshed out emotion system abandoned during development. Managing the blob's emotions and keeping him happy throughout the game proved too much of a hassle during testing, so the mechanics were largely thrown out. However, Sean Velasco felt the in-game hug was "too heart-melting to ignore," so it was kept.
Velasco, remarked that its simplicity allowed them to create a "very heartwarming...and friendly game" and to really highlight a "major component of the game, which is the friendship between the boy and blob." Gomez explained that "everything is about subtlety. There will be hints here and there letting you in on what is taking place. The story will develop as much as the player wants to venture in the details."
Reception
Reception for A Boy and His Blob has been largely positive, with many reviewers commenting on the game's art design and faithfulness to the feel of the NESNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
original. Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
called it "a super magical adventure full of mesmerizing sights and compelling gameplay" and praised that the game "can be enjoyed on multiple levels and by players of all ages," giving it a score of 8.5/10. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
praised the game's art direction, yet criticized the control scheme and "die-and-retry nature of the level designs," awarding the game a 7.6/10. GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
likewise questioned aspects of the control scheme but praised the game's puzzles and overall feel, giving the game a total score of 8.5/10.
Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
awarded the game an 8.0/10 (with a "second opinion" score of 8.75/10) calling the game "a stylish rebirth [of] the NES cult classic" and praising the game's learning curve, atmosphere, and nostalgia factor. However, similar to other reviews they faulted the game's "twitchy controls". Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
noted that A Boy and His Blob was a "really good example of how to update a classic; the game feels new, yet retains what fans love about the original experience," yet expressed frustration at the game's need to "hold [your] hand" at times by providing "hints" to a puzzle's solution in the form of overabundant signs. They noted, however, that this feature may be appreciated by younger children and casual gamers.
1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
gave A Boy and His Blob a B+, noting occasional problems with the blob's AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
and some shortcomings in terms of the game's secondary animation, but praising the game's more "forgiving" gameplay when compared to the NES A Boy and His Blob and calling the art "gorgeous". G4TV called the game "the kind of game the Wii was designed for."