World of Goo

Last but definitely not least in this puzzling triumvirate is 2D Boy’s World of Goo, which takes its “platformer” label the most literally of the three. Rather than merely asking players to maneuver from one platform to the next, here you typically do so by becoming one yourself. Goo Balls, you see, are … well… gooey little blobs that can be assembled with others to construct towers and bridges and other gap-defying structures. The goal of each of the game’s 50-odd levels is to safely guide a predetermined number of Goo Balls to a suction pipe at the other side of a seemingly insurmountable chasm, whether to one side, above, or even below you at times. Sounds simple, no? Well, simple it is… easy it’s not.

The most common type of grey Goo Ball works largely like the popular building set K’nex. They can be attached to other goos at (roughly) 45 or 90-degree angles, establishing an elastic strand between them as a connection that stretches your newly-formed structure. The first and most obvious obstacle, of course, is basic physics. Goo Balls aren’t heavy, but like a house of cards, gravity will wreak havoc on longer, poorly-supported structures. And unlike real life bridges, which can be supported from both sides, here you’re always working from one side only, making your construction even more tenuous.

And then there’s “goo physics”. Okay, really that’s just basic science at work as well, but it sure starts to seem like something altogether new. For one thing, goo is not solid, and even your connected strands are semi-flexible, so your structures are vulnerable not only to gravity, but to severe balancing issues as well. The latter is further compounded by the presence of the very Goo Balls you’re trying to rescue. All the unused goos will travel randomly around any connections, causing your already-teetering tower to wobble like nobody’s business. Thanks for nothing, guys! The trick, then, is to counteract these challenges with a proper foundation on all available sides. The problem is, you have only so many Goo Balls to work with if you’re to save the requisite number at the other end. Oh, and did I mention that many levels have additional hazards like gusting winds and deadly spinning gears right smack in your way? Right, you’re building this house of (goo) cards while everyone around you is sneezing.

If this sounds a bit too much like “Sim Architect” to be fun, rest assured (or be forewarned) that each of the game’s four chapters introduces new coloured goo types for a wide range of different challenges. Some goos are like helium balloons while others are flammable; some stick to any surface while others can be hurled like little discs. And while stretching the definition of “goo” about as far as it will go, some are little skulls that protect vulnerable types from spikes and others are actual building blocks of various shapes and sizes. There are still more besides those, so there’s enough variation to keep the gameplay constantly feeling fresh – and conversely, to prevent you from ever feeling too comfortable with your mastery over the current goo set.

Levels are accessed by a largely linear overworld screen, and length can range anywhere from barely over a minute to closer to ten minutes for the more elaborate challenges. That time (clocked and recorded by the game as you go) doesn’t take into account any restarts, however. To help you avoid that necessity (though believe me, not entirely), little white time bugs (or perhaps ghosts of spent goos?) will emerge periodically that “undo” your latest progress when clicked on. The concept is sound for correcting mistakes, but in practice it often doesn’t help that much, at least not without using several in a row. Your latest move may have been the one that finally tipped over your contraption, but you may find it impossible to reverse the inevitable loss of balance it set it motion, so success is hit or miss. The levels are so short (when done right) that this never sets you back too far, but at least a few times I was close to the end goal only to find myself forced to start over again from scratch.

Similar quibbles exist elsewhere in World of Goo. There is a definite need for trial-and-error at times, and learning only by failure can seem needlessly punishing when just a little guidance would have gone a long way. There are no instructions of any kind offered besides obscurely worded messages left for you by the “Sign Painter”, which occasionally provide tips about a major new obstacle. Learning new goo attributes is left entirely to you, and while you’ll quickly grasp the differences, it’s not always totally intuitive at first. There are also several levels where quick building is necessary at key points. It’s not physically taxing by any means, but trying to locate a specific Goo Ball from a cluster or set precise points on a weaving goo monstrosity can be an exercise in frustration. Fortunately, such occasions are rare and any real annoyances are minor overall.

There is no difficulty understanding how to construct your goo platforms, at least. Purely mouse-controlled (or remote-controlled for the Nintendo Wii version), you simply click a Goo Ball, drag it to the desired spot on screen, then release it to attach. Eligible spots are indicated by a faint connecting line, removing most of the guesswork, though sometimes these can be hard to see on lighter backgrounds. The outdoor environments are often bright and cheery with warm pastel colours, while the levels occurring inside a factory are darker and more ominous, and the chapter devoted to the “information superhighway” uses a suitably garish 16-colour computer theme. It’s all very whimsical, giving the game a bemused, lighthearted feel, though the style is very Burton-esque and the Sign Painter’s ongoing writings convey a melancholic attitude toward the fate of the goos and the world they inhabit. The music is equally diverse, ranging from fully orchestrated, almost majestic anthems to cool guitars to the main Danny Elfman-visits-the carnival theme. It’s all excellent work.

The Goo Balls themselves have no dialogue or personal characteristics, but their little eyeballs and vocal blurps and gleeps are charming enough that you’ll start to feel protective of them, which provides all the motivation you need to rescue as many as you can. If you do need more, there’s a much tougher “OCD” target that ramps ups the challenge considerably, but you can manually advance as soon as you’ve hit the minimum requirement. The total number of goos above and beyond the necessary quota are saved and sent to a sandbox zone called the “World of Goo Corporation”, where you’re challenged to simply build a tower as high as you can. I didn’t bother, being much more interested in the story-based campaign.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you much about the “storyline” as it’s presented, mainly because it just doesn’t make much sense. Each of the game’s chapters, plus a short epilogue level, conveys its own distinct season and themes, including a giant power source, the creation of a new beauty product, the unveiling of a powerful weapon, and the presence of a supercomputer with spambot tendencies. There are certainly hints at a deeper narrative at play here, but given the ambiguous nature of the messages left behind, I don’t imagine the developers really intended players to follow a cohesive plot, and frankly, just trying to make sense of it turns my mind to goo.

Even after the particularly confounding final destination, I still don’t fully understood the meaning of it all, but I do know how fully entertaining the journey itself was. All told, it took me under ten hours of actual game time, and there was never a dull moment. A few invectives hurled during the toughest parts, perhaps, but never boredom. In fact, the atmosphere is so charming, the levels so manageable, and the gameplay so enjoyable that I found myself pulled into that “just… one… more” mindset that wouldn’t let me break away. And when all is said and done, there’s no more fitting endorsement than to say: give it a try and World of Goo will suck you right in.