The cheapest PlayStation Vita launch title is also one of the best.
February 17, 2012
from ign
When Tales from Space: About a Blob debuted on the PlayStation 3 last year, people dug it but had issues with it. Podcast Beyond's Colin Moriarty wanted to use the D-pad, IGN reviewer Audrey Drake wanted a longer experience, and I wasn't a fan of the sluggish gameplay. Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack -- a downloadable sequel -- fixes all of that and makes for one of the best titles in the PlayStation Vita's launch lineup.
On its surface, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is equal parts Katamari and platformer. Through nearly 30 levels, you take a green, one-eyed blob across a 2D plane and gobble up everything in sight. As you feast on boxes and oil drums, you get bigger, which allows you to absorb people and military tanks while reaching new areas via wall jumps, pressurized tubes, and moving platforms.
It's adorable to watch the blob suck up a scientist or react to a laser -- thanks in no small part to the colorful and sharp graphics that pop on the OLED screen -- but platforming eventually overshadows the eating. I didn't expect that.
In the beginning, the levels are beautiful but straightforward jumping journeys that just have one or two nooks (filled with point bubbles or one of two collectable blob friends on each map). But as time goes by, the blob's antics get hairier -- suddenly you're using magnetic powers to push and pull yourself in midair, flying in zero-gravity and rolling from things looking to crush you. There's always something new around the corner in Mutant Blobs Attack, and that made me excited to turn it on and start squeezing through cracks.
Like I said up front, developer DrinkBox's second take on the blobs gives you full use of the D-pad (or the analog stick), but it also tweaks some of the controls that make Mutant Blobs Attack a blast to play. The blob now automatically eats things as it rolls over them, the speed of the game has been increased, and the run button has been ditched. It controls so well on the Vita that it's easy to melt into a level and do Mario-like wall jumps to a given goal.
The really good news is that DrinkBox added Vita touch and motion controls to Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, and they're actually a lot of fun. Touch controls pop up in various levels. You need to fling the blob with a dragable platform or rotate a device the blob is in so that it doesn't get squished and pop. These uses are challenging, interesting and unobtrusive.
Almost the exact same thing can be said for the Tilt-a-Blob levels. These optional, top-down asides put the blob on a maze filled with holes. You need to twist and tilt the Vita to roll the ball-ish blob through the course. These are challenging and interesting, but deaths felt cheap -- almost like the holes had a gravitational pull. I thought I was about to sneak past a hole, but just touching the edge sent me to death. Still, I didn't hate playing these -- I just adjusted to the rules.
It's adorable to watch the blob suck up a scientist or react to a laser -- thanks in no small part to the colorful and sharp graphics that pop on the OLED screen -- but platforming eventually overshadows the eating. I didn't expect that.
In the beginning, the levels are beautiful but straightforward jumping journeys that just have one or two nooks (filled with point bubbles or one of two collectable blob friends on each map). But as time goes by, the blob's antics get hairier -- suddenly you're using magnetic powers to push and pull yourself in midair, flying in zero-gravity and rolling from things looking to crush you. There's always something new around the corner in Mutant Blobs Attack, and that made me excited to turn it on and start squeezing through cracks.
Like I said up front, developer DrinkBox's second take on the blobs gives you full use of the D-pad (or the analog stick), but it also tweaks some of the controls that make Mutant Blobs Attack a blast to play. The blob now automatically eats things as it rolls over them, the speed of the game has been increased, and the run button has been ditched. It controls so well on the Vita that it's easy to melt into a level and do Mario-like wall jumps to a given goal.
Good luck with that.
Almost the exact same thing can be said for the Tilt-a-Blob levels. These optional, top-down asides put the blob on a maze filled with holes. You need to twist and tilt the Vita to roll the ball-ish blob through the course. These are challenging and interesting, but deaths felt cheap -- almost like the holes had a gravitational pull. I thought I was about to sneak past a hole, but just touching the edge sent me to death. Still, I didn't hate playing these -- I just adjusted to the rules.
0 comments:
Post a Comment