Last Tuesday, I was happy to see a title I have been interested in make it to the PSN, with a demo. That title was Tales from Space: about a Blob. I played through the demo and I was convinced I would give it a go. About a Blob, is the first original console release, from Toronto based developer, DrinkBox studios. Awhile back when I first seen the colorful screenshots of puzzle-platforming goodness, TFSAaB had caught my interest, and I couldn’t be happier that the game didn’t disappoint. Here are my thoughts.
TFSAaB, is a colorful, puzzle-platformer, with a few tricks up its sleeve. You play as a blob that fell from space,and was captured by a scientist. You make your escape, and the game goes from there. At first glance, About a Blob looks as if PSP Mini developer Frima Studio, made some LBP2 levels. What do I mean by that you ask? If you have played any of Frima’s titles like Young Thor or Zombie Tycoon, you will see what I am talking about. They usually offer lot of color and charm, to flesh out their titles and characters, that help make for a more enjoyable experience. About a Blob is no different from that. Sorry fans of plain gray and brown textures usually found in shooters, you will get a whole box of Crayolas here. The charm comes through big time, with the help of dialog-less cut scenes, and subtle animated expressions of your blob.
When you start a level, you are shown a zoomed out picture of the whole level you will go through. If you have messed around with LBP’s level creator, this zoomed out look of the level, will be familiar to you. Where LBP gives you realistic looking backgrounds in a 2.5D perspective, this is strictly a 2D platformer of old. The retro comic book inspired art is capped of with a futuristic vibe, and reminded me of when I was a kid and watched the Jetsons. This makes for a colorful, bright, crisp, and clean playing experience, that lets you just sink into the game.
TFSAaB is very easy to pick up and play. The mechanics are smooth, because you are a blob you kind of roll along and do your thing. The main thing about platform games is the jumping. If the jumping is loose, it will lead to a lot of cheap deaths, and frustrated gamers. Fortunately that is not a problem here. The jumping can be a little floaty ala LBP, but Drinkbox fixes this issue with the physics of the game. Since you are a blob, if you come up a little short on a jump, you will kind of bounce up to the platform.
The main premise of About a Blob, is to get through the level by growing your blob. You do this by absorbing loose items that are laying around. When you reach the right size you can move on, but not so fast. There are plenty of puzzles along the way to rack your brain. The thing I liked about the puzzles is, they were not overly challenging. They are more like a respite to break up the platforming, and there are plenty of hints abound. About a Blob isn’t only about absorbing and jumping, there are plenty of gaming nuances, that help make this a full title. The items you absorb, are able to be spit out at buttons and bad guys, to help you clear an area. There are other tools you unlock as you go along through the game, like a magnetic device that lets you stick to or repel from metal. There are others as well but I will not spoil those for you.
All in all , Tales from Space:About a Blob, is a very good game. It plays very well, has local drop-in co-op for friendly gaming, and it just sucks you in. It’s amazing how a game about absorbing, absorbed so much of my time. I could only play one level at a time and shut it off or I would be there all day. It is kind of hard to explain, but it just plays so fluid and the somewhat small but deep learning curve, just made for a good time of gaming. The bright and colorful visual style, made me want to play, just to see what the next background was going to look like. I feel very secure in recommending this title. There is a demo, and it is available now for PS Plus subsribers, and tomorrow for everyone else. Give it a try it will absorb you, and always support the indie developers.
I Give Tales From Space: About a Blob a highly recommended 8.5/10
