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World of Goo

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Developer: 2D Boy Publisher: 2D Boy Genre: Simulation > General Released: Oct 12, 2008 Players: 1 Website

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Michael Scarpelli: 9

World of Goo is just good gaming. There's really no two ways about it. It's got a great feel, quirky art, clever concepts, the whole nine.

It's a simple idea. You have a bunch of goo balls, and you need to get them to reach a vacuum tube on the level so you can get them into storage for the World of Goo Corporation. You get your goo to the tube by building goo structures. Goo has the ability to form links between itself and its buddies. Using these links, you build structures to reach great heights, span chasms and move around obstacles. There are various types of goo that change how you interact with them, which keeps the game fresh as you go.

Goo that are actively part of your structure are stationary. However, other goo that's still free climbs around on your constructions… and their movement shakes things up. So, you always need to be careful when you're making tenuous structures… can they support their own weight AND the jiggling caused by all the moving goo?

For as much as I enjoyed the game, though, I can't give it a 10 because some of the challenges are very difficult. The final level of the first section is a good example. You're building an impossibly large tower, using stages of goo constructions. It takes forever, and it's very easy to have 10 minutes of hard work and careful planning wiped out with a simple error in judgment… and then you have to start over. Fun factor is high, but so is frustration factor.

Pany Haritatos: 10

World of Goo!!! I'll start with a "Go buy this game right now!" This game is so close to perfect that the jealous game developer in me (who doesn't make games nearly as good as this) wants to pretend it doesn't exist. Every aspect of this game is executed with such amazing attention to detail that it really helps put all other games, not just indie games, into perspective. The graphics are spectacular, the music and sound effects rich and engaging, and the level design and gameplay execution is flawless. As indie game fans, we have a moral responsibility to not only give 2D Boy our money, but to tell everyone else to as well. Support 2D Boy! By giving 2D Boy your money, you're telling them, and every other indie game developer out there, that you appreciate and support the hard work and dedication of any team that is willing to invest the time, effort and money to make truly amazing games like World of Goo.

Coby Utter: 10

Approaching World of Goo with skepticism, I was completely floored at how amazingly fun this game is. It has been one of the hardest games to put down in memory and is unbelievably addicting. Essentially, WoG is a physics-based puzzle game that revolves around building structures via linking your finite supply of goos. You'll build up, down, and around in every direction while watching your structure wobble and gyrate, as you try to keep it stable. Eventually you'll get your structure close enough to a pipe to start sucking in your loose goos; you did leave some extra goos available, right?

WoG could have zero personality and still be a good game, but on top of the tremendous technical execution, you are presented with a quirky and odd world that teems with character. WoG has a style all its own and the flair and dynamics of the world just add to the pleasure of losing time with the game. Perhaps the most impressive feat, WoG is one of the few physics games that are more rewarding than punishing. Instead of frequent frustration, it always feels like "you were almost there" and there is a strong desire to retry incomplete levels and use new strategies to get to the goal. World of Goo is an indie masterpiece.

Russ Carroll: 10

Oh sweet goo-ness!

I've played a few indie games in my time and I'm convinced that the world of Indie has never produced anything as slick as World of Goo. The polish from start to finish makes the game feel like a Tim Burton movie with moody music and dark, but playful visuals that give the world a richness that is unparalleled. Oh and the game play flat out rocks.

The variety and mind-boggling wonder of puzzles furthers the sensation that your life is being enveloped by the game, but how can you turn away?

World of Goo is the complete package, showing other indies what they could be. It's a mixture of passion and brilliance that left me blubbering like a fanboy. Honestly, it's hard to talk about the game without drooling, it's just that good. If you don't own a copy of this game (a legitimate one!) your computer will disown you.