Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
First Look At De Blob: The Underground
Comrade Black is back and so is his wicked war on color.
While we had a handful of critiques for Australian developer Blue Tongue’s first venture into original IP since 1998, de Blob has since become one of the better-received third-party titles for the Nintendo Wii. Not willing to rest on past success, the team opted to start from scratch for the 2011 sequel, de Blob: The Underground.
Although Underground unfolds in a new metropolis – Prisma City – the common folk’s plight feels all too familiar. Caught up in petty and material lives, the citizens of Prisma City are left quite susceptible to outside influences. Unfortunately, Comrade Black is eager to take advantage of the situation. In the first of many nefarious acts, Black rigs an election that places him in a seat of power.
Assuming control under the guise of “Papa Blanc,” Black begins to brainwash the city’s tenants through a forced baptism of sorts. Now easily controlled, their prime directive is to stop Blob and therefore halt the color revolution. With a little help from you, however, Blob will be able to return the city to its natural and super-saturated state.
Blue Tongue promises a more narrative-driven story this time around, broken up into 12 levels that are set in factories, ice stations, bio-domes, and underground bunkers. Adding variety to play, anytime Blob enters an interior or underground space the game switches to a 2D, side-scrolling perspective.
Gameplay appears to remain much the same: Plaster the city with various paints to bring it back to life. The controls, however, have been streamlined.
Most of the excessive waggling has been removed. Considering Underground is a multi-platform release this time around, the decision seems to be a sound one. The only waggle that remains in the Wii iteration is used to throw pesky Blancs (cult converts) off your back. A simplified co-op mode has also been added, similar to the co-op found in Mario Galaxy. Blob is assisted by a character named Pinky, who is able to slow down enemies and disable traps.
Humor appears to be a pillar of the game in the sequel.
What I saw could easily give the Raving Rabbids a run for their money. In one completely irrelevant but utterly enjoyable clip, we watched Comrade Black daydream about becoming a world-renowned figure skater. This type of comedy feels similar to how Pixar’s approaches their entertainment products – universal humor that appeals to both children and adults.
De Blob: The Underground, will hit retail spring of 2011 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
