The original World of Goo came out back when I was still in high school, years later and we now get World of Goo 2. It was a game that I quite literally played to death! I freaking loved it. The simplicity of the earlier levels and the complexity of the later stages were perfect though and the game was extremely fun. Throwing little goo blobs around and building massive structures was amazing. Fast forward to the current year and we finally have a sequel.
Goo Blobs!
Players in World of Goo 2 will once again be treated to a very familiar physics-based puzzle solving adventure. You’ll be able to pick up little goo blobs and will have to build structures to solve puzzles by connecting your goo blobs together. Everything from the original World of Goo is back here including the flying bugs that rewind time and the different coloured goo blobs that do different things.
Gameplay in World of Goo 2 plays out almost identically to its predecessor with some minor differences. These differences primarily being the new types of goo available. Many of the puzzles seen in World of Goo 2 are very familiar to the ones seen in the first game. That’s not to say that’s a bad thing though. The first game was already so addictive and incredibly rewarding, it’s great to see the same near flawless execution of puzzle solving make a triumphant return here.
There’s plenty of levels which will have you pondering to yourself just how the heck will you be able to complete it in record speed. What new type of structure you’ll need to construct to efficiently get all your goo blobs sucked up to safety? It’s a journey through five chapters that features a lot of variation throughout which keeps things fresh. Each level features a blend of puzzle solving and creative thinking.
For example, in an early Chapter 1 level, you’ll have to unblock a drainpipe by using colourless goo balls to suck up all the black liquid. A later level has you using balloons to lift your goo up up and away. Even later, there’s a level where you need to set fire to things. It gets increasingly complex as you go on and some of the levels were definitely designed by a crack team of experts because, damn, this is some incredible puzzle solving. It’s a sheer joy trying to get through some levels.
World of Goo 2 is also extremely casual gamer friendly and lets you play the game without much penalty. Finding yourself stuck on a puzzle for too long ? You can quite simply just skip right on through. There are some levels where you can’t skip though and you’ll have to tough it out but for the most part, each and every level is solvable with a little bit of thought and effort. Younger gamers will definitely find the game quite fun and their parents can assist them where necessary.
Where World of Goo 2 falters somewhat lies with it’s storytelling. The game’s story just isn’t as rewarding as in the first game. The little sign posts and their quirky remarks still feature a lot in levels but they come across as a bit too tryhard this time around or it could just be that I’ve been soured on the nihilistic edgy style comments that seemingly pervade all our media these days. Nevertheless, the story takes a backseat to the star of the show which is the puzzle solving.
Graphically, World of Goo 2 looks great though some levels could have definitely used a bit more colour, vibrancy or even brighter lighting just to spruce things up a bit. The cartoony aesthetic matches up perfectly with the first game and the game thankfully runs flawlessly on Nintendo Switch even when the physics needs to kick it up a notch because you have 40+ goo balls interacting with each other or something else in a level.
I do have a minor gripe in that I wish we could zoom out further but this might have made things a tad too easy in some levels so I understand why it was left at the level it was. Alas, others might also find this a bit of an issue too. The soundtrack used in the game fits its vibe perfectly and the little voiced tidbits of sounds that the goo balls make are still as endearing as ever.
Final Verdict
Overall, World of Goo 2 is exactly what fans of the original have always wanted for a couple of years now. More World of Goo goodness! If you enjoyed the original game way back in the day, give World of Goo 2 a try. It’s a fantastic, casual game experience that both old and young gamers alike can enjoy. And the best part is that it’s perfect for pick up and play gameplay on Nintendo Switch.
World of Goo 2 Trailer
Read more awesome reviews >>here<<.
