A Boy and His Blob cover artwork 209x300 Review: A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on BloboloniaWHAT? You and your friend (who just happens to be a blog named Blobert) are on a quest on both Earth and Blobolonia (Blobert’s home world) in a quest to defeat an evil emperor.  Blobert has the unique ability to shape shift into different forms when he is fed jellybeans.  This key ingredient fuels the game play in this puzzle/action game, which was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989 and recently re-released as a download on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo Wii.

WHY? I’m digging way back with this A Boy and His Blob due to the release of the excellent re-imaging of this title for the Nintendo Wii (review to follow, I’m working on it!).  To best appreciate the beauty of the new A Boy and His Blob, you’ve gotta go back to the roots to see what makes the series so special.  At times, this game can be both simple and frustrating.  You’re solving puzzles with the help of your blob by feeding him jellybeans.  These jellybeans will transform the blob into various shapes and tools (think ladders, walls, etc).  Sounds like fun, right?

Well, sort of.  The game can be highly frustrating at times when you get stuck on a puzzle.  With modern games, we’re used to helpful hints popping up in the middle of the game that guide us along.  Those kind of hints do not appear in the original A Boy and His Blob and may leave some players frustrated and running for help on the internet.

WHO? Not everyone is going to like this title.  Heck, even gamers that are enjoying the re-imagined A Boy and His Blob for the Nintendo Wii may not get into it.  However, upon playing this game again I found it to be quite rewarding despite its flaws.  What you have at the core of this game is a unique approach, something that is lacking in a lot of games today.  Give it a try and keep this in mind.  You won’t get another gaming experience like this anywhere else (unless, of course, you’re playing the new version of this game)

PS: Don’t mind the terrible cover art for this game.  It’s good for a laugh.