The World of Goo for iPad Game Review

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There are times when a simple description does little to convey the joy contained in a great game. For World of Goo, my one-line description ‘solve puzzles by building stuff by stringing together bunches of goo balls’ doesn’t begin to explain why you will be losing sleep playing ‘just one more level’. I am not sure that my description or conclusion will completely describe just how much fun this game is, but hopefully my full description will entire you enough to buy one of the best games available for the iPad.

The Hype:
Beautiful and surprising, the millions of Goo Balls who live in the World of Goo are curious to explore – but they don’t know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious.
This is the FULL award winning game, now on Android. Drag and drop living, squirming, talking, globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins, and giant tongues.
Mysterious Levels – Each level is strange and dangerously beautiful, introducing new puzzles, areas, and the creatures that live in them.
World of Goo Balls – Along the way, undiscovered new species of Goo Ball, each with unique abilities, come together to ooze through reluctant tales of discovery, love, conspiracy, beauty, electric power, and the third dimension.
The Sign Painter – Someone is watching you.
World of Goo Corporation – Congratulations! World of Goo Corporation is the Global Leader in Goo and Goo Related Product, including World of Goo Corporation Trademark Brand Soft Drink Beverage and World of Goo Corporation Trademark Brand Facial Exfoliating Lotion. Succulent!
Massive Online Competition – Human players around the world compete in a living leaderboard to build the tallest towers of goo in World of Goo Corporation’s mysterious sandbox. World of Goo Corporation is contractually obligated to state that everyone is a winner and is enthusiastic to celebrate everyone’s tower building opportunities equally.
Congratulations, and good luck!

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The Reality:

World of Goo looks like a cross between games like LocoRoco and something you’d find on a ‘Flash’ gaming website, and apparently that is how the game got its’ start. But it has evolved far beyond that, and playing through it reveals much that other makers of these simple ‘casual games’ could learn. From the unified style to the varied setting to the focus on providing an interesting and engaging experience, the developers have done everything possible to deliver a quality experience that defies being categorized as just another throwaway game.

The goal is very simple – you need to connect from your starting point to the exit pipe to ‘save’ goo balls. The basic concept is also simple – you control the placement of balls of goo, which maintain a connection affinity over a certain distance as shown by the thickness and brightness of the threads between them. You build structures with the balls to accomplish tasks. However, the balls are subject to the laws of physics, so when you try to build across a chasm you need to deal with the desire of everything to just fall into the chasm. In addition certain balls have special properties: certain balls stick to surfaces, others drip downwards, others explode near flames, and so on. You learn to use these creatively to accomplish your tasks more and more efficiently.

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Because when it comes down to it you just need to get from entrance to exit, but who wants to stop there? Half the fun is saving more goo balls and doing it in fewer moves and using less time. There is more than just connecting balls together – there is a small story that is told across four chapters, one per season, and an epilogue. This is not epic stuff, just something to provide a backdrop for your adventures.

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The technical presentation is superb: graphically everything helps convey the feel of the game, right down to the silly ‘loading’ messages at the beginning. Colors are bright and the feeling is charming and cartoon-ish, and the animations are very well done. The music and sound effects are also extremely charming and well done. Each new chapter takes you to a different world with its’ own design and feeling. It is often hard to believe this is a small 80MB download when you enjoy all of the content!

I have a single complaint – unskippable cutscenes. Because the game is so much fun and because replaying levels is encouraged, there really should be a mechanism to skip cutscenes – at least after having watched them once. It is a minor annoyance, but it is also a pet peeve of mine.

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World of Goo is an amazing confluence of simple things done extremely well with excellent results. There is a unified set of elements – graphics, story, music, sounds, gameplay, and goo to hold it all together. Just as Portal on the PC wowed everyone a few years ago with simple gameplay that really worked, now World of Goo is the game to play. Do yourself a favor if you have an iPad – or if you have a PC, Mac, Wii, or Android tablet – go and download this now!

Here is the trailer:

Where to Buy: iTunes App Store

Price: $4.99

What I Like: Addictive gameplay; Budget Price; Great level design; Cool music; Fun for just about anyone; Did I mention the addictive gameplay?

What Needs Improvement: You will lose sleep and time; Unskippable cutscenes

Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!

1 Comment on "The World of Goo for iPad Game Review"

  1. Rodney St. John | November 30, 2011 at 10:19 am |

    It is a good game and it is challenging, but for me, the few times I’ve tried to play, I get so far then I get stuck.  I wish there was some instructions or a guide to remind me what each goo ball does and how it reacts.  

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