“De Blob” is a platform game developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment and originally published by THQ. The game was originally released for the Nintendo Wii in 2008.
A sequel to the game “De Blob 2” was released in 2011. Like its predecessor, De Blob 2 was developed for the console by Blue Tongue Entertainment and published by THQ, this time in partnership with the television network Syfy. Unlike de Blob, de Blob 2 was also released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS. The DS version was developed by Halfbrick Studios and its story takes place between the first and second parts.
Later, De Blob and De Blob 2 were ported to Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2017-2018. BlitWorks was the developer and THQ Nordic was the publisher for this re-release.
The game is set in Chroma City, a city that has been taken over by the evil I.N.K.T. Corporation. I.NK.T. wants to remove all color from the world and make it black and white. They drain the color out of cheerful Raydians, turning them into dull, depressed Graydians and forcing them to work.
You play as a Blob that can absorb colors into itself and spread them around the environment.
The player’s mission is to restore color and joy to Chroma City, while fighting the I.N.K.T. Against the Corporation forces. The game also has things to collect that give extra points, and give new challenges to players who want to complete everything in the game.
A blob can only hold a certain amount of paint in itself, up to 100 units. Paint is consumed every time the Blob paints something, and when enemies hit the Blob. If the number of goals goes below zero, you lose one life. Water also washes away the paint, but leaves at least 10 units behind. So the Blob won’t die in the water, but it will leave it weak.
De Blob requires the levels to be completed at once. You can pause the game, but you can’t save it in the middle of a level. The length of the levels varies between about 15-90 minutes, depending on the size of the level and whether the player wants to complete all the tasks. Each level also has two bonus levels where the player has to be particularly fast.
Blob belongs to the Color Underground group, which includes Professori, Arty, Bif and Zip in addition to Blob. These characters give the Blob different tasks that reflect their personalities and special abilities.
The professor acts as the leader of the group and gives the Blob tasks that are important for progress. Arty is an artistic character who gives Blob tasks related to painting. Bif is the strongest member of the group and gives missions where Blob has to defeat I.N.K.T. Corporation troops. Zip is a fast and agile character who gives Blob tasks that require special speed and skill.
Players can freely move around the environment, absorbing colors and painting them on various buildings, objects, and the colorless inhabitants of Chroma City. The player also has to perform various tasks, such as painting things with the right colors, or painting enough things in a certain time limit.
After each level you unlock a new music style that can be selected when you select a level. More instruments and life come into the music the more colorful the area the player is in.
The Blob can be colorless, or have seven different colors absorbed and nucleated; rainbow colors and brown. Ink can also stick to the blob, which turns everything black and white. Then the player has to get into the water to clean the ink off. Water also cleans off all the colors.
De Blob 2
De Blob 2 includes 2D-parts in its levels. The Nintendo DS version only consists of 2D levels.
The game has improved controls and slightly better graphics. The flow of the story is also very similar. Unlike the original game, De Blob 2 features auto-saves in levels, so the player can quit the game in the middle of a level and continue later.
De Blob 2 added power-ups, such as a metal ball that allows the Blob to cling to magnetic walls and ceilings, as well as sink underwater. Blob can now dash forward and break certain walls. In the game, you can collect “Inspiration Points” which you can use to buy upgrades for the Blob, such as more space for the paint. Blob is accompanied by Pinky, who can be controlled by another player. Pinky is a robot built by the Professor who can help Blob in more difficult situations.