World of Goo

World of Goo is developed by a small two-man independant company 2D Boy and is available for the PC, Mac, Linux and Wii. Goo is a 2D puzzle game based heavily on environmental physics. Akin to such classic games as pipe-dream or lemmings, the object is to build a typically awkward and teetering structure of goo-balls toward an exit pipe where your goo is ejected.

"Two-Dimensional Mess is Worth Making"

World of Goo Review from a famousblueraincoat

Played for 4+ Hours on Mac


Technologically World of Goo is little more than your typical flash-game, but what it lacks cutting-edge graphics it more than makes up for in art-style and gameplay. True to the name, everything from the mouse cursor to the admittedly adoreable goo-balls have a stylized weight and stickiness to them. I've been playing on a Mac, and aside from several stints of nailbiting and shreiking like a girl as my tower of goo sways and then topples over, the game is extremely enjoyable and quaint. There are few games that truly get this right, but World of Goo's experience is seemless from the variations of tower-building to the menu system to the Tim Burton-esque storytelling.

The variety in the types of goo-balls and the environment keep each stage fresh. For instance, in a cave level during the first chapter; suspend a bridge in the air using the balloon-goo but careful not to float it too high! The spiked ceiling will pop your goo-balloons! In chapter 2, the goal deals mostly with building structures of goo to push and pull and deflect large rolling balls of 'beauty'. What happens when you add a balloon to your goo-structure in the windy level? All of these experiences are either made or broken on one or two goo-ball placements. To complete them correctly feels extremely rewarding, and to have them fail is like watching a Rube Goldberg Axe-Machine go rogue at a kindergarten (hilarious, but a little disheartening).

Additionally, it should be noted that World of Goo is developed with a tremendous amount of open-source resources and the product itself has no Digital Rights Management (DRM). 2D Boy has made claims that every 1 in 10 copies of Goo are pirated and even in light of this, they remain firm in their anti-Rights Management stance. Given that the typical justification for piracy of software is the imposition of DRM on such products, perhaps this 90% rate of piracy is more evidence of a lack of public gamer's trust in the quality of product, and not some philosophically radical view on property. The patience and the faith put toward the public on this matter takes a great deal of forsight. To take on this endeavour and then to ride out this very awkward time of transitioning has alone garnered my support of 2D Boy, as well as my legitimate purchasing of World of Goo.

All of that said, $20USD seems like it's slightly too much to pay for Goo, and indeed $10-15 would have been more palettable. However, keep in mind that if and when one makes this purchase, it is made in support of anti-DRM, independant game production, and people who legitimately care about the quality of their product and their trade as a whole.

Ultimately, Goo is worth buying and I think that people who wouldn't typically buy it should do so. The graphics and visual scheme are wonderful in all two dimensions. The music and the audio in the game can be anoying or repetitive at times, but can be very enjoyable at others. The gameplay is compelling and fun and is as casual as you'd like to make it. The story is wacky and witty along with the tips that come from the 'Sign Maker'. I'm giving World of Goo a 9 out of 10 rating. I'd love to try this on the Wii if I could, presumeably the motion control would make this game all the better, but could very well ruin the experience.

Not only is World of Goo fun and hilarious, it's also a really important game for the industry. It's relaxing and enjoyably casual. I'll be playing it much more, and feels it needs much more attention than it's getting!