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World of Goo
Released On: Oct 12, 2008
8.2
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 26 Critic Reviews
90
100% Positive
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 26 Critic Reviews
90
100% Positive
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
World of Goo falls into a special category that only a select few games fall into. Do you remember when you first got your hands on Super Mario 64, the excitement that oozed out of you when you picked up the pad and controlled Mario around in 3D for the first time? Or when you were pulling out the Master Sword from its stone placement in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? These were special moments in a gamer’s life and playing World of Goo deserves to be placed alongside such events.
Easily one of the best games released this year, World of Goo is a game you should not miss.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 637 User Ratings
8.2
76% Positive
487 Ratings
487 Ratings
20% Mixed
127 Ratings
127 Ratings
4% Negative
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 637 User Ratings
8.2
76% Positive
487 Ratings
487 Ratings
20% Mixed
127 Ratings
127 Ratings
4% Negative
23 Ratings
23 Ratings
Indie gaming's finest hour and the best puzzle game since "Lemmings." Easy on the eyes, your system and your wallet - it's a triumph. [Christmas 2008, p.94]
In a gaming world populated by companies able to throw millions of pounds at tired franchises that sell on their name alone and where genuine innovation and fresh ideas should be welcomed with open arms, there's no better game to throw your weight behind than World of Goo. If more titles were made with this much passion the gaming world would be a much nicer, although possibly gooier, place.
World of Goo is a revolutionary and independent game that uses creativity to take advantage of the physics engine. A stunning, beatutiful title that will allow you to experience the true power behind the most elastic creatures ever seen in the videogame industry.
The members of 2D Boy should be carried around in chariots while this glory lasts - because at some point, they're going to realise what a murderously high standard they've set for themselves, and run away forever.
Masterfully done, and certainly set to become an instant Wii and PC cult hit. [Dec 2008, p.98]
OK, I think I played it in 2020 and it was on a bundle DVD packed next to a PC magazine many years ago. I kept it all the years because I "googled" it and it looked genuine and interesting even to my violent innerself at that time and what a clever decision it was.
This game is stunningly brilliant.
Sometimes you have only 1 way to solve a puzzle, but still you can try as many times you need.
There were few maps very frustrating, but it's obviously due to my own logic.
I think I watched Youtube for solving 2 maps.
There was only 1 map in particular where I think the game was buggy on PC as the console play on Youtube showed a flawless playthrough. This was most probably the only disadvantage of the game.
The graphics are simply lovely, the "goo"s are cute and the puzzles are mostly clever.
Also there is no violence in this game, so it's suitable for any age.
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PC
Still a pretty good and fun game in terms of mechanics, atmosphere and writing.
But it didn't age well and doesn't seem to have gotten any updates in the last decade.
It still works (Steam version) but everything is low and outdated resolutions and aspect ratios stretched to modern screen, the chapter screen numbers are broken and show a white outline, etc.
It's really unpleasant to look at right now, and you have to sit as far away form your monitor as possible.
But the game itself is still fun, and a great way to spend an afternoon.
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PC
World of Goo is like Lemmings with goo balls and that's a good thing: the game is funny, has a pleasing soundtrack and is a decent challenge for those that aren't familiar with puzzle games in general. However, World of Goo is up against a lot of competition in the indie puzzle game market nowadays and while it may have been a rising star almost 10 years ago, it's not really the case now. Also, the unpredictable nature of the goo balls can be off-putting at times, so much so it might actually lead you astray in terms of finding solutions.
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PC
The concept behind this game is great. It's a physics puzzler where you build goo based structures in order to save a collection of goo balls.
The problem lies in the concept's execution. The OCD challenges are what give replay value to the game but are frustrating to an incredible degree. Some of the challenges require you to finish the level within a certain amount of time but don't offer you a timer during the game. You have to wait until you finish the level to see your completion time. This means that you have to go back to the world map and then reselect the level again in order to retry.
A similar frustration is that you can't retry the level after the base number of goo balls have been collected. Some of the OCD challenges require you to collect and absurd amount of goo balls compared to the amount required to complete the level on its own. In one example, the level required me to collect 8 goo balls to continue to the next area. The OCD challenge required me to collect 36 goo balls. Again, this challenge is fine but the game does you no favors. You can't (easily) retry the level after you collect the first 8 goo balls. In order to even get the menu to pop up after collecting 8 goo balls and noticing I was going to fall short, I had to click, and then read, one of the in-game signs. There is no "retry" button after you complete a level so if you follow through and just finish you have to go back to the world map and then reselect the level you just finished. It would also be nice here to have something that tracked the goo balls that hadn't been used. This would save a lot of time as you would know exactly how many balls were left and how many more you could use before you had to start the level all over again.
The game offers an "undo" feature in these little time-warp bugs that generate every once in a while. Clicking on the bug steps back in time to the point where the bug was spawned. The main problem here is that it can be a pain to click on the bugs as they fly around the level, sometimes they end up right on top of my goo structure. Additionally, the bugs don't always go back to where they should, at least it seemed that way. It was common to rewind time and see my tower spasm wildly into the walls and spinning blades.
Moving the goo around is also pretty frustrating. Hovering over a goo ball stops it's movement even if it's in front of different type of goo ball. There were many times where I either destroyed my structure or missed critical timing because I couldn't select the goo ball I wanted. When you pick up the goo balls, you have to maneuver them around the objects in the world, which is generally fine, but at times is incredibly frustrating. At one point I had about 15 balls fall off of my structure and I had to drag them each individually up to the structure in order to finish the level.
World of Goo also has a gameplay mode that lets you build an infinitely tall tower of goo. This would be cool if you got anything for building a taller and taller structure but all it seems to do is allow you to compete with other people. The goo you collect from the "story" part of the game gets sent to the Corporation of Goo where you build the infinite tower. It would be nice if building a taller and taller tower unlocked something or other because otherwise there's no motivation to even use this part of the game.
The art is really nice, and one of the reasons I didn't mark this as low as I had initially thought. One small problem with the art art is that, at times, it's difficult to distinguish between the level's background and things like spinning gears that will destroy your goo structure and the goo balls themselves. It's also tough to distinguish between level boundaries and walls that you can use to prop up your structure. If the tower collapses and hits a wall, part of it is destroyed.
The music is good as well but there's no option to turn it off. The game lacks customization options in general and the full-screen key combination isn't even explained, I had to look it up online. To mute the music and play with my own I had to download a custom DLL that let me control the volume of the sound effects and the music - controls that should have been in the game by default. Changing the resolution required editing a config file, which is more than ridiculous for a fairly casual game like WoG.
All in all, this game frustrated the hell out of me. Not because the concept was frustrating, or even the gameplay, the UI and overall system built around the gameplay is what turned me off. There are features missing that are expected in modern puzzle games and features missing that are expected in modern games in general. The fact that this is an indie title is no excuse for a lack of a sound/volume menu, or the lack of a timer when challenges require you to finish a level within a time limit.
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PC
Time and time again I have tried to give this game my attention, but despite at least a couple dozen attempts to go through this game, I just don't find it interesting enough to dedicate the time. It's a shame, as I can tell it is well made, but it simply feels too slow and lifeless for my liking.
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PC
Summary [WiiWare] World of Goo is a physics based puzzle / construction game. The millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo don't know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious. [2D Boy]
Rated E
for Everyone
Platforms:
- Wii
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
- PC
- Nintendo Switch
Initial Release Date: Oct 12, 2008
Developer:
- 2D Boy
Publisher: 2D Boy
Genres:
