2D-Boy
Latest
Joystiq hands-on: World of Goo (WiiWare)
Cute graphics and sounds: Check. Clever puzzle mechanic: Check. Irresistible gameplay: Check. World of Goo hits the required bullet points to be an indie game darling. And comfortable Wii Remote controls make it a perfect fit to be in Nintendo's WiiWare lineup.Players build simple structures by pointing and dragging living, bouncing goo balls. These spherical wonders extend a few arms to their closest neighbors, becoming rigid when the Remote button is released. Gamers have to figure out how to build bridges, towers, and other structures without toppling them over, all while trying to use as few balls as possible. In the end, they're trying to lead the remaining balls to a mysterious pipe that sucks them away at the end of the level.I tried the action-puzzler at the Nintendo Media Summit and am anticipating its release sometime this year. (Developer 2D Boy says its work will be complete in the Summer, and Nintendo will schedule the release after that.) World of Goo felt great and could be poised to be an indie game that crosses over into commercial success.%Gallery-20573%
GDC08: World of Goo devs talk publishers, Portal love
If you're looking for breaking news from the developers of World of Goo, you won't find it here. Instead, Kyle (art, music, design) and Ron (business, engineering, programming) told Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont about how the fictional in-game corporation was inspired by publishers. There is also a mysterious sign painter, whose obsession they suggest is bordering on creepy infatuation. When Belmont asks if there's any relation to Portal, Rob asserts that Glados didn't actually love the main character in the game. As unhealthy as it was, we still think there's a case to be made for Glados having at least some affinity for your character. World of Goo won Technical Excellence and Design Innovation at this week's IGF awards. The game is due out this year on PC, Mac and Nintendo Wii.
Wii Fanboy interviews World of Goo's Ron Carmel
Could World of Goo be the first killer puzzle game to hit the Wii? The work of independent studio 2D Boy (duo Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler), this physics-based puzzler began life as freeware title Tower of Goo, and quickly started to gather recognition. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Lemmings, it's a game that 2D Boy hopes will deliver "a gameplay mechanic they haven't seen before."Over five chapters of between ten and fifteen levels each, players must use the titular Goo Balls to construct bridges, chains, towers and other structures to negotiate each level's terrain and rescue as many Goo Balls as possible. It's not always a case of having to build up, either. A number of levels require the player to build sideways, downwards, or in multiple directions, while outside-the-box thinking is often helpful. The environments also come into play (one level consists entirely of a rotating chamber), and different types of Goo Ball with varying properties pop up, keeping things fresh from level to level.Being the lucky bloggers that we are, we recently got to take a demo of World of Goo for a spin, and found ourselves playing one of the most inventive, charming and amusing puzzlers in a while. Better still, we managed to hassle one half of 2D Boy, Ron Carmel, into giving us an interview. Hit the break to see what he had to say.%Gallery-16000%
World of Goo oozes onto PC and Wii in '08
IGF Finalist World of Goo is coming to Wii and PC sometime this year, according to developer 2D Boy's website. The site also states the game will be available for Mac and Linux "shortly after" its Wii and PC debut, with the PC version already priced at $20 – no price has been given for the Wii version yet.If you purchase the PC version there is a "complimentary Profanity Pack," which takes us back to that age-old question: Motion controls or profanity? Hmmm, tough choice. We're looking forward to getting some hands-on time with the PC version of World of Goo next month at GDC.Update: Quotes from developer Ron Carmel after the break.[Via Wii Fanboy]
World of Goo dripping onto Wii in 2008
Indie developer 2D Boy has confirmed that its physics-based puzzler World of Goo will be heading to the Wii this year. In the game, players assemble towers, bridges and other structures from balls of goo, in an attempt to negotiate each level's terrain and reach the exit point. It all looks rather wacky and inventive, and we couldn't help but think of PSP duo LocoRoco and Patapon as we watched the video above. That's undoubtedly a good thing.There's no word yet on whether this will be a retail release or appearing on Wii Ware, though the latter would seem ideal, considering the game's independent roots.[Via WiiNintendo]
Profile of 2008 IGF finalist: World of Goo
The indie game scene is hotter than ever, with recent darlings like flOw and Everyday Shooter making their way to consoles while Narbacular Drop was gloriously reimagined as fan favorite puzzler Portal. That's why we're always so excited about GDC's Independent Games Festival (confession: this blogger is an IGF judge).The folks at Gamasutra aren't just coordinating the festival, they're profiling each of the Grand Prize winners. Most recently profiled was the lovely World of Goo (already profiled: Audiosurf and Noitu Love 2), which is coming to PCs in February of next year, and Mac and Wii "slightly later." Our favorite quote from the profile: "The community of lovable and terrifyingly capable indie developers is steadily making big budgets irrelevant." Ya hear that big budget titles, you're on notice.
