Once upon a time , a secret plan likeWorld of Goo 2didn’t pauperization to subsist . A originative studio apartment like Tomorrow Corporation could make a successful game , make a name for itself off that succeeder , and move on to its next project . These days , however , IP has become as good as gold and audiences are hungrier than ever to see them mine for all they ’re worth . sequel , remakes , remasters — if your tally biz is n’t franchising , does it make a sound ?
Leave it a studio as fiercely satirical as Tomorrow Corporation to review that unsatiable hungriness in a meta sequel . World of Goo 2doesn’t just deliver a new set of ingenious cathartic - based teaser . The left - field sacking serves as a commentary onWorld of Goo ’s own legacy , conceive of an alternating timeline where the series never discontinue feeding the flame it sparked in 2008 . As acuate as that vision is , World of Goo 2is hampered by a few crumb gimmicks and sloppy control that bog down the in high spirits - concept sequel .
More, more, more
Like its 2008 herald , World of Goo 2is apuzzle gamethat ’s all about physics and applied science . layer have player build rickety complex body part out of goo clump for reach a pipe . That unproblematic concept gets twisted and turned in dozens of manner with additional goo types and level gimmicks like lava . The twist this time is that there ’s an accent on liquids , as players often manoeuver geysers of boneheaded oil around mazelike stage . That little pinch create a 16 - year old formula feel as originative as ever .
Tomorrow Corporation is at its most originative here , flex levels into Rube Golberg auto . In one , I need to find a way to press around a gargantuan guck ball and grind it up to make smaller ones . Another has me carefully building span out of matchstick over pools of lava . The tension of the original biz is enhanced by ideas like that , as unstable goo towers now teeter over unpredictable obstacles , and minute of work can up in smoke in an instant .
World of Goo 2is the bequest - appraising send - off that the series deserves .
Not every new melodic theme works . Its most thwarting challenge puts me in a pitching black room where I ask to move around three idle - up ball as I build a sprawling structure . It ’s not only a deep frustrating puzzle , but the only one like it in the entire biz . A times , it feels like Tomorrow Corporation has been sitting on a wealth of puzzle twists since 2008 and just threw scrap of each in . New mechanics are n’t always clearly introduced and they vanish as presently as they commence to make sentiency . It ’s throw off the goo at the bulwark and seeing what sticks .
That scattershot approaching may very well be the intent . While all seems normal at first , everything takes a surprising turn in its 4th chapter . Much likeThe Stanley Parable : Ultra Deluxe , another surprise continuation that takes intention at an IP - athirst manufacture , World of Goo 2has something to say about the franchise that never was . I wo n’t give its surprising levels away , but the chapter thump fun at a gaming diligence that ’s invariably milk good estimate dry to fulfill a consumerist appetite that can never be appeased . It ’s a delightfully absurd twist that makes the integral undertaking snap into place .
Tomorrow Corporation has often chipped away at this idea in its work . Little Inferno , for representative , has histrion purchase bauble from a catalog and course them into a fireplace to get more money to buy more trinket . It ’s an sempiternal cycle per second of consumption that distracts its participants as the extraneous world burns at the hands of greedy corporation . World of Goo 2shares some of those themes , all while appraising its own legacy . Will anyone rememberWorld of Gooif Tomorrow Corporation does n’t keep work sequel well into the 2100s — even if the studio apartment runs out of good mind along the way ?
pronounce byWorld of Goo 2 ’s quiet launching , which earn little ostentation despite the original ’s once - great reputation , the continuation may have answer its own question .
Sticky situation
Though I love World of Goo 2 ’s satiric edge , actually playing through its stages can be thwarting . Its biggest roadblock is its mussy command scheme . I played theNintendo Switchversion of the game , which feature only touchscreen or move - control selection . I started with the latter , which initially seemed like a corking way to play . There ’s a haptic joy to grabbing a goo ball with my Joy - Con and physically station it in a tower . That quickly became indefensible , though , as my motility calibration preserve blow off - shopping center every 30 seconds . While it can be recalibrated with the detent of a release , it finally was n’t deserving the frustration .
I twine up skipping a handful of point that I knew how to solve , but did n’t feel like struggling through .
Touch controller ( or mouse , if you ’re on a PC ) is a good option , but still imperfect . Some late level have me try out to grab specific goo types as 100 drove around the screen . In one of its last levels , I needed to quickly grab some balloon goop balls to keep a long , fragile structure from dipping into lava . When I go to grab it , I instead kept picking up the regular black goo around it . Another great gimmick - turned - annoying has me flipping over a block to change the direction of gravity . It ’s a finicky task that ’s only made more unmanageable by clumsy feeling control . I wound up skipping a handful of stages that I knew how to solve , but did n’t sense like struggle through for 20 minutes .
little exacerbation like this add up . There ’s an undo push button , but it ’s pose as a lilliputian fly that buzz around the projection screen , sometimes meld in with the background . Tapping it rewinds clip in what feels like an unpredictable manner . Sometimes it undoes more workplace than I wanted , other times it barely goes back at all . Considering how light it is to falter into an accident due to the controls , having an undependable backtrack is frustrative .
While it can be a mess , Tomorrow Corporation does n’t skimp on its key signature introduction ( aside from some stilted , robotic voice acting that ’s already raising some AI accusations ) . The orchestrated soundtrack is a highlight and the whole game looks like an interactional cartoon full of wonky structures . A late secret plan turn even see the developer experiment with some young art panache as it lampoon other genres . “ Look what we could be doing if we did n’t have to pump out a sequel , ” it screams .
Perhaps it ’s a ego - created problem ; it ’s not like many people were really begging for aWorld of Goosequel . Even so , World of Goo 2is the legacy - appraising send - off that the serial publication merit . Its inventive puzzling serves as a friendly admonisher that the 2008 classic deserve its place in gambling story , even as a decade and a half of lustrous new games pass it by . It ’s still that foundational goop clump in an diligence that keep build up higher and higher , even as the structure start to persuade . Without it , everything would descend aside .
World of Goo 2was reviewed on theNintendo Switch OLED .
