Painting the town red…and blue…and green…

Well, they gone and did it. They remastered de Blob 2. When I reviewed the first remastered de Blob I posed the question of why not the second game? It was a more polished entry, and by today’s standards still holds up. For Xbox One owners though, the game was already available on the backward compatibility program, so a remaster seemed even less likely. But here we are, reviewing yet another de Blob remaster. Those are certainly words I never thought I would say in my life.

The premise behind the de Blob games is simple. Round up colors using the character then paint the world while also collecting power-ups along the way. It is not a unique mechanic, but one that the series honed to perfection. The sequel improves upon the original in almost every way. The puzzles are more diverse and the controls are intuitive and fun. I always had a soft spot for the series, so I am glad to see it get a second chance on these new consoles.

MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4
Price I’d Pay: $19.99

Once again, each level is timed. While that usually discourages players from exploring, doing so in de Blob actually has benefits. Players can earn more time to complete more objectives by searching around. The worlds are well-designed and there are secrets aplenty. I could also return to levels to clean up what I missed and going back earns even more rewards and makes it worthwhile to revisit them. Upon completion levels can also be explored sans the time limit, which is a nice touch.

There are even multiplayer modes to keep things going. Players can opt for a competitive mode where the highest score wins. This mode is fun because players can opt to work together even though they are vying for the high score. There is also a cooperative mode that is great for parents. Here the second player serves as a floating reticle that can smash objects and pick up power-ups for the main character. They are nice additions to an already charming experience.

If there is a downside to this remaster it is that it barely takes advantage of the new hardware. Since the game is backwards compatible I booted that version up before playing the new one. The graphical difference is negligible. For players that already own the original game this remaster seems unnecessary. There is really nothing added in the way of performance. Still, the game has aged well. Seven years after release the colors and interesting world design still hold up quite well.

de Blob 2 is a solid game that I am glad has made a return. While the remaster portion is a little of a misnomer, it is nice to see the game back. Now with these two remasters out of the way hopefully THQ Nordic can get on crafting the final chapter in the Blob trilogy. Bring it back, and make it beautiful. Colorful platformers are always welcome in my world.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.