Blobs now invading your PS3.
I don’t own a PS Vita. I have started at least two other reviews with that sentence. Because of this, I miss out on some rather surprising games that were only released on the platform, with the exception of a handful of titles that get ported to the PS3. One of them being the downloadable title Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack. I’m slowly starting to think I need to pick up a Vita in the near future.
Playing off the 1950’s and 60’s horror films, Mutant Blobs has players taking control of a blob that escapes a research lab and is hell-bent on eating everything. Players must navigate it through a series of areas in a puzzle platform way. Utilizing a magnetic force and a static electric grab, players can manipulate objects and platforms to take the blob to victory. Since it will eat pretty much anything it comes into contact with, players must seek out things for the blob to absorb in order to make it bigger so it can eat even more things that were once too large.
Time to party.
Platforms: PS3, 360, Vita
MSRP: $7.99
Price I’d pay: $7.99
Multiplayer: Only online leader boards
The thing that got me the most about this game was just how varied each level was. Sure, they may share a few of the same elements, but for the most part, each had a nice style to it. It was very refreshing. Looking for more things to eat while navigating a maze full of traps was both fun and challenging, and while it never gets too difficult, the challenge was there in both puzzle solving and in some rather tricky platforming.
For each world, there are bonus stages where players control the blob using the SIXAXIS controls. Now, I could see how tilting the Vita for movement in these sections would have been more precise and fun, but on the PS3, using the DualShock 3, it is a bit of a clunky ordeal. Sure, it works, but it never felt precise, and for a game that utilizes both time and leader boards, precision is somewhat important.
The style really stood out to me as well. While there’s no dialog in the cut scenes, the animations and things showed on-screen tell the story in a funny, cartoony way that fits it perfectly. The original soundtrack gives off the horror movie feel too and is very well done.
It’s like a vintage monster movie.
I have to stress, this was one of those special games that became a bit of an addiction until the ending for me. These type of games come very rarely now. The pacing was well done, and the puzzles never turned into a brick wall that stopped my progression. Even with the SIXAXIS controlled levels, I still had a blast while playing.
Once again, I am impressed by another Vita title that finally makes its way to a console. For around $8, players will get not only the PS3 version, but also the Vita version, the full soundtrack and other goodies. It’s a well done package, and on top of that a fun and charming little game.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
