DG: Wind Up Knight was one of my favorite games released on Android in 2011. Hence, it came as no surprise that I was very much looking forward to what would come out next from the minds behind Robot Invader. Well, that “next” is here in the form of Rise of the Blobs. This is basically a cross between Tetris and a match-3 puzzler, a far cry from the demanding precision platformer that Wind Up Knight was. In any case, is it good?
U jelly?
By Chris Schilling
Version tested: Android
If you ask me, sound design is such an underrated facet of a good puzzle game. Think of Game Boy Tetris and the wonderfully weird little squiggle it treated you with for clearing four lines at once. Or the original Puzz Loop's snooker-ball clacks, Bejewelled's clinking gems and Drop7's porcelain crack. It's a big part of what keeps you coming back - if you think about it, a lot of puzzle games are essentially about tidying up, and the pops, bangs or jingles that reward you for a job well done are the game equivalent of being handed a sheet of bubble wrap after hoovering the spare room.
Striking the right balance in a puzzle game is vital. If you make the mechanics too simple, it becomes boring. But make them too complicated and it becomes frustrating. Hitting the middle ground is not an easy task. Rise of the Blobs is proof of this.
148apps: Robot Invader is the kind of developer I've come to associate with quirk and quality. Rise of the Blobs fits nicely into both categories.
