Genre Puzzle Publisher
Tomorrow Corporation
Developer
2D Boy
Minimum requirements Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3 GHz / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz, 8 GB RAM, integrated DirectX 12-capable graphics card such as Intel Iris Xe, 1 GB of hard drive space, an internet connection, and an Epic Games Store account Recommended requirements Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3 GHz / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz, 8 GB RAM, DirectX 11-capable graphics card with 4 GB of memory such as NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT Release date August 2, 2024 Localization Text Age rating 6+ Platforms PC, Nintendo Switch
Played on PC
In 2008, the gaming industry changed forever — Braid and World of Goo were released. Puzzle games created by independent developers and released not only on computers but also on consoles opened the doors for numerous creators who previously could not even imagine that a release on closed platforms was possible without outside help. Interestingly, this year the creators of both games decided to remind about themselves. A few months ago, Braid, Anniversary Edition was released — a reissue of the legendary platformer with improved graphics and a lot of developer commentary. And in the case of World of Goo, a full-fledged sequel was released.
The dragsters are back in action
The first part went on sale sixteen years ago, so the audience of World of Goo 2 can be roughly divided into two halves: those who are not familiar with the predecessor at all, and those who completed it a long time ago. They tried to make the sequel interesting for both categories of users – the first got the same brilliant puzzle that World of Goo had in 2008, and for the second, they prepared a bunch of references and “Easter eggs” like introductory levels, very similar to those in the first game.
The first levels immediately set the right mood – this is good old World of Goo
World of Goo 2 is one of those sequels that is self-explanatory when you look at the title. What would you expect from such a game? Probably a sequel with a similar structure and the same gameplay, but with some innovations. And that’s what happened – World of Goo 2 is very similar to the first part, only almost everything is done better. The graphics are more detailed, the physics model has become more modern, and the puzzles are more intricate and varied thanks to the appearance of new types of goo.
The gist remains the same: we get to a level, move the camera to find a pipe, and try to get as many balls as possible to it. These balls are called drags, and they are interesting because you can build structures with them. You grab a ball with the mouse, bring it to one of the sides of an existing structure and see transparent stripes – if you release the button, the drags will turn these stripes into a structural element, along which they can move in the future. In this way, you build towers and erect bridges that allow the drags to overcome obstacles or help other creatures.
Even the level selection menu is designed the same as in the first part.
⇡#New dangers
For the second part, dozens of unique levels were created — after all, over the past decade and a half, the World of Goo developers have accumulated quite a few ideas. In some places, you simply build towers, in others, you erect them so as not to touch the circular saws on the sides of the map, in others, you build bridges for the jelly monsters, and in others, you use these bridges to help large creatures that look like eyed jelly move. Sometimes you use balloons to raise or lower some structures or their elements, sometimes you lead the jelly monsters to sharp obstacles so that they cut them.
New types of goo appear all the time – there are familiar ones (like green goo and the aforementioned balloons) and completely new ones, including ones that change size due to liquids penetrating them. Many levels use guns – if you “charge” them with liquid, they will start shooting goo over long distances. This allows you to both get to the pipe to complete the level, and wake up and pick up other balloons if the level designers decided to hide them somewhere.
It is usually useful to water the structures of the traction
The sequel retained the OCD idea — the desire to save all the goons is still jokingly called obsessive-compulsive disorder, and after completing a level, you can find out how many poor guys you missed. On the same screen with the results, medals are given out for speed and the minimum number of moves. The conditions sometimes seem impossible — sometimes you don’t see the missed goons at point-blank range, sometimes you can’t complete a location in five seconds — but for fans, having clearly defined goals will only be a plus. The third part will still have to wait another twenty years, and you can also knock out “achievements”.
And if some levels are difficult for you and you don’t want to spend time on them at all, you can skip almost every episode — except for the final tests in each chapter. There are a couple of drawn-out, long and “stuffy” missions here, but they don’t spoil the overall impression — World of Goo 2 has many more excellent levels than unsuccessful ones. However, even on them, you encounter some inconveniences from time to time. For example, it is possible to rewind time to correct a mistake or return your fallen tower to its normal position. But to do this, you don’t need to press a button, but look for a fly on the screen and click on it. The search itself is annoying, but everything is complicated by the fact that sometimes a white fly flies in front of a bright object in the background and it is not visible.
The tuggers will have to travel not only on land
Another problem is related to the strong zoom of the camera. You can move it away with the mouse wheel, but after a split second it will return to its previous position. Some locations are large, and from time to time you want to look at the entire map to better plan your actions. Especially if there are time trials, when your goons are in danger due to the advancing lava. In most cases, changing the camera position is not so necessary, but such a limitation sometimes seems too artificial – if we are allowed to change the degree of zoom with the wheel, then they would have allowed us to leave the camera in this position for a little longer.
You get used to all of this, and World of Goo 2 is not so long that you have to suffer for a long time because of the inconveniences – the main thing is that the levels are mostly fun and varied. Especially in the later chapters, where the game does not just throw up new tediousness and related challenges, but almost starts juggling genres. When you start the fourth chapter, you immediately forgive the project for the previous level in a moving train, which seems endless. And the story here is the same … unusual and dark, as in the first part. It is told using the same methods: through short videos and inscriptions on signs placed on each level.
It’s a shame to harm such creatures, but sometimes you have to
***
From personal impressions of World of Goo 2, and from discussions on the Internet, you can understand how oversaturated the video game market is. If many years ago the appearance of World of Goo was an event and all these years it was constantly remembered, discussing the development of the industry and important stages in its history, then World of Goo 2 seemed to go unnoticed – another indie game, and that’s it. It has excellent fluid physics for this genre, a bunch of great puzzles and many different situations, but there is nothing outstanding or catchy in it, as there was in Hades or Celeste. It is just a new World of Goo, nothing more and nothing less.
The authors of the sequel probably didn’t expect more – it’s impossible to repeat the success of the first part, because if such games were a novelty back then, now they are fighting with each other for the attention of a potential buyer. Therefore, the authors did not reinvent the wheel – they took their own idea and developed it, adding new types of balls and coming up with dozens of unusual situations in which these balls find themselves. A new audience may find something interesting in World of Goo 2, but first of all, the sequel exists for fans – those who were in school during the first part, and after that changed three jobs, got married, divorced, raised children, and so on. For them, this is a great opportunity to feel nostalgic – not just shake off the dust from the first part, but play something new, but at the same time so familiar.
Advantages:
Familiar gameplay hasn’t gotten old at all; dozens of unique levels with interesting puzzles; fun new types of sticky stuff; charming visual style, including a well-designed menu that references the first part.
Flaws:
rewinding time is not always convenient; at some levels you want to zoom out and fix the camera in that position, but it doesn’t work; a couple of unsuccessful and drawn-out puzzles.
Graphics
It may seem like the first part looked the same as the sequel, but that’s far from true. The sequel not only made the environment more attractive, but also significantly improved the water physics.
Sound
Wonderful music – as in the previous game. And the interjections shouted by the drawls are also funny.
Single player
Several dozen levels – not all successful, but there are significantly more good ones than bad ones.
Estimated time of completion
7 hours.
Collective game
Not provided.
General impression
A wonderful return of the beloved puzzle game. It won’t have the same impact on the industry as its predecessor, but it will give you plenty of nostalgia.
Rating: 8.0/10
More about the rating system
Video:
If you notice an error, select it with your mouse and press CTRL+ENTER.
