World of Goo

World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game created by 2D Boy, a development team consisting of only two primary members. Available on WiiWare and PC, World of Goo is somewhat comparable to classic PC puzzlers such as Lemmings or The Incredible Machine, but is very much its own thing. Players use a cursor to pick up different varieties of goo balls to build an unstable structure of goo and reach a pipe at the end of the level, where unused goo balls that are climbing on the structure can exit the level.

What I loved...
-Sharp and creative graphics. World of Goo is a beautiful game. Developer 2D Boy has proven itself to be a master of its namesake. Backgrounds are awe-inspiring and take you to a different world. Goo balls are simple, but have a lot of personality, and the way everything animates is captivating and convincing in terms of the fantasy world, if unrealistic.
-Surreal story and presentation. The story has a bit of dark humor, 4th-wall-breaking, and well, it's a bit confusing. You wouldn't expect a game like this to have a story, but what initially appear to be simple helpful signs written by an eccentric "Sign Painter" end up revealing a lot about the power source for the world, the workings of an evil(?) corporation, and an abandoned Internet... it's all kind of weird and disjointed, but it's charming and presented in a way that would only work in a video game (something I always like to see).
-Epic soundtrack. 2D Boy's art, story, and music all comes from one member of the small team, and he's certainly very talented. The music is epic and mostly orchestral in nature... just my style. Exactly the sort of stuff I love to hear in a video game.
-Physics add a new dimension to 2D puzzle design. What's the best way to word this? Most puzzle games are more rigid in their solutions. World of Goo, no pun intended, is a bit more flexible. The main challenge of the game is to build wobbly structures of goo without the whole thing toppling over or leaning into some sort of deathtrap. Most levels will indeed require fairly specific solutions, but World of Goo is much more... um... organic... in design.

What's alright...
... nothing comes to mind.

What I didn't like so much...
... nothing comes to mind here, neither.

There is nothing that World of Goo attempts to do that it doesn't pull off with flying colors. I can't think of a single bad thing to say about it, and that's certainly something I bet any game developer would love to hear. Yet I gave World of Goo 3/4 stars on my Backloggery for "good." For whatever reason, it just didn't feel like a 4-star game to me. Am I being too stingy? Was I not in the right frame of mind? Was it overhyped? Either way, I wholeheartedly recommend World of Goo to anyone who has enjoyed old school puzzle games like the ones mentioned in this review's introduction. It seems to be one of the best games in a long time for many people, and it is unquestionably a triumph for indie developers. Buy it, I say. There's pretty much no way you wouldn't like it.