Video Game in Review: 'A Boy and His Blob'

When a small, bluish-white blob from outer space crash-lands in a forest, he is found by a young boy. So begins “A Boy and His Blob,” the best puzzle game since 2008's time-twisting “Braid.” “A Boy and His Blob” is a more lighthearted affair than “Braid,” but its puzzles are no less cunning.

The blob came to Earth seeking help to overthrow the evil emperor of Blobolonia, who has sent his inky, blobby minions to our planet as well.

When the boy feeds the blob jellybeans, his form changes. One kind of bean turns him into a ladder, another into a parachute, a third into a trampoline. He can turn into an anvil, a cannon, a bowling ball, a balloon, even a hole in the ground. The boy takes advantage of these changes to defeat the emperor's minions and collect treasure chests, which open up challenge stages when found.

The game is adorable. The blob swallows jellybeans and chests with a pronounced “gulmp,” and there's a button whose only purpose is to make the boy hug his blob with a happy little “oomph.” How many games have a “hug” button?

— Justin Hoeger, McClatchy Newspapers

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