Though not a huge leap forward from its predecessor, de Blob 2 more than manages to entertain with its familiar premise.
The first de Blob, released back in 2008, was a colorful, lighthearted platformer that saw players restoring a monochromatic metropolis back to its rightful color-filled state. De Blob 2 doesn't make any changes to this foundation -- apart from the inclusion of two-dimensional-style levels and the ability to upgrade Blob, that is. The story is also remarkably similar, with the villain of the previous game, Comrade Black, making a return to once again try and force his will of a monochromatic future upon the populace through almost the same methods (imprisoning citizens and putting them to work as slaves, polluting the area with ink, etc). Yet, despite its strong familiarity, no part of the game's design feels worn out. I wouldn't say it feels particularly fresh, either, of course -- just that it's still really fun and pleasant to play.
As Blob, your objective to paint the entirety of your surroundings to liberate it from the oppressive force of the evil I.N.K.T. Corporation. How you do so is simple: just make contact with whatever it is you wish to paint and it'll instantly color itself in, freeing citizens and bringing life and color back to the streets as a result. Pretty nifty, eh? Just make sure to keep yourself stocked. Blob can only carry so much paint, you see (about 100 points maximum to start), and each structure or item he paints and foe he smashes costs varying amounts of paint points. If the amount of paint points he has reaches zero, Blob loses his ability to paint. A quick dip into a color pool or smashing a Paintbot will replenish his stock and allow you to keep on coloring, and frequently drawing upon those paint sources (of which there are many) will render that threat mostly moot. The only real threat, then, is ink. Coming into contact with it covers Blob in the stuff and starts eating away at him until there's nothing left; that is, if he isn't quick enough to douse himself in some water first.
Once you get those basics down and start splattering your way through town like a pro, de Blob really takes off. Rolling around painting everything in sight may not sound very thrilling, but it's actually quite entertaining. There's a light and simple pleasure in seeing the dull, monochromatic landscapes of Prisma City (the game's setting) turn back into its vibrant, bustling self. Everything starts off in a deep state of despair: streets are deserted, skies are endlessly cloudy, and everything's gray for as far as the eye can see. As you get down to work, all that slowly begins to change. Once deserted streets become flooded by citizens, celebrating the return of color as the clouds part and the sun begins shining again; greenery begins sprouting forth all over, covering both streets and architecture in varying plant-life; and music triumphantly begins to kick into full gear, declaring victory over each newly colored block. It's highly gratifying to see the results of your work and the affects they have on the environment. It's also just real pleasant to look at. Crisp visuals complement the bright, toon-ish aesthetic nicely, giving hues a much stronger definition and generally making for some great sights.
You aren't given much time to admire the city's natural beauty, sadly, as an obtrusive timer ensures that you never get to stay put for long, quickly pushing you along to the next sector in need of liberating where the process starts all over again. It's an understandable inclusion -- gotta add some form of challenge somewhere, after all. But because de Blob 2 offers no mode to roam about and paint without worry of the timer like its predecessor, its presence becomes far more vexing. The timer does of course vanish, eventually: just as you finish up the final story-critical mission, in fact. But at that point, you've already painted so much of the area that its absence doesn't mean much. It's a real shame.
To add some structure to all the mindless painting, de Blob 2 adopts a mission-based structure to accompany the semi-open-world design of the levels. In usual sandbox fashion, missions are designated by markers placed throughout the area and are activated simply by rolling up to them. Painting certain buildings a certain color (or colors, in some cases), dispatching groups of inkies, or entering landmarks for a bit of two-dimensional platforming makeup the types of tasks presented by missions. The types of tasks are nicely cycled through, ensuring that it never feels like you're doing the exact same thing again and again, mission-wise, and are generally entertaining. Missions are always brief, usually taking, at most, a couple minutes to complete, allowing you to quickly jump between taking on missions and just roaming about painting with ease.
Though missions are short, the levels themselves are long. A typical excursion takes upwards of an hour-and-a-half to finish, particularly if you go for completing all the bonus missions and finding all the collectibles contained within each level. Thankfully, the game saves at various checkpoints throughout the levels, so you can easily stop and resume later if necessary.
If you're one to hunt for 100% completion, that feature will come especially handy, as searching for collectibles is time consuming due to their well-hidden nature. Finding where they're located falls entirely to you, as your compass -- a small ring that encircles Blob that directs you toward nearby paint sources and objectives and missions that's brought up by pressing the triangle-button -- doesn't ever pick up on any of these items. The kinds of collectibles you can find range from cards that unlock art galleries, light-bulbs that can be traded in for upgrades (such as the maximum amount of paint points Blob can carry), and styles, which add a bit of flair in the form of patterns onto each item you paint. Other than feeding into one's completion-ist tendencies, the collectibles offer up extra points, which you receive by painting and completing missions, that factor in the letter grade you receive at the end of the level. Your grade doesn't really effect anything, of course -- it's mostly for self-gratification, really -- though it does add a modicum of replay incentive.
De Blob 2 also contains both competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes. The former sees two players racing to see who can complete the most objectives and thus attain a higher score. The levels you and your opponent compete on are all inspired by levels from the campaign and even base objectives off those found in the campaign levels. Cooperative play sees a second player taking on a supportive role as Blob's robot partner Pinky in a Mario Galaxy-esque style of co-op. On syncing up a second controller, a reticle appears on-screen. This is for the second player's use only, and can be used in a number of small but wholly useful ways. For instance, being able to collect paint to fire onto Blob in case of emergencies where he's in need of some paint. Pinky can also collect any of the aforementioned collectibles as well as paint small items like trees or citizens, thus making the quest for 100% completion that much easier. It isn't the most engaging form of co-op, though, simply because aiming and shooting isn't nearly as fun as Blob's activities are. The competitive, on the other hand, proves to be a fun distraction, but hardly a choice candidate for regular multiplayer bouts.
Not a much of a host of changes or additions, sure. But then, de Blob 2 never needed any. Its base concept of rejuvenation is still as strong and fun as it was back in 2008, which is frankly all it needs. The HD coat of paint makes for a prettier visual feast, and additions like upgrades add a touch of depth to the game, but it's the brilliant core mechanics and inspirational themes of triumph over oppression that really make de Blob 2 shine. And for that, de Blob 2 is a success.