Loco Roco tickled our casual funny bone when it was released for PSP last year. Unfortunately the price of admission was much higher than the simple click required for browser games. For those of us unwilling to drop several hundred dollars for a PSP, Free World Group has just released Blobular, a game remarkably similar to Loco Roco in both gameplay and visual style. Now you can get a taste of the Roco without going Loco with your cash.
Your goal in Blobular is to collect items in each stage within the given amount of time. Instead of moving the blubbery ball directly, tapping the [left] and [right] arrow keys rotate the game world clockwise and counter-clockwise, sending the character tumbling through the landscape. It's difficult to get the hang of the indirect control method at first, but moving the environment quickly becomes second-nature. Think of yourself as a minor deity meddling in the affairs of the blob people and it's even more entertaining.
Your blob can also split into several smaller blobs once you collect enough food, allowing you to collect items at a faster rate and squeeze through small cracks in the landscape. Enemies make an appearance in later stages as well, forcing you to inject a little caution in your blob tumbling.
Analysis: Visually, Blobular copies Loco Roco's style remarkably well and maintains the fresh, spunky look throughout its stages. The music is a remixed tune from Super Mario World and gets on your nerves after precisely 10 seconds. The "music off" button became my best friend.
The level design is a bit quirky and I feel it could benefit from some refinement. Collecting some of the items becomes an exercise in luck (or frustration) rather than skill. I spent far too much time trying to grab a lone fruit hovering on the edge of a tiny platform than I should have. Even with several blobs bouncing on the screen, I still managed to miss it. It's the same helpless feeling I get when playing pinball or Breakout, though fortunately it didn't happen too often.
Blobular is a well-made Loco Roco clone that lets casual gamers experience a unique game without the hassle. Play Blobular.
since you move the world around this is like slider's adventure
i was point_out guy and this is alot like loco roco even tho i havent played it i have seen the comercial on it's website
again it's me i just want to say i like saving to split (unless i just want to do it in a crease) when i have little things to eat left
well, this game is like a "i wanna play loco roco but my psp is charging" kind of thing. i got my psp and loco roco in november of 2006, so ive beaten it, and blobular couldn't compare. But if you dont have a psp or locoroco, then play this. but if you want to have fun and songs to make you laugh and cheer you up, get Loco Roco.
Well, even though the comparison had to be made, I wouldn't go so far as saying the game is a replacement for Loco Roco.
Instead, view it as another game along the lines of a new game type made popular by Loco Roco.
It's no different than seeing all the tower defense games popping up lately. Sure, they're nothing like playing the original Warcraft TD maps, but that doesn't mean they aren't fun to play for what they are. =)
This crashes for me in firefox after beating the first level. Seems to be a consistent error. (Tried twice before giving up).
It's fun to see the whole world, by splitting to the far corners.
At first, the view seemed centered on the blob that was "me". But controlling the world (not the blob), combined with the expanding view, means you can't tell which one is "me". I like that.
BTW: Can you tilt the world faster in the original?
I can get to the third level, but noticed a bug. In Firefox 2.0.0.4, hitting restart button crashes Firefox. I've consistently reproduced this error on levels one and two as well.
It is an interesting concept, but needs some refining, such as the blobs being more reactive to their environment. They seem to take too long to react and move when you twist the world. This makes it exceedingly difficult on the third world (and I'm assuming subsequent worlds) where you have to avoid spikes all over the place. By the time you've turned the world, the little blob is too far behind and bumps right up where you don't want him. Use of the jump makes it a little easier, but still overall gameplay needs to be more reactive. And, since you can't see most of the environment, it makes it difficult during game play to move the little buggers where you want them.
Also, I really think a little on/off button for a little map in the corner would be beneficial. I found myself purposely splitting the blob up and sending them on different paths just so I could see more of the area.
Kind of an awful arrangement of the Super Mario World bonus game theme music. Neat concept though. Sonic the Hedgehog had a bonus level with the same idea. Minus the splitting in half and hallucinogenic mushroom parts. Actually those aspects may be related.
Funny game, but it crashed my firefox three times before I gave in.
First crash: hitting "back" after skipping the intro
Second crash: hitting "next level" after finishing level 1
Third crash: hitting "retry" after killing my blob in level 3.
Lost patience then...
So cute! I'm addicted. It's worse than my Bloons addiction.
I'm finding the screen hard to control, though. Is it just my keyboard or do other's have problems with the screen "sticking" in one place for a second then slowly moving to where it should be?
This is a bit less complex than Gish
I like Gish more than blobular.
[Edit: Yes, but Gish is a download AND you have to pay to play the full version. So, it's not really a fair comparison. -Jay]
Jay, you've posted games before that are download only and require payment for the full version. In my opinion, Gish is tenfold better than Blobular. And LocoRoco is much more brilliant than either of the two.
You guys should actually play LocoRoco on a friend's PSP. What's hilarious is when you try to recombine from your little pieces. The little blobs start yelling, it's SOO FUNNY. LOL.
You know, Loco Roco or Blobular would be amazing to play on a Wii (if it took full advantage of the motion-sensing capabilities).
That is the single cutest colour select screen I have EVER seen in all my years of gaming.
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