Blobz
| Developer: Apex Systems | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Apex Systems | Sound: |
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| Year: 1996 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Unclassifiable | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
6/10 | |
More blobs! These ones come from the garage of a small group of English coders, semi-professionals, I suppose (their game was sold exclusively by mail order).
Guide these stupid creatures by assigning actions at opportune moments, like turning around or jumping, to stop them from drowning or touching spikes. The gameplay is similar to Lemmings, with a few new rules to modernise the genre. It also reminds you of Worms when you see the blobs jumping and firing missiles.
Sometimes it’s necessary to collect crystals, additional abilities, or destroy certain targets to open the door leading to the next level. Once available, abilities can be activated as many times as you like, as long as you have enough energy (the yellow bar at the bottom left, which fills quickly, once dry). The main constraint is the time limit (and the speed at which the blobs move, very eager to throw themselves into the water, in a glorious “splash” that is as poignant as it is unproductive). It’s possible to slow the game down to give yourself time to react, but since it doesn’t affect the timer’s countdown, it’s better to use this option sparingly.
First impressions are very good. I really like the perspective effects (parallax), but after a few hours, the routine sets in. It’s a game that requires more speed than wit, and which does not exude as much personality as its model, Lemmings. As for the blobs, sorry, but you can’t blow them up by the dozen, nor crush them in a chain from the top of a cliff, nor burn them, nor mince them finely, nor hang them by the feet before throwing a boulder at their skulls, nor crush them in a wolf trap’s jaws, nor flatten them under a ten-ton weight, nor impale them with stalactites… It’s all too clean!
What’s also missing are keyboard shortcuts, at least to pause the game without wasting a second (and some blobs) by moving the mouse from one end of the screen to the other. Problem half-solved with the emulator and its “Pause” and “Save” functions.
Still, one advantage over Lemmings: the presence of a level editor!
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