Tag: Puzzle game »

Anyone who’s been a part of most social or family gatherings is no doubt familiar with the Jello Mold. These bricks of edible gelatin and suspended fruit are something of a mainstay in our culture, after all. But few know where the concept really came from. This is no mere simple desert to make for half-hearted get-togethers, it’s a tradition meant to remind us of a horrible amorphous threat and the many fruits that were chucked in order to quell it.

Rise of the Blobs centers around a little talking marshmallow named Mal and his desperate fight for survival against a horde of colorful blobs. Mal was able to take shelter in a rather high place before the horde got to him but these jellied monsters are crafty. They’ve begun to pile on top of each other in an attempt to reach the lone survivor, and the only means he has to fend them off is a near limitless supply of fruit. Players can rotate their view around the column by swiping to the side and can expedite a given fruit’s descent by swiping down. The trick is to get the right fruit to the right blob (i.e. an orange to orange, strawberry to red, etc), then to pop it with a tap once it’s been absorbed. Any like-colored blobs that are touching will also be destroyed in a ripple effect that can drastically effect the blobs’ layout. As the game progresses the action starts to speed up and failure becomes inevitable, but any and all coins earned along the way can be used to buy useable items or permanent upgrades as well as unlock new power-ups in order to make successive attempts a tad easier.

The environments and blobs sport a fun and cartoony design, and the way the screen will sometimes get splattered with juices during particularly large chains of explosions is nice, but I found the sheer variety to be the most impressive part of the visuals. Each level has its own particular theme, complete with different blobs and fruits. I was totally content with the starting level’s look as it is, but this is even better. There’s also plenty of incentive to keep playing thanks to all the unlockable modes, items to buy in the shop, and “missions” to complete. That and it’s just fun to play.

My one complaint about Rise of the Blobs is that when the difficulty ramps up it ramps up hard, even after the update. Once Mal starts to chuck fruit at warp speed it’s extremely tough not to get overwhelmed. At least not without a coconut bomb or two.

Even with the difficulty Rise of the Blobs is still plenty of fun. So much so that losing typically ends up being just another excuse to play again. Or maybe get Mal a new hat.