World of Goo

World of Goo is a puzzle game based on physics. In this respect, your task is to create different structures, such as bridges and towers, out of goo balls, with the objective of helping these balls overcome obstacles and get to a given point, usually a sucking pipe.

The game has five chapters with various levels each. The types of obstacles include chasms, windmills, cliffs and hills. Likewise, as you progress in the game, the difficulty level increases and new kinds of goo balls appear. In all cases, you need to make mental calculations to make your structures challenge gravity successfully. Likewise, there is a great deal of ingenuity involved in solving the problems presented. In this regard, there is an excellent physics-based simulation engine running “under the hood”.

One important thing is to use available goo balls efficiently. Thus, you should try to build your structures with as few balls as possible so that you can help more of them get to the sucking pipe. Saving lots of goo balls becomes especially useful when you reach the bonus chapter, called World of Goo Corporation. This time the purpose is to use the collected balls to construct the highest tower possible. It is good to know that your results can be shared to compete against other players around the world.

The game’s story is told by a narrator, called the Sign Painter, through scenes and signs. This way, you get to know that there is a World of Goo Corporation, which uses goo balls to produce, different frivolous consumer products, such as energy drinks, cosmetics, as well as a mysterious product Z. In each chapter, goo balls are supposed to escape from different dangers. Eventually, goo balls manage to flee to another planet.

The game has 2D graphics, and although they may not seem too elaborate, they are very original and even funny. Likewise, it is accompanied with a beautiful soundtrack with some of the songs specially composed for the game. Disappointingly, there are some control issues affecting accuracy, which sometimes lead to the collapse of your structure.

In short, World of Goo can satisfy those players who are into simulation games requiring a lot of mental work. Frankly speaking, I loved this game and spent long hours playing it. I even decided to start all over so that I could collect more goo balls and build a higher tower in the final chapter. The game is available on the developer’s site as well as from some game distribution platforms.