World of Goo

Infobox VG
width =
title = World of Goo


caption = Title screen
developer = 2D Boy
publisher = Independent
distributor =
designer = Kyle Gabler, Ron Carmel
license =
series =
engine =
version =
released = WiiWare
^NA October 13, 2008
PC Download
October 13, 2008
genre = Puzzle
modes = Single player, Co-operative (Wii only)
ratings = ESRB: E
platforms = PC (Linux, Mac OS X, Windows), Wii (WiiWare) [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16749 Gamasutra interview] ] [ [http://www.nintendic.com/news/2113 World of Goo switches from Wii to WiiWare] ]
media = Download
requirements =
input = Mouse, Wii Remote
language(s) = English

"World of Goo" is a puzzle computer game being developed for the Wii, Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux by 2D Boy, an independent game developer founded by Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, both former Electronic Arts employees. [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16749 Gamasutra interview] ] [http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=90750 Preview on EuroGamer] ] It has been nominated for the Seumas McNally grand prize, Design Innovation Award and Technical Excellence from the Independent Games Festival in February 2008. [http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html IGF Finalists] ]

Overview

The game is built around the idea of creating large structures using balls of goo. It is based on the prototype game "Tower of Goo" [http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/tower-of-goo-evolves-into-world-of-goo-2d-boy-is-born/ Joystiq article] ] developed for Kyle Gabler's rapid game prototyping Experimental Gameplay Project. The game is divided into five chapters, each containing several levels. Each level has its own graphical theme and music, giving it unique atmosphere [http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=90750 Preview on EuroGamer] ] . There is also a bonus meta-game called "World of Goo Corporation", whose objective is to build the highest tower using goo balls which the player collected through the course of the game. Players from all over the world can compete, as the height of the tower and number of goo balls used are being constantly uploaded to the 2D Boy server. [http://beta.worldofgoo.com/leaderboard.php World Of Goo Leaderboard] ]

Gameplay

The main objective of the game is to get a requisite number of goo balls to the pipe representing the exit. In order to do so, the player must use their various abilities to build bridges, towers and other structures to overcome gravity and various terrain difficulties such as chasms, hills, spikes or cliffs. Goos recovered in the pipe are pumped through to the World of Goo Corporation, a sandbox area where the objective is to build a tower taller than those of other players of the game, whose towers are represented by respectively named clouds floating at altitudes corresponding to their height. [http://pc.ign.com/articles/846/846912p1.html IGN Preview] ]

Levels and chapters in the game will be interspersed with cut scenes, and the game will also feature "Obsessive Completion Distinction (OCD) Flags" - awards unlocked for having completed levels under more stringent criteria. [http://2dboy.com/2008/08/14/leipzig-and-some-mini-goo-updates 2D Boy Blog] ]

Goo balls

There are many types of goo balls in the game and each of them have unique abilities. The player needs to exploit their combinations in order to complete each of the levels. Some of the ordinary balls have no special abilities, once they have been incorporated into the structure, they cannot be used again nor they can reach the pipe to be rescued.

* Common Goo - The standard, black ball. Maximum of two connections on placement. Pushes/pulls connections to its optimum length.
* Albino Goo - White goo ball. Maximum of four connections on placement. Does not push/pull strongly to gain optimum length.
* Ivy Goo - Can be attached and detached from the structure. Maximum of three connections on placement. Pushes/pulls very strongly to reach its optimum length, resulting in strong springlike tendencies.
* Balloon Goo - Fly upwards, which allows the player to lift other objects. Only one connection. Does not push/pull.
* Water Goo - A translucent ball, seen in a trailer for the game as being able to form single connections to other Goos, and hence form long chains.
* Pokey Goo - A spiky yellow ball, also able to form four connections and, on placement, forms spikes that stick it to the terrain.
* Fuse Goo - A deformed red ball, forming up to two matchstick-like bonds. Highly flammable and used for chain reactions.
* Bone Goo - A skull, able to form three bonds and impervious to hazards such as spikes, spinning discs, and flames.
* Beauty Ball Goo - There are two types of Beauty Ball - 'pretty' (pink) and 'ugly' (yellow). Both are oversized Goo Balls which are broken down by certain surfaces into smaller Beauty Product balls, which can exclusively be sucked into Red Pipes (unlike other Goos, which only go into the Black Pipes).
* Plain Goo - An eye-less, jet-black Goo which cannot form bonds with other Goos or be moved around by the mouse. In the Information Superhighway chapter, some Plain Goos are a vivid green colour.
* Digital Goo - Seen in the Information Superhighway chapter, square Digital Goos have similar properties to Common Goo, whilst round Digital Goos start off green and cannot be moved, however they can be selected and flung across the level. The round Digital Goos can also be converted into red Digital Goos, which are able to form single bonds when flung into other red Digital Goos. All Digital Goos are flammable.
* Block Goos - Technically not Goos, Block Goos are parts of the broken-up Information Superhighway and can be stacked atop each other to make towers.

Levels

The overall World of Goo is split up into a number of chapters, each containing a number of levels. The chapters are set over the course of a year in the World of Goo.

The six chapters are:
*Chapter 1: The Goo Filled Hills (Summer)
*Chapter 2: Little Miss World Of Goo (Fall)
*Chapter 3: Cog In The Machine (Winter)
*Chapter 4: Information Superhighway ("Meanwhile...")
*Chapter 5: End Of The World (Spring)
*Chapter 6: Moon Chapter (Retail only). [http://www.wiiware-world.com/news/2008/08/2d_boy_interview_world_of_goo WiiWare World Interview] ]

The other selectable 'chapter' from the main menu is the World Of Goo Corporation. Goos piped out of each of the played levels end up here, and, starting from just a single triangle of Goo, the aim is to build the highest possible tower. The Goos in the World Of Goo Corporation are very similar to the Ivy Goos, in that they can be repositioned; however, they are black, and can only form two connections at a time, as seen with the Common Goos.In the World Of Goo Corporation, towers built by other players of the game are represented by clouds bearing the player's name, nationality and height of the tower, including details on the total number of balls collected by the player and how many were used in constructing their tower. The clouds float at the same height as the top of a player's tower.An online leaderboard charts the heights of the top 50 towers, as well as the top 10 players for each level of the game.

There are a total of 48 levels in the game, World of Goo Corporation inclusive.

In a recent interview [http://www.wiiware-world.com/news/2008/08/2d_boy_interview_world_of_goo WiiWare World Interview] ] the developers stated that the retail version released in Europe will receive an additional sixth chapter, set on the Moon. Few details were disclosed, but reportedly this chapter will feature a freeform sandbox mode, similar to that of the World of Goo Corporation.

Reception

Eurogamer rated "World of Goo" 9/10, calling it "Physics' latest, purest, and most brilliant gift." [ [http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=249671&page=1] ] IGN gave the Wii version a 9.5/10, saying "World of Goo" is an amazing WiiWare game that you simply must buy for this is exactly the type of software that needs both recognition and support", finding only minor fault with the camera controls and lack of a level editor. [ [http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/918/918954p1.html] ]

Development

The developers used many open-source technologies such as Simple DirectMedia Layer, Open Dynamics Engine for physics simulations, irrKlang for sound, and TinyXML for configuration and animation files. Subversion and Mantis Bug Tracker were used for work coordination [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16749 Gamasutra interview] ] .

ee also

* Crayon Physics - another physics-based puzzle game based on prototype from Experimental Gameplay Project

References

External links

* [http://2dboy.com/games.php 2D Boy's official "World of Goo" page]
* [http://www.experimentalgameplay.com/game.php?g=1 "Tower of Goo" prototype]
* [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16749 Interview with 2D Boy on Gamasutra]
* [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=183633 PC Gamer preview page]