de Blob Preview

The innovative puzzler continues to find Nintendo's Wii a welcoming platform. First we had Capcom's charming Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, then we had EA and Steven Spielberg's addictive Boom Blox. And soon we'll have de Blob, a puzzler, due out this September, that looks and feels like a cartoon dreamland. We caught up with Australian developer Blue Tongue for an exclusive chat with lead producer Nick Hagger to get some insight into de Blob's unique gameplay features.

VideoGamer.com: Thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions about de Blob. First off, we understand that the game was delayed from an early 2008 release, to September. What have you been able to achieve in the extra time you've had?

Nick Hagger: We've tuned the game significantly with the extra time; visuals, gameplay and audio have all been polished. It also allowed us to do some extra work on the story of de Blob and allowed our in-house animators to add some extra love to the pre-rendered story elements.

VideoGamer.com: Some Wii owners who are hyped about de Blob are disappointed about the September release. Do you have any message for them to reassure them the game will be worth the wait?

NH: We are genuinely sorry to have disappointed people by pushing the release date back, but we know that Wii owners look forward to quality gameplay and experiences. All good things take time, and we reckon that people will appreciate the extra polish that we've given the game.

VideoGamer.com: De Blob has been compared to the Katamari series. Do you think that's a fair comparison?

NH: It's so flattering to be compared to such an innovative and polished title as Katamari. I think there are superficial similarities in the gameplay, but they are inherently different experiences. I think the qualities that invite comparison are the originality of the art style, the purity of core design and the sense of playfulness and fun. At its heart, though, de Blob is a platformer game with a colourful and creative twist that we think gamers will find both familiar and innovative at the same time.

VideoGamer.com: Players control de Blob with the Nunchuck's analogue stick. Did you ever consider using Wii Remote tilt controls instead? Was there a reason why you turned that control method down?

NH: One of our central design goals was to make de Blob immediately accessible to Wii gamers. Accelerometer only gameplay proved to be technically possible, but the analogue stick felt much more natural and intuitive for de Blob's gameplay. The game is fantastic to play, and now that we are nearing the end of the project looking back, we know we've made the right decision in regards to control.

VideoGamer.com: Recently US sales of EA's Wii exclusive puzzler Boom Blox came in at what is regarded as a disappointing 60,000, prompting renewed concerns that many third party titles on Wii struggle. What's your opinion on this debate and is there a danger that de Blob might suffer from a similar fate?

NH: Honestly, I think it's too early to judge the success of Boom Blox. It's a fun game, brimming with charm and compelling gameplay; it's difficult to draw any wider conclusions from short term sales figures. As a developer, we always strive to do everything we can to make a fun game.

VideoGamer.com: If de Blob is a success on Wii might you consider bringing it to other platforms? From what we know of how the controls work, surely standard analogue controls would be a good fit!

NH: There's no doubt that de Blob would be comfortable on any of the current platforms but we really love the Wii as his current home, and we really built de Blob from the ground up for the Wii. I think if Blob ever bounces over to another platform it would be a marked different design, and ultimately a different experience.

VideoGamer.com: Did you ever consider giving de Blob an online multiplayer component? What are the reasons behind the lack of online play?

NH: We did consider online play early on, but we decided to focus our efforts in creating a really compelling single-player experience. We do have a wide variety of multiplayer modes in the game for up to four people that are a blast to play. We've spent many a late night in the studio blasting each other with paint while trying to take control of Chroma City. We're looking forward to sharing all the multiplayer modes in the very near future.

VideoGamer.com: Initial hands on previews pointed out frame rate issues. Have you been able to address these concerns? What frame rate will the game run at when it's released?

NH: That's definitely one of the benefits of having extra time. We've done heaps of work to improve performance and I'm happy to say that looking at the game beside me, its silky smooth. We'll be shipping at 60 frames per second.

VideoGamer.com: There's been much talk recently about the Wii's lack of a hard drive and why a storage solution is badly needed. As a Wii game developer, what's your opinion on the subject? Would it have benefited development of de Blob?

NH: It's always good to have more storage space available, but we didn't need it for de Blob. I think it would be awesome if there was an HDD for the Wii; there are loads of things we could do with it. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

VideoGamer.com: And finally... from Wikipedia: "Blue Tongue is also developing an unannounced action adventure game for the Xbox 360 and PS3, nothing is known about this title, whether it's a licensed or original title." Can you give us any hints?! Thanks!

NH: It's difficult to validate much of the information on Wikipedia. In good conscience, I can neither confirm or deny such speculation. However, if you're really curious, maybe take a peek at our recruitment page, and that might shed more light on the subject.

VideoGamer.com: Thanks for giving us this opportunity.

Check out our hot new exclusive screen shots here and our exclusive de Blob cinematic trailer!

de Blob is due out for Wii on September 26 2008, with a Nintendo DS version to follow.