The Rescue of Princess Blobette
Reviewed by Ed Griffiths
David Crane was the creator of Pitfall. He's best known for favoring
innovation and fun over flashy graphics. Perhaps the best example of
this is in the two-part "A Boy and His Blob" series.
In this, the second and final installment, Boy and Blob (as our heroes
are named) find themselves trapped in the Antagonistic Alchemist's
castle on Blob's home planet of Blobolonia. The fair Princess Blobette
is being held captive in a tower on the other end of the castle. Boy and
Blob must escape from their tower, brave the dangers of the castle,
and release the hostage princess.
You control Boy, and Blob tags along behind. Here's where the innovation
comes in. All Boy can do on his own is run back and forth; he can't even
jump. So, he feeds jellybeans to Blob. Depending on the flavor, Blob
will assume a different useful form, such as a trampoline, a bubble,
a monkey wrench, and a car jack. The usefulness of some items is
obvious, but others don't seem too useful until you come up against a
particular problem. It's a little bit Prince of Persia and a little bit
Shadowgate, and it's one of the most unique games you'll ever play.
Graphics 7 out of 10
Lots of lovely details, considering that this is a very early-era Game Boy
game. The graphics are very faithful to the NES game that this is a sequel
to. There's not much animation to this game, but it's not really needed.
There *is* an amusing sequence should Boy accidentally slide off a cliff.
As his feet wiggle around in mid-air, he'll turn to face you, look down, and
*then* fall, like a cartoon character. (Actually, if you turn around and go
back the way you came, you can sometimes make it back to safe ground
before falling!)
Music and Sound 5 out of 10
There's just one tune that repeats endlessly. It's nothing particularly
inspiring. There's short tunes that play when you use Blob's various
forms, and a very good imitation of a whistle when you whistle for him.
The sounds are just very bland in this game.
Game Challenge 9 out of 10
Combine mind-bending puzzles with "avoid the monsters" style game play,
and you've got Rescue. You have to figure out how to overcome obstacles,
but you also have to make some tough jumps and demonstrate quick reflexes.
Plus there's hidden treasures just about everywhere. You don't get anything
for recovering them, but there's always that challenge to try for.
Game Play-Fun 7 out of 10
You've really got to like solving puzzles to get any sort of enjoyment out
of this game. The nice part is that, once you've solved the puzzles, you'll
never forget how to do them and you can concentrate on the action bits.
Frustration
Frustration all over the place. It's hard to figure out how to use Blob's
limited selection of forms to get past your various obstacles. Not only
that, but you've got to pick your way past some enemies which are
invincible (the infamous Sewer Snakes). Plus, the control can get fickle
sometimes; tap the control pad too hard and you might walk right into
trouble rather than take a tiny step. Finally, take into account a "fall too
far and die" rule, no passwords, no saves, and no continues, and this
game may seem nearly impossible.
Replayability 1 out of 10
Alas, once you've solved the puzzles, there's not much reason to play
this game again, unless to prove to yourself that you can still do it or
to pick up all the treasures. Still, you'll get enough use out of it the
first time around.
Game Value 8 out of 10
There isn't much depth of play to this game, so don't spend a lot of
money on it. However, it should be old and cheap, and you'll get enough
use out of it as you try and get past the first machine to make it
worth your time and money.
Overall B
The Rescue of Princess Blobette is a short, quirky title that's worth the
price of admission. I'm just sad that the Boy and His Blob series ended so abruptly.