World of Goo [Android Game Review]
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The fleeting feeling of nostalgia, a quick virtual swipe of the credit card, and everything is new again. Well, that's not quite true. World of Goo has still been out since November on Android (and even longer on desktops, iDevices, and the Wii), but that doesn't mean I can't have some fun with those delicious little goo balls and their crazy, physics-based antics.
If you've ever played X Construction (or any other physics-based building game), you'll immediately see the inspiration that was (probably) drawn from World of Goo. Instead of using steel beams, you're stretching out sentient goo-beings, trying to create a structurally sound contraption that the other goo-beings can move along to a suction tube. (Yeah, you read that right.)
World of Goo is pretty forgiving on the whole building front; lines appear when you're placing a new goo, showing you how it'll connect to the rest of the structure. Thicker lines mean the connection will be a strong one; thinner lines mean you're going on a date with destiny. Still, that's no reason to shy away from the tough moves. If you're fast enough, you can piece together something before the entire tower comes crashing down.
The whole point of all the building and the goo-beings and the suction tube? To get the goo-beings sucked up, of course. Each level has a minimum number of goos that need to be sucked up, so you can't be wasteful with your placement. As a reward for being stingy (or can we say efficient?), you're awarded bonus points for every goo that gets sucked up over the required minimum.
Combine genre-defining gameplay with gorgeous graphics, excellent controls, and the online leaderboard to build the biggest tower in the history of the Goo World, and you've got a recipe for success. But we already knew that, seeing as how World of Goo has been wildly successful on just about every platform it has been unveiled on. Point is, you should play it.
World of Goo is $4.99 in the Google Play Store. We've got download links after the break.
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