I loved World of Goo; it was so unique at the time. Sixteen years later, one of the earliest indie hits returns with a sequel named World of Goo 2 that surpasses its already magnificent predecessor.
“World of Goo” is an intriguing title. Practically everyone who has played it has enjoyed it, but in the 16 years since its release, it never seemed to be a game that begged for a sequel. It’s also curious that, despite earning stellar reviews and remaining relevant for a decade and a half, it doesn’t quite have the same “prestige” as other great indie games like “Braid” or “Limbo.” Yet, this sequel proves that “World of Goo” is a series that shines brightly in its own right and deserves a place among the greats.
If you want something completely different, check out our Tekken 8 Review!
In World of Goo 2, Your Favorite Goo Balls Are Back
“World of Goo 2” is a puzzle game where you have to build structures using sticky balls to get as many of them as possible to a pipe. The formula is the same as the original, but we’ll explain how it works if you still need to play it. The idea is that the balls can stick to the structure if you place them close enough. The farther away you place them, within its limits, the closer you get to the pipe, making the structure more unstable.
The gameplay of “World of Goo 2” stays true to its mechanics, gradually reminding us of them from the start—a superficial yet profoundly deep mechanic. The structures we create are always flexible, and with the ultimate goal of reaching the pipe using as few balls as possible, we must try to spread them out as much as we can, using as few as possible, which will make our construction precariously unstable.
Of course, you can use more balls and place them closer together, but another critical element of “World of Goo 2” comes: its secondary challenges. Waking up the goo balls with this liquid will be fun.
Each stage has three secondary challenges, encouraging us to complete each task within a set time, saving a specific number of balls, and finishing with fewer than a certain number of moves. This encourages replaying the levels and exploring them because many stages hide secrets essential to meeting these requirements. And if “World of Goo 2” excels in anything, it’s in its level design.
More Ideas Than You Can Imagine
“World of Goo 2” has left us speechless with its creativity. It starts traditionally with its mechanics, gradually introducing new and familiar elements, but when it steps on the gas, it surprises us repeatedly with its ideas. We would love to start telling you how it manages to outdo itself over its more than 60 levels, but much of the experience lies in the thrill of discovering how it innovates in each subsequent stage.
This sequel turns its main mechanic on its head so much that you might see this screen and have no idea what to do. Not all ideas will appeal to you, or you might think some stray too far from the essence of the series, but we’ve enjoyed every single one.
The final third of the game strikes us as incredible, a prime example of how to take a simple mechanic like connecting sticky balls and push them to unimaginable limits. It’s as if they spent these 16 years brainstorming ideas for this sequel. Not all balls have the same properties; we must adapt to each type.
The Look and Feel of World of Goo 2
“World of Goo 2” also shares its aesthetics, musical style, and themes with the original, with a comical and satirical narrative that critiques the pollution of our planet through animated video sequences and, of course, the iconic signs. Experience the iconic sounds of goo balls like never before with our state-of-the-art XP-Eclipse headset. There’s not much more to delve into here beyond what you see in the images, but we believe that sticking with the original design while expanding it with more detail and new settings was the right decision.
As for performance, we had no issues playing it on a Steam Deck. There were some slight hiccups when things got intense, but nothing major. On a side note, if you plan to play it on an ultra-wide monitor, the maximum aspect ratio is 19:9, leaving tiny black bars on each side of 21:9 monitors. Again, nothing major. Lastly, our only complaint is the “undo” option. We love the idea since we can click on the little white creatures flitting around the screen to take a few steps back, but the mechanic feels somewhat imprecise, which can sometimes be frustrating.
In Conclusion
As fans of the original, we eagerly anticipated “World of Goo 2,” and it has exceeded all our expectations. It’s a textbook sequel, brimming with new and brilliant ideas, surprising us repeatedly until it reaches a fantastic final third, where it unleashes its creativity. If you didn’t like the original, this sequel won’t change your mind, but if you enjoyed its predecessor or simply like puzzle games, we highly recommend you try “World of Goo 2” as soon as possible.
World of Goo 2 impresses with its inventive design and engaging challenges, surpassing the original in creativity. Call us nostalgic goofs, but we give it our highest grade yet, a 9.2 out of 10!
World of Goo 2 has an ESRB rating of T for teens. However, the violence, the overarching theme, and a character dying are not significant issues, so it should be pretty safe.
