A Boy and His Blob

Those are the qualities that make the game more tolerable than it would otherwise be. Without much option of anything besides leaning on the NES version's method of using Blob (a non-playable character) as the means of gameplay execution, WayForward's take on A Boy and His Blob is frustratingly imprecise and inaccurate. But, by deviating a bit and adding the jellybean wheel, it killed any momentum and turned the game into a slog. That is truly the worst of both worlds.

A Boy and His Blob hasn't changed since its release back in 2009, but it's still well worth checking out if you're after a decent puzzle platformer. The visuals still look incredible after all these years, with spectacular animation to boot. Some aspects of the game feel a bit outdated by comparison, with the inability to map certain abilities being a key culprit. Nevertheless it remains a fun, breezy experience, and one that the younger generation of gamers in particular will adore.

Puzzle platformers are a dime a dozen in the modern era of gaming, but there's nothing that feels quite like A Boy and His Blob. Taking advantage of blob's shape-shifting abilities to solve environmental puzzles, while seeking hidden treasures that unlock challenge stages, is mentally stimulating and very rewarding. Even though a handful of issues do frequently nag at you throughout the course of the adventure, they don't weigh the game down enough to keep it from a recommendation.

The 2D side-scrolling adventure is a far cry from the original NES version, which was known to be not kind to new players. The lack of tutorial, control explanation and random game crashes fail to detract too much from the overall charm of A Boy and His Blob which is a heart-warming tale of friendship, cooperation, and puzzle-solving. Game completion time will head into double digits especially if completionists want to collect all the treasure, or if player skill level for puzzles and platforming is not at expert proficiency.

Satisfactory puzzle-platformers are many on the Nintendo Switch. But the transformative and unique A Boy and his Blob, while easy, rises well above most of the competition. Time has been kind to this game, both in presentation (graphically and musically) and general design. If you haven't had your fill of it yet, add this one to your Switch collection.

I really enjoyed my time with A Boy and His Blob. I definitely understand now why this adorable little game won the hearts of so many. It might not being the most challenging game on the market, but it’s still a lot of fun. The levels are all very brief, which makes it an ideal game for the Switch. It’s the perfect game to pick up and play on-the-go.

A Boy and His Blob retains all the charm that made past games such precious titles. There's a good amount of replayability with this title, especially for newcomers, but there really isn't anything new other than the portability for returning fans. The Nintendo Switch version improves the performance of the Wii version, so this is probably the best way to play the game.

While I'd love to see the veritable all-star team of developers (some are still at WayForward; others went to found Yacht Club Games and Tic Toc Games) that worked on the original Wii release come back for more Blob content, I'm happy that a great Wii game still lives on modern consoles. Whether you first played this on Wii in 2009 or have never touched it before, A Boy And His Blob is well worth checking out. Just remember to press the hug button to brighten your day when needed.

This punch-pulling retro update is charming and beautiful but doesn't quite have the mind to match.

This particular remaster doesn't quite do enough to boost the graphics, but the game underneath has lost nothing of its charm or heart. The simple controls and gentle difficulty curve make it very welcoming, but there's enough complexity and optional challenge to keep you interested long-term. This is a thoroughly rewarding remake – and one that leaves us hoping for a brand new game.