de Blob Interview and Trailers

The Producer of de Blob speaks on the concepts of the game, how the Wii controls have been implemented, and the types of missions that await the player, together with two new trailers of the game in action.

In an interview with IGN, Nick Hagger, the producer of de Blob, gives the folowing;

IGN; Tell us about de Blob. Who is he?

Nick Hagger: de Blob is a citizen of Chroma City, and he is the ultimate free spirit. Messy, rambunctious, fun and artistic, he is all about liberation and freedom of expression. Nothing delights him more than soaking up colors, patterns and music and wildly splattering all of it all over Chroma City, leaving parts of the city a different place every time he bounces around.

Blob is adventurous and anarchic; he's the embodiment of the fun times and funky vibe of Chroma City. When the INKT invasion took place, Blob was returning to his village, nestled in the rolling hills which surround the metropolis. When he saw what the Corporation had done to Chroma City, like any right thinking person, he leapt into action and started fighting back.

IGN; Does de Blob have any special abilities? Why is he the only one that can save Chroma City?

Nick Hagger: The invasion of Chroma City happened in a flash. The INKT Corporation locked down the city, they deployed Leechbots to drain the color from everything, music was outlawed, shock troops rounded up the residents and placed them under strict curfews. The party was over; Chroma City had become a monochromatic shadow of its former glory.

Comrade Black's vision of a perfect society would bring a new order to Raydia. The chaotic nightmare of color had been replaced with the comforting banality of black and white. All Raydians would be made equals, once they had been forced into the dreadful grey INK Suits. The Corporation would find meaningful jobs for all those loafing artists and musicians. INKT call centers and tele-marketing agencies rapidly replaced dance halls and galleries. Silence reigned.

The game employs a very unique visual style.
Blob is really the only one who can save Chroma City because of his unique artistic abilities. His style is unique, he's best described as an aesthetic athlete. When Blob paints, he paints on a BIG scale. He doesn't just paint with color, he paints with music. Blob's artistic expression reflects the music which sings from his heart; as Blob paints he creates unique tunes which call out to the prisoners of the city: "Rise Up!"

Blob rolls, bounces, jumps and slides using the whole of Chroma City as his canvas. Life on the farm has made him strong as well as agile. So when he sees an INKY, he can stomp them flat as an ink blot.

IGN; So this game isn't just about putting color in the world -- it's about taking out the Inkys as well! Can you give us details on de Blob's combat abilities?

Nick Hagger: Blob's first target in the battle to reclaim Chroma City is the Paintbots. When INKT unleashed the Leechbots, those tiny leechlike robots drained the color from everything they touched. Now sated, they wander around the city as Paintbots waiting for INKT collection trucks to safely dispose of the toxic pigments. One of Blob's abilities is to smash these Paintbots and take back their color. The more color he collects, the bigger he grows. The bigger he grows the more enemies he can take on. Blob's size matters in combat, but being big isn't everything.

When Blob is small, he is fast and agile. He can quickly pounce upon lone ground troops or leap up onto buildings to evade tougher foes. The more paint Blob consumes, the larger he becomes, maxing out his combat power. When Blob gets buff, he packs quite the punch; his splash damage increases and he can crush whole platoons of INKYs; at full size, he's big enough to take down a tank or bust open a jail.

IGN; What kind of missions will de Blob have to complete to save the citizens?

Nick Hagger: Blob is not alone in his fight against the INKT Corporation, many Raydians refused to comply with the new laws of Comrade Black. Most of those brave souls were whisked away to secret jails scattered across Chroma City. The dwindling number of refusniks then banded together as the Color Underground, hiding in tunnels beneath the city. The rebels, while well intentioned, are not versed in combat. They need a hero to make the people rise up, and that's where Blob enters the equation.

The Color Underground is lead by the Professor, who sees the revolutionary potential in Blob's artistic style; he understands how Blob can use his Color Energy to restore their world. The Prof and his cadre train Blob in the arts of colorful combat. By using a variety of techniques, Blob is able to reclaim landmarks; sabotage INKY machinery; transform toxic INK to clean water; even make the sun shine again. The Professor's most audacious weapon is the Transformation Engine, an aesthetic shockwave which can restore the great plazas and parks of Chroma City, luring oppressed Raydians from hiding and restoring life to the world. Only Blob has sufficient power to use this device, unleashing it will change Chroma City forever!

IGN; What challenges/benefits did you encounter while developing a Wii-specific title?

Nick Hagger: It's always fun and challenging starting something new, but it was great from the outset to be working with the Wii. de Blob has so many tactile and innovative elements that the Wii felt like a perfect home for the game. We spent our time in pre-production nailing a mechanic which gave the player the feeling of driving Blob around the city, partly orchestrating music, partly painting with a brush. Visually, we wanted to play to the Wii's strengths and come up with a fresh and inviting art style which showed people that the Wii has the ability to deliver some amazing visuals. You'll notice lots of graphical bling in the game, we really wanted our players to feel the love.

IGN; How is de Blob different from other platformer games on the market?

Nick Hagger: It's pretty different, mainly because it's not purely a platformer. de Blob is a hybrid of many influences � we've aimed to create an experience which feels both fresh and familiar, a quintessentially urban game. It's simultaneously a 3D coloring book and an action platformer and a music mixing game.

Traditional platforming awaits.
One thing that really sets de Blob apart is the warmth of the music � it's all recorded with a live band, and they bring a zesty revolutionary funk to the game. The music is totally driven by the player; each color has an instrument assigned to it, so the player is mixing a new tune every time they play. You can spend a lot of time getting lost in the music as you spruce up the streets of Chroma City.

IGN; How does de Blob take advantage of the unique Wii controls? What are some of de Blob's heroic abilities?

Nick Hagger: With de Blob, we strived to make it a waggle-free experience, which is not to say that you don't ever shake a controller, but it's all done in good taste and non-gratuitous. Blob jumps to attention when you flick the Wii remote, when he's airborne you can guide him around with Nunchuck. You'll have to get rhythmic when you're transforming major buildings, but it all blends in seamlessly with the music making it a satisfying experience for all concerned. There's lots of pointer fun as well; you can use the pointer to look around your surroundings, you can even use the pointer to draw interesting pictures on the interface.

IGN; How hard was it to give a blob who doesn't speak character and personality?

Nick Hagger: I'm not really giving much away here, but Blob does have a voice, he just chooses to express himself through actions rather than words. Being a hero of many moods, sometimes he just speaks with his eyes. The simplest answer is that Blob is the sum of all his parts.

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