Though it's a short-lived endeavor, de Blob 2 brings a healthy dose of lighthearted platforming to the DS.
The game opens with Blob dashing around the forests surrounding the metropolis of Chroma City (the setting of the first game). Eventually, he finds an entrance to a secret laboratory run by a Inkie (living blots of ink) named Doctor Von Blot, who's been conducting various experiments on the area's wildlife. Blob, being the curious fellow he is, decides to explore the complex, discovering more than he bargained for. It seems that some of Comrade Black's old forces have been hiding out here, and, in light of Blob's intrusion, have launched another attack on the citizens of Chroma, prompting Blob to once again save the city from a dull, monochromatic future.
De Blob 2 advances its story through brief animated, dialog-free cutscenes. Most of the actual development happens in-game through info conveyed by Blob's partner Pinky, who keeps him abreast to the Inkies' actions. The game throws in plenty of humor, both in its writing and especially so in the animated scenes, where slapstick comedy frequently crops up. It entertains throughout, keeping up a lighthearted tone.
Gameplay sees Blob traipsing around the game's five basic environments painting the world in a rainbow of hues, taking down any Inkies and freeing any Raydians (civilians) he finds along the way. It eschews much of the mechanics of its console brethren, placing emphasis solely on getting to the end of the level rather than on liberating the masses. Coloring your surroundings still plays a key role, of course, but a secondary one rather than a primary.
Your paint-spattering prowess now serves as a simple visual trick for most of the game. As you roll along through the sparsely populated streets, you cover the landscape in whatever color Blob's carrying. If he's red, then whatever he touches will become red as well, and on. You obtain paint from smashing paintbots, small spider-like machines that house paint. They only carry primary colors -- red, blue, and yellow -- smashing bots containing another color being the only way to douse Blob in secondary colors like green, purple, orange, and brown. All you achieve for coloring everything in sight is an increase in the music's tempo, the mixture of funk and jazz becoming progressively livelier. It's a nice reward, but it doesn't give it the same satisfying purpose as it carries on console, because you don't ever have to paint anything. You could very well go through a good portion of the game carrying no color whatsoever. Though the game frequently presents objectives where you must paint certain spaces a specific color, the mechanic remains relatively underused.
Objectives are limited, offering up only a few light obstacles to overcome. Sabotaging INKT equipment, defeating all foes (who are easily dispatched with a simple stomp), and rescuing Raydians make up the common task set. Occasionally you're prompted to "race to the exit," which force you to swiftly maneuver through reasonably complex courses to reach a checkpoint before time expires. In these instances, the otherwise basic platforming evolves into a test of reflexes, weaving through tight corridors, wall jumping between blocks that manifest on the fly, and avoiding enemies and projectiles. De Blob 2 shines in these invigorating, thrilling feats. Sadly, these instances only appear two or three times tops, criminally ignoring their existence. More of that or some additional mission variety would have been much appreciated.
The majority of the platforming, while not quite as enthralling, remains solid throughout. In the early goings, the game remains a touch too far on the basic side, guiding Blob along what amount to stepping stones, leading him along without the slightest bit of adversity. The only dangers present in the beginning stages lie in small, spinning blades that move up and down along the occasional hallway. From the second area onward, however, the game picks up, introducing a menagerie of variables to spice up the action.
First of which being color-coded blocks. The thing about these is that, unless Blob is coated in the same color as the blocks, they remain transparent. Only when you're wearing the same color as them do they solidify, opening the way forward. When the field is littered by these blocks in all kinds of color, the platforming shines once more. Jumping about between the colored walls, dodging faucets of water to avoid losing your color, using poles strategically stationed for Blob to use to propel himself in whatever direction he wishes, all so he can reach the next fountain of color to activate another set of blocks to move onward and go through the next stage of obstacles is especially thrilling. The game moves fast in harrowing traversal sequences like that. It's here, when the game strips its methodical trappings, that it's highs reveal themselves.
Other items, such as blocks that fill in only when you touch them while colored, potentially locking you out of collectibles strewn about the levels, metallic wall panels that Blob can jump off of to gain extra air-time, and clusters of fans that propel you toward or away from your objectives, lend additional variety to exploration. They don't bring the challenge up by any stretch, however.
De Blob 2's structure is a bit on the odd side. Each of the game's locales contains five levels each. Four of them are unlocked simply by finishing the previous one, the fifth bonus area being unlocked only if you manage to collect all the notes of music and enslaved Raydians in each of the previous four levels. It's an easy quota to fill -- the marked items hide themselves in obvious spots, usually at the ends of tiny crawl spaces tucked in the corners of most rooms. Those fifth levels are completely optional, however, bearing no relevance to the story's proceedings.
Visually, de Blob 2 captures the series' spirit well. Bright, vibrant environments, ranging from the cityscape of Chroma to the mucky underside its pipe-systems, are rendered splendidly. The game runs a smooth 60 frames per-second, the animations fluid. The musical stylings to go along with the painting action fall on the quiet side, even with the in-game volume turned all the way up, which diminishes its effect a touch. When you can hear it, though, it's suitably energetic, matching Blob's carefree personality perfectly.
As you approach the end of de Blob 2, the game hypes up a climatic battle with its villain. When you arrive, however, the reveal isn't as grand as the game builds it up to be, unveiling a dull, formulaic, uneventful battle and climax. Though it ends on a disappointing note, the action leading up to that point entertains a fair amount, making de Blob 2 DS a fine romp for those looking for more de Blob action.