Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack!!! is a sequel to Tales from Space: About a Blob. This was released as a launch title for the PlayStation Vita but has since been ported to other systems. In the game, you control a blob and move it using the analogue stick in order to absorb as many things as possible to grow in size, which in turn allows it to absorb more things. In addition to moving, the blob can jump (including wall jumps), do a slam attack and repel or attract towards metal objects, providing an assist to travelling.
In each level, there are physics based platforming including jumping on top of rolling balls in order to move across a gap with spikes at the bottom. Or you need to use the touch screen to flick levers or platforms to get to items such that the blob will grown in size. There are often sections where you need to absorb most, if not all, of the items in order to grown in size before you can move to the next section. The attract and repel of metal objects creates some interesting scenarios such as when you're rushing through narrow areas and need to alternate between attract and repelling in order to keep the blob away from the dangers.
The blob has a health bar and there are obstacles including tanks and helicopters which fire missiles you. However, the most annoying dangers are the instant death lasers during the harder platforming sections. Coupled with rotating platforms and timed sections where you are racing against something threatening to crush you, and it can get fairly difficult requiring multiple tries. It doesn't help that the blob likes to stick to platforms so the jumps aren't as clear cut as you would like.
There are certain sections where the blob will gain thrusters with the ability to fly. The controls are imprecise but manageable until you get to sections with black holes which suck you in with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes you get sucked and managed to use the extra thrusters to boost your way out, other times this doesn't work and you die, even though logic dictates that you should have been able to pull out. It is extremely annoying and cheap. Thankfully, you have unlimited tries and checkpoints are generous. You can also instantly restart from a checkpoint at the press of a button which is a boon in the difficult platforming sections.
The aim of each level, in addition to completing it, is to gain high scores. Absorbing any object gives you points, scattered around are blue dots which gives you points. Finding the two hidden blobs will give you points. And completing it in a short amount of time will give you bonus points, which allows you to upload to a leaderboard for comparison against other players. There are some bonus levels where you tilt the Vita to move the blob. It is an effective use of the motion controls but still feels gimmicky and unnecessary.
Holes in the bonus levels tend to you in which is annoying even when it looks like you weren't touching it or close enough in the first place. The game has 24 levels plus 5 bonus levels. Each level takes on average 8 minutes, but the later levels might take longer as you take the time to explore and with more difficult platforming challenges. Once you're familiar with the level though, you're able to speed run through within 3-5 minutes. Mutant Blobs Attack has a simple story of a blob escaping from an experiment and being carried home by an unwitting scientist.
The blob then swears revenge and starts absorbing and eating, growing bigger and bigger until he could absorb the entire world. Surprisingly, despite its simplicity, the game has a neat ending. The graphics are pretty and while they may seem simple, they still contain heaps of details. Overall, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack!!! is an extremely fun little platformer. While there are definitely a few sections where death feels cheap and frustrating, the generous checkpoints and ease of restarting a certain section means that you'll get over it soon enough.
---------------------------------------------------
For other game reviews, have a look at this page.