The planet Blobolonia is threatened by an evil emperor, and the titular "blob" flees to Earth seeking

help. It crash-lands on Earth and finds the eponymous "boy". [20] They team up in order to dethrone
the evil emperor, first by completing a quest on Earth and then by traveling to Blobolonia. [24] Along
the way, minions of the Emperor attempt to stop them. [21]

Development[edit]

The game's art design has garnered positive media attention and drew inspiration from a number of sources,
including the films of Hayao Miyazaki.[18]

WayForward's director Sean Velasco, a fan of the original NES title, felt the series "had a ton of
potential" and was "a title whose time had come to be re-imagined". He felt the title would be a
natural fit for WayForward's signature proprietary animation and 2D visuals.[19] The rights to the
series originally belonged to Absolute Entertainment, but Majesco Entertainment was able to acquire
the rights after Absolute went bankrupt in 1995.[25] WayForward, already having a positive working
relationship with Majesco, pitched the "idea of [creating] a very heartwarming Boy and Blob, and
having a very friendly game" that both improved upon the usability of the original title and featured
2D hand-drawn animation "reminiscent of animated movies from the '80s". [18] The designer of the
NES title and co-founder of Activision, David Crane, was not involved with the Wii title, but the new
developers expressed respect for both him and his work when creating the new title. [25]
In terms of faithfulness to the original NES title, producer Robb Alvey explained that "(it's about) the
original spirit of the game and creating something for this generation of gamers. If you're familiar with
the original game, you'll recognize immediately the homage we pay to its origin. And if you've never
played the original, it's not going to feel like anything 'retro'". [25] Sean Velasco similarly expressed that
the game is a "re-imagining" of the original title instead of a direct sequel or remake.[19][25] Some
changes made to the gameplay include frequent save checkpoints and unlimited jelly beans. [26]
Marc Gomez, as art director, was responsible for most of the game's signature look and feel. He
wanted to do something very soft, inspired by the works of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.[18] The
decision to make the boy "much younger and rounder" than his NES counterpart was also Marc's, as
was the idea of making the blob "a more faithful companion (similar to) a dog". [18] With the new,
younger design for the boy and the blob, Marc "wanted them to have (a) mutual need for each
other... One can't progress without the other". [19] Overall, the game has around 4,000 unique frames
of animation.[19]
In terms of the game's controls, Sean Velasco wanted something "very intuitive for the family crowd"
and wanted to "avoid anything that doesn't directly serve the game itself" such as, "waggle controls
simply for the sake of waggle". [19] The "hug" button is a vestigial feature of a more fleshed out
emotion system abandoned during development. Managing the blob's emotions and keeping him
happy throughout the game proved too much of a hassle during testing, so the mechanics were
largely thrown out. Sean Velasco felt the in-game hug was "too heart-melting to ignore", so it was
kept.[27]
Velasco remarked that its simplicity allowed them to create a "very heartwarming...and friendly
game"[18] and to really highlight a "major component of the game, which is the friendship between the
boy and blob". Gomez explained that "everything is about subtlety. There will be hints here and there
letting you in on what is taking place. The story will develop as much as the player wants to venture
in the details".[19]

Reception[edit]
Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator Score

GameRankings WII: 82%[28]

WII: 80/100[29]
Metacritic PS4: 66/100[30]
XONE: 66/100[31]

Review scores

Publication Score

1Up.com B+[34]

Game Informer 8/10[35]

GameTrailers 8.5/10[33]

IGN 7.6/10 [20]

Nintendo Power 8.5/10[32]

[36]
X-Play

GameDaily 8/10[29]

Reception for A Boy and His Blob has been largely positive, with many reviewers commenting on the
game's art design and faithfulness to the feel of the NES original.[20][21][37][38] Nintendo Power called it "a
super magical adventure full of mesmerizing sights and compelling gameplay" and praised that the
game "can be enjoyed on multiple levels and by players of all ages", giving it a score of 8.5/10.
[32]
 IGN praised the game's art direction, yet criticized the control scheme and "die-and-retry nature of
the level designs", awarding the game a 7.6/10.[20] GameTrailers likewise questioned aspects of the
control scheme, but praised the game's puzzles and overall feel, giving the game a total score of
8.5/10.[33]