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A Boy and His Blob

A Boy and His Blob

Abstraction Games, WayForward · released Jan 19, 2016

AdventurePCPlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3Xbox OneWii, Nintendo SwitchiOS (iPhone/iPad)

When Blobolonia is threatened by an evil Emperor, the blob comes to Earth looking for help. Instead, he finds a young boy. Help the blob dethrone the evil Emperor that's terrorizing Blobolonia and establish a friendship with the blob that will last a lifetime.

67
VGC Score
·No trend datamedium confidence 8 since launch

scored 75 at launch, has slipped to 67

75%
At launch
69%
Steam all-time
70%
Press
83%
Player sentiment
15%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (OpenCritic)703
All-time Steam reviews69%66283
Metacritic user ratings832
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)15%271
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 3 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 0.2 up / 1.2 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (11)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 85
    trust 80Nov 18, 2021

    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.

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  • 80
    trust 75Nov 14, 2021

    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.

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  • 70
    trust 70Feb 21, 2022

    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.

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  • 70
    trust 70Jan 27, 2016

    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.

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  • 90
    trust 68Nov 9, 2021

    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.

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  • 60
    trust 64Jan 27, 2016

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

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  • 75
    trust 60Nov 15, 2021

    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.

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  • 40
    trust 59Feb 6, 2016

    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.

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  • 70
    trust 54Jan 21, 2016

    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.

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  • 74
    trust 45Jan 20, 2016

    Although I have nothing but fond memories of A Boy and His Blob, replaying it made me remember how maddening it is.

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  • 60
    trust 44Nov 10, 2021

    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.

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Patch history

No patch announcements found on Steam yet.