To me, it reminds me of the day, back in either 1982 or 1983, when I took a photograph of my television screen, mailed the Poloroid to Atari, and received a Pitfall patch that I could proudly display on my favorite jacket or backpack.
At this point, either you have a smile on your face and a warm feeling of nostalgia in your heart, or you're wondering what in the holy hell I'm talking about.
David Crane was a programmer at Activision responsible for the Pitfall series, one of the biggest third-party franchises to see release on the Atari 2600. It was later in 1989, however, that the gaming world would see the release of another of Crane's titles, one that you might be a bit more familiar with: A Boy and His Blob.
A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia had a very interesting premise; you, as a young boy, went on an adventure with your pet blob Blobert. Blobert--or "Blob" for short--had the most wonderful of abilities, as he could transform into a variety of objects, devices, or creatures, all dependent on your collection of jelly beans and which one you feed Blob when.
Still a cult classic to this day, A Boy and His Blob was one of those titles that you always hoped might see a sequel or additional chapter some day, but that you never really expected would get one.
Well, a number of years ago, Majesco looked poised to do just that, as they announced a new game in the series set for release on the Nintendo DS. Two years after the game's originally-announced release date, the DS version was quietly cancelled; for good, or for bad, depending on your opinion of how the game was progressing.
What A Boy and His Blob really needed was a developer that would not only put time and effort into a new adventure for our young hero and his gelatinous friend, but also care and love in making sure that such a game was done right. It seems that that developer may have come, as WayForward Technologies--the folks behind true beacons of quality like Shantae, Contra 4, and LIT--just recently announced that for the 20th anniversary of the original game, they have been working on a new Boy and His Blob adventure for the Wii.
Need proof that WayForward are really giving this new game their all? Just look at the screenshots; gorgeous, detailed, personality-infused artwork in every one of them, showcasing a real concern for creating a look and feel that are not only fitting for a game like this, but that give it that extra special something. Gameplay, as well, will be a mixture of the best elements of the original combined with new ideas, which includes fifteen new jelly bean flavors (and thus new transformations), among which will be "Caramel Cannon" and "Bubble Gum Bubble".
We hope to know much more about A Boy and His Blob before its upcoming release later this year. For now, however, be assured that this game is in good hands, and once we've gotten our own hands on the goods, we'll be back to tell you more.
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