Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack! Review

Where no horrible gelatinous blob has gone before.

Drinkbox have managed to create something that's quite difficult in video games: humor. Honest, laugh-out-loud humor. Much of the latest downloadable title from the Toronto-based developer involves steering a monstrous alien blob through every level of our civilization until he's ultimately fuller than you or I could ever be.

That means there's fart jokes, crushed beer cans, passed-out frat boys, and Simpsons-calibur billboard jokes. This isn't the PlayStation Vita's interactive Hangover movie simulator, though. I'm talking about Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, one of the better games you could be playing on your PlayStation Vita right now.

In Mutant Blobs Attack, you're tasked with helping a poor, defenseless, human-devouring blob navigate his way through over 20 levels of destructive goodness. While Drinkbox have definitely crafted a platform (and done a damn good job of it), there's more going on than you might think. Specific points throughout level will throw puzzles your way, testing your touchscreen reflexes or requiring you to navigate some tricky sequences with your magnetic powers.

The blob can control green points and push them or rotate them on their tracks. The blob can also attract itself to glowing purple surfaces or speed itself away. The more challenging levels will ask you to do all of these at the same time, forcing you to react with your index finger on screen while you feather the magnetism power to float the blob past dangerous spikes or lazers.

Drinkbox also mixes in zero-gravity rocket sequences, where you'll have to use the PlayStation Vita's analog sticks to float your way through sequences. Adding even further differentiation in each world are tilt-controlled levels.

These were some of my favorites, featuring progressive gates that require you to absorb more and more of the debris scattered around the level. Some of the visual overlays subtlely nod to previous handheld devices. You'll have to wait and see what I mean.

Perhaps the best part about Mutant Blobs Attack is the self-referential and always goofy humor. Sure, you might seem crazy for laughing to yourself on the bus, but at least people won't know that you're laughing at a fart joke or the fact that you just ate a whole troop of fishermen.

The final levels really dial up the crazy, but it doesn't take enough time to get there. This game is short, but the quality is high. For the price admission, I would argue that it's worth it: Mutant Blobs Attack is only $8, making it the cheapest game on the PlayStation Vita.

When all is said and done, this is an appropriately priced, raccous romp of a platformer. There are hidden goodies throughout each level and more than enough replayability. I guarantee you'll miss most of the jokes the first time through.

If you need something to break up Uncharted and WipEout or any of the PlayStation Vita's hardcore titles, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack will more than do the trick. Don't hesitate to download it right now.