kyle gabler

I recently picked this up during a weekend promo that Steam was running for $5. I've thrown away more money than that pretty much doing anything i can think of;burgers, porn, booze...you name it. At normal price(as of now on Steam) its $20, which i would not have shelled out. Not because i could not afford it, but because i didn't feel like adding the list of games that i haven't had time to focus on and finish. The only reason i wasn't engrossed with the new scout class update on Team Fortress 2 instead was that i nursing a cold, and couldn't handle anything that required too much coordination. World of Goo ended up being wildly better than i could have expected, or imagined, and well worth either the $5 or $20 you might spend on this. It was one of most beautiful and moving gaming experiences of my life, and especially surprising considering the fact that this game is a puzzle game by genre.

The premise is quite light-hearted, with playful elements and dialog reminiscent of Katamary Damacy (even though there's no dialog per se, just signs with hints from "The Sign Painter"), with highly stylized and highly polished 2-D and 3-D visuals, made to look like an illustrated childrens story book. What makes this game so appealing are the dark/innocent Burton-esque under-tones(which become much more pronounced as you progress through out the game), and marketing/corporate/glamor satire injected into the Sign-Painter's hints. As if he were a father who put them there to help you guide his children(the goo) through the harsh world of consumerism and superficiality.

These elements would not have been as poignant or effective in creating such masterful and polished gaming experience, if it wasn't for the score. Each individual level had a theme, and its corresponding track fit in, and perfectly emphasized that theme. When settings get darker in the later level, the music come through even more powerfully. Always communicating the foreboding atmosphere of the "World of Goo Corporation", and that you are some how you are helping this Goo find its place in the world , but also protecting them from it, and helping them return to "MOM". Very moving and mysterious stuff.

I usually don't highlight more modern scores, obviously, since this site is about retro games. But I felt this little gem need to be mentioned (not that it hasn't gotten a good amount of press on its own). Especially for the score, which in my mind, it would not have been the same experience if the music had been lacking. Special kudos for Track 18 - "My Virtual World of Goo Corporation" as a great little piece of chiptune goodness!

Tracks i dugg:

• Burning Man
• Cog in the Machine
• Jelly
• Screamer
• Tumbler
• Red Carpet Extend-o-matic
• My Virtual World of Goo Corporation

You can get the entire zipped set and notes on each track here: World of Goo Soundtrack by Kyle Gabler. Great Job Kyle!