Globlins (iOS) Review

“Alien globs are brainwashing your friends. It’s time to burst their bubbles!”

Globlins begins with a suitable cartoony story- as should be expected from Cartoon Network. An astronaut and his monkey friend return triumphantly from space, but the astronaut’s son soon realizes his monkey is suffering from some sort of disease. He and his intrepid friends hook the monkey up to their computer to analyze his brain, and soon realize that his brain is infected with tiny little alien globs – globlins. A happy accident helps them discover that water is all that is needed to stop the Globlins, and they soon shrink themselves and set off on an expedition to rid the monkey’s brain of those pesky Globlins.

In order to rid the brain of Globlins, you need to explode them. Exploding one fully grown Globlin costs you one water droplet, but they aren’t all fully grown. A tiny one can take three droplets to completely erase it. Thankfully, when a fully grown Globlin is tapped, it sends out drops in all four directions (left, right, up, and down). These droplets will either grow a small Globlin or explode a grown one, causing it to also send out droplets. If done correctly, you can clear whole boards with just a few drops of water, and creating impressive combos can earn you extra droplets to boot – which will definitely come in handy in the more challenging levels.

Globlins is a puzzle game that, like many, relies on well thought out chain reactions to clear the board. In this case, though, keeping the moves to a minimum is important for more than just a high score. You only have so many water droplets to finish a level, and if you use them all up before you finish off all the Globlins, it’s restart for you – and that’s a little more painful than usual in this game. Each level actual consists of a series of levels that must be completed with the water you have. For instance, if completing a level requires you to get through five stages and you run out of water on the final stage, you’ll either need to fork over coins to continue, or start over from the first stage.

It’s extremely challenging, but then that’s usually a plus in a puzzle game. However, the pay to continue feature seems a bit of a money grab for a paid app. Earning 200 coins is no small feat, and if you use them to continue you’ll have no chance at purchasing any gadgets. The gadgets are upgrades that can be purchased to enhance your gameplay – and they’re a real help in the more challenging levels. Although it will take you a while to save up the coins to buy them if you don’t want to sink more cash into the game, it’s worth taking the time to build up those coins. The benefit of gadgets range from getting more points to extra drops on each new board. The last one is definitely a huge benefit, but at 10,000 coins it will take a lot of time to earn it the old fashioned way.

Visually, Globlins is just plain pretty to look at. With vibrant colors, cartoony characters, and whimsical level designs, it’s just like being dropped into your favorite cartoon. The silly sound effects and catchy background music fit perfectly with the aesthetics to make a game that is as fun to look at as it is to play. But while the look and sound may put you in mind of a children’s game, the difficulty level will likely make it out of reach for the younger set. The difficulty ramps up pretty quickly, and there isn’t any option for casual gamers, other than working (or paying) for the upgrades.

Final Thoughts

Globlins is a challenging puzzle game that feels just like stepping into your favorite cartoon. With vibrantly colorful levels and a whole lot of challenging gameplay, it’s likely to keep you busy for hours on end. Though it may look very appealing to children, it’s likely too challenging for young gamers (unless their parents want to fork over more cash for some serious gadget upgrades). Fans of puzzle games with a bite to them will love the challenge they’ll find with Globlins, but gamers looking for a more casual experience may find it best enjoyed in small doses.