World of Goo

Game review by Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media
World of Goo Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 8+

Brilliant physics-based puzzler turns player into engineer.

Mac, Nintendo Wii, Windows 2008
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 10 reviews

Kids say

age 8+

Based on 14 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that World of Goo contains little in the way of potentially offensive content. Its narrative -- which focuses on semi-intelligent balls of goo being used by a corporation to develop products such as beauty cream and a kind of drink -- contains concepts geared for older players, but there is never anything graphic or scary. However, the puzzle-based play, while intuitive and simple at first, quickly becomes difficult enough that it may frustrate some children. In other words, it's safe for kids to play, but they might not get as much out of it as older tweens, teens, and adult players.

Community Reviews

MerryHearn
MerryHearn Adult
May 4, 2019
age 8+

Fun puzzle with physics engine and a thought-inducing message

It's a very fun and challenging puzzle game. The learning curve is spot-on and the game guides you through every mechanic. Maybe the most important part is the message it transmits, though. Reading each of the messages in each level will guide you through the lore of the Universe and tell you the story about the World of Goo Corporation, and the dangers of excessive greed and amoral "progress". While telling this, it also does excellent critique of social issues like materialism and pollution. Although the overall message is more oriented towards teen, mature audiences, it doesn't detract from the main gameplay experience, and may add up for a totally different second gameplay for your children years after the initial one. Totally recommended!

This title has:

Great messages
Easy to play/use
Pvt. Sokolva
Pvt. Sokolva Adult
January 5, 2011
age 6+

Adorable, creative. Parents and kids can enjoy this game. Great $$ Too.

This game is adorable. I'd recommend it to kids even younger, but I'm not sure at what point it would start getting too difficult for them. The puzzles can be challenging for adults and children alike...a great indie game to pass the time. For what it is, a simple game with a simple objective and a simple yet quirky and very creative objective and characters, I say game on! There's absolutely nothing in this that could possibly be bad for kids....unless your worried about the violence of popping a ball of goo.

This title has:

Educational value
See all 10 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Available for PC and through WiiWare (Nintendo's downloadable game service for the Wii console), WORLD OF GOO is composed of a series of physics-based puzzles that involve building bridges, towers, scaffolds, and other structures out of the game's titular material. The general goal is to move the goop toward pneumatic pipes strategically positioned within two-dimensional environments. These pipes suck up the goo and take it to the World of Goo Corporation, where it is processed into various products. There are five chapters, each with over a dozen puzzles. When players aren't engaged in the story, they can head over to the World of Goo factory, where they can work with the bits of goop they have collected in an attempt to build the tallest possible tower. If you're connected to the Internet you'll be able to see goal marks representing other players' towers in the background.

Is It Any Good?

World of Goo is a breath of fresh air in the 2008 video game season that has been overrun to some degree by guns and gore. The googly-eyed goo balls are undeniably endearing creatures, the colourful 2-D environments create a visually satisfying Dr. Seuss-meets-Edward Gorey sort of atmosphere, and the almost ethereal background music often sounds as though it has been pilfered from a Tim Burton film. Plus, the game's clever story about the World of Goo Corporation draws some vague but thoughtful parallels with real-world companies without ever becoming preachy about it.

But it's World of Goo's physics-based conundrums that make the game a truly special -- perhaps even brilliant -- interactive experience. Most puzzles have wonderfully imaginative premises. For example, one level set in a tumbler sends the player's tower falling to the side every couple of seconds. You have to be quick, strategic, and patient, waiting for just the right moments to attach your goo balls to a long, narrow structure that eventually wedges itself between the barrel's rotating sides. The key to all of this goopy fun is how the goo balls are governed by the same physical laws present in our world. All we really need do to solve each puzzle is apply our understanding of real-world forces such as gravity and wind. It makes for wonderfully intuitive play that has potential to appeal to just about anyone -- though later puzzles are tricky enough that they might prove off-putting to younger players. It's one of the best and most innovative games of the year, and it's dirt cheap, to boot.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the game's goo balls and how they are used by the corporation. Do you feel sad that they are destined to be made into various products? Do you think they mind?

  • Do you think that the game's makers were trying to make a statement about the way real-world corporations use natural resources? If so, what do you think that statement might be?

Game Details

Our Editors Recommend

For kids who love building things

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