The long-anticipated sequel to the 2008 classic, World of Goo, has finally been released on PC and Nintendo Switch. Developed and published by 2D Boy and Tomorrow Corporation, World of Goo 2 is a puzzle game with a physics focus. Fans of the original might experience a bit of Déjà vu when diving into this new title.

The story of World of Goo 2, much like the original game, unfolds through cutscenes and painted signs scattered across each level. Set 15 years after the events of the first game, Goo Balls are thought to be extinct but start to resurface through cracks in the earth caused by intense seismic activity. The World of Goo Corporation has rebranded itself as the World of Goo Organization, claiming its values align more with friendly environmental practices. During a corporate celebration, a group of Goo Balls captures a large, pink squid-like creature, revealing that the first of the five chapters takes place on its back.

If this feels familiar to the first game, you’re not the only one who noticed. World of Goo 2’s five chapters follow a storyline quite similar to the original, with many stages remaining largely unchanged. While new mechanics like cannons, green bounce goo, and shrink goo add some variety, they can make each puzzle feel as if it has just one solution.

The game also demands quicker reactions, with levels requiring precise timing and speed but lacking the audible cues that previously signalled when something was going wrong.

Also missing are the leaderboards and the endless tower features, which incentivized collecting Goo Balls throughout the levels for high scores and comparing them for friendly competition with your friends.

The soundtrack also borrows heavily from the original and is almost entirely made up of remixes from the first game. This makes it difficult for World of Goo 2 to develop its own character and charm, with some original tracks placed in wildly inappropriate settings, thus losing their emotional impact. World of Goo 2 also has a lot of forced dialogue, and poor voice acting, and coupled with the unskippable, tedious cutscenes, it makes for a disappointing experience for someone who loved the original World of Goo.

The aesthetics of the game do vary across each chapter, with settings like the train, Noir, and paper worlds being somewhat memorable. However, it does not fully redeem any of the pacing issues throughout.

You also can’t Zoom in or out as far as you’d like to be able to plan your moves and see where everything is falling – this seems like something you’d expect to find in a game like this, especially with the speed and precision required in some chapters as previously discusses.

As someone who was obsessed with World of Goo back in 2008, World of Goo 2 has been disappointing. Whilst not discounting the subtle changes to the gameplay, the story closely mirrors the first game, several levels are the same, and the soundtrack is almost unchanged. Features like the leaderboard have also been removed, and an opportunity to add a social element has been missed.

The slow pacing, along with unskippable story and dialogue, detracts from the experience. The game’s main redeeming quality is the distinctive, somewhat memorable aesthetics in certain chapters, like the Train, Noir, and Paper themes, which stand out from the rest. World of Goo 2 feels like a remastered version of the original game but lacks the charm and atmosphere of its predecessor.

Written by: Emily France