That sound you hear is our friends over at Limited Run Games revving up the Carbon Engine for a brand-new classic game compilation. This week they are reviving one of the 8-bit era's greatest friendships when they release A Boy and His Blob: Retro Collection on pretty much every modern console you can think of. That's cool news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer & Video Games, Mean Machines and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. I sure hope you have a big bag full of jelly beans, because you're going to need them for this episode of Limited Run Review Crew.


While he's best-known for the influential 1982 platformer Pitfall, for me, the first game I picture when I think of legendary developer David Crane is A Boy and His Blob on the Nintendo Entertainment System. First released in 1989 by Absolute Entertainment (or Nintendo, if you lived in Europe), this is side-scrolling action/adventure with a surprisingly large open world and a best-friend who can turn into all kinds of helpful objects if you feed them the right type of jelly bean. In a world full of brainless platformers, this one forced you to used your head and strategize with a close friend to get out of sticky situations. This blew my mind as a kid who was used to simply stomping on bad guys, and the large open-world gave us a glimpse at where this industry was headed. But real question remains: were the critics as blown away as I was?

The answer to that question depended entirely on which magazine you were reading at the time. For example, Mean Machines loved the game when they reviewed it in their ninth issue. Giving it a 91%, Julian explained that “A Boy and His Blob is every bit as strange as it sounds. The gameplay is very unusual, with elements of arcade adventuring and puzzle-solving thrown together in a highly original way. The graphics are tremendous, with superb sprite animation and stunning backdrops, and there are a variety of excellent tunes and effects adding a great atmosphere to the game. Put them together with the amazingly addictive gameplay and you've got a game that'll keep you playing for ages.”

Video Games & Computer Entertainment also liked the game, but capped their score at an 8 out of 10. Proving once again that they were targeting a much older audience than EGM and GamePro, this review seems to be aimed right at parents: “One of the joys of parenthood is never knowing exactly what your child will drag home with them when he comes tromping through the door. Parents, have I got the perfect drag-home for you: How does a blob strike you? Yep, a blob. This is the perfect offering for those of you who are sick of the shoot-em-till-they-drop/punch-until-they-blink games that have been pounded out in droves lately. This is certainly one of the most unusual games to come along for the NES in quite some time. It will delight players of all ages for many hours. For those of you who are searching or an alternative to all of those highly violent games, A Boy and His Blob may be the one for you. Just remember, the next time your child comes into the house breathless, check the front yard. And keep an extra bag of jelly beans on hand – just in case.”

From there, the reviews take a bit of a nose dive. For example, Nintendo Power could only muster a score of 3.9 out of 5. And then there's Electronic Gaming Monthly, whose critics either gave the game a 5 or a 6 out of 10, nothing higher or lower. As one of the editors who gave the game a 6, Ed argued that “the mazes in Blob alone would make for a decent game, but when you add the extra challenge of having to use the right jelly beans at the right time, the game gets even better. It's a silly concept, and looks like Crane's 2600 titles, but it still plays well.” Martin, on the other hand, gave it a 5, describing A Boy and His Blob as “a unique game that has several good points, such as a variety of power-up options offered by different colored jelly beans. There's not a lot to the gameplay, however, so this unique feature never realizes its full potential. Strictly average.” EGM gave this budding friendship an average score of 5.5 out of 10.

They were definitely on the low side, especially compared to Mean Machines and Video Games & Computer Entertainment. I doubt this game will have the same impact today that it had when I was a kid, but it's still a delightful adventure that uses the Nintendo Entertainment System to do something new and original.

One year after introducing the world to a blob and his best-friend, Boy, David Crane returned with a monochromatic sequel for the Game Boy. The Rescue of Princess Blobette expanded on the Blob's lore, introducing us to new characters, locations and, of course, jelly beans. The two friends once again team up to solve a series of platforming puzzles by exploring the world and turning the blob into all kinds of useful items. This time around they are trying to rescue Princess Blobette, which means climbing the highest tower of the Royal Castle on planet Blobolonia. Sound like fun? Let's see what the critics said back in 1990.

Once again, the scores are all over the place. Computer & Video Games love it, giving The Rescue of Princess Blobette a score of 91%. “This Game Boy sequel again features the two mismatched heroes, and is as full of puzzles as the original, as well as being addictive and fun to boot. If you're bored of the same old thing, have a gander, but be prepared to spend a long time playing.”

Unfortunately, the ratings only go down from there. Nintendo Power gave it a score of 4.1 out of 5, Raze went as low as 76% and Nintendo Magazine System had the lowest score I could find, giving the game a disappointing 68%. However, the review I want to focus on is from ACE and uses their ridiculous one-thousand-point scale. Giving it a 740, they complained that “the biggest fault is the incredibly small game map. Once you get a handle on how the problems work, you'll probably find the game's over practically before it's begun. Come on, David, I know small is beautiful, but this is ridiculous.”

Yeah, there's no doubt that this is a much smaller game the NES original, but it's also on the Game Boy. Consider it a bite-sized taste of A Boy and His Blob, or even a brief coda that adds a little extra story. Either way, The Rescue of Princess Blobetter may not be as good as the first game, but is still worth checking out. Especially if you pick up this new collection from Limited Run Games.