Invasion of the Blobs III
Release type: Unknown
Release date: N/A
Levels: ?
Author: Mike Perrucci
Website: More Mazeguy
Related games: Invasion of the Blobs!, Invasion of the Blobs II
IF YOU KNOW MORE, PLEASE CONTACT
Mike Perrucci tried to complete an Invasion of the Blobs trilogy twice. The third game in the series would have starred Zib, the friendly blob from the first. As with Blobs 2, the author continued to experiment with gameplay and push the boundaries of what Game-Maker was capable of doing. This time, the software pushed back, and both attempts resulted in failure.
The title screens from both games have survived, as well as a couple of screenshots. This article will try to explain what Mike intended to create, and diagnose what went wrong.
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| Invasion of the Blobs II | Invasion of the Blobs III | (Overview) |
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Zib Springs Into Action![edit]
The first attempt was a Breakout clone, which had the player controlling a giant spring. Zib was a “monster” that moved away from the spring upon contact. When Zib touched a block, he “died” and was reborn as a monster that moved towards the spring. This cycle repeated until all the blocks were destroyed, incrementing a counter high enough to clear a wall blocking the exit to the next level.
This method worked fine, and a functional demo was created. Unfortunately, there was one glaring problem: the player could never lose the ball off the bottom of the screen. This, of course, is the main challenge of any block-breaking game.
To counter this and provide some challenge, the player would occasionally meet a member of the Ten Heads of State of Chaos. They mimicked the role of DOH from the Arkanoid series. With names like Airhead, Pinhead, and Bonehead, they could launch attacks that could harm or kill the spring. In the end, even they couldn’t break up the monotony.
100 levels were actually planned for Zib Springs Into Action! It took another fifteen years for Mike to reach this lofty goal when he released Wordlock in 2013. He also eventually created a block-breaking game using Flash: Bash & Smash Demolition.
Zib Rolls On![edit]
The second attempt was a Marble Madness clone with Zib as the marble. Trying to reproduce the isometric perspective doomed this game from the start. Switching to an overhead view was more practical, but this wasn’t what the author was hoping for, and the project was quickly abandoned.
Future Plans?[edit]
Mike Perrucci has since come up with new ideas for Invasion of the Blobs 3. Finding time to make it is the biggest issue. Blobs 2 took two years to complete, and Mike expects a third game to require a similar investment. Instead, he has chosen to share some of his concepts here:
Another ten years later… Bobby/Rob/Robert (running gag) and Melissa are 28, married, and living in suburbia with two kids. Zib has been with them on Earth for the past two decades. Now, he feels the need to return to his home planet. He bids his adoptive family farewell, then blasts off in the rocket ship from Blobs 1, conveniently stored in the garage.
Zib arrives back at Blorb (blob + orb), home to his race of friendly blobs (some retconning may be necessary). Upon arriving, he finds that Quinteye and Yarna have seized the throne in his absence! Zib must use his shape-shifting powers to learn new transformations and depose the illegitimate king and queen. Another blob, Zel(da), would be a second playable character with her own abilities.
Links[edit]
- Invasion of the Blobs II (mazeguy.net) (near the bottom)
