ibb & obb is a quirky platformer for the PS3 continuing the recent rise in popularity of the genre. It attempts to combine both puzzle solving and twitch platforming, all wrapped up in an enjoyable co-op experience. The premise is a simple one: you take control of the titular characters, either by controlling both if playing alone or having a friend tag along, and you make your way through to the end of the stage, all while employing a unique gimmick: you can either traverse above or below the stage floor. But while initially charming, how does the experience fare after extended play?
Here’s what we liked:
Simple yet vibrant visuals: Consisting of simple pastel colors, the art style in ibb & obb brings the game to life. From the menus to the game itself, the title makes use of a minimalist style that suits the peaceful nature of the gameplay perfectly. The backgrounds consist of an assortment of mountains and trees, which seem inspired by the scenery in Mario games. These make up most of the landscape. While just having these would make for a way too bland looking game, the game employs dynamic backgrounds which constantly change color while your characters move nonstop to the right. This is helped along by the various little creatures you’ll encounter along the way.
Surreal soundtrack: Just like the backgrounds, the game has a simple yet lively assortment of musical arrangements, which also change with the environments as you make your way through the various stages. What makes it special is not just its catchy nature, but how well one songs transitions into the other. It helps that while the game is made up of various stages, the aren’t separated one from the other. They all run one alongside the other, with no loading or interruptions, making it easy for the music to flow in the same way. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming the tunes.
Challenging puzzles: Most of the gameplay in ibb & obb is comprised of gravity based platforming. While controlling the two characters, one can move above the stage while the other moves underneath it, gravity reversed and all. This provides you with a variety of challenges, ranging from momentum centered traversal to attacking enemies on opposite sides. Enemies tend to be harmful on one side while unprotected on the other, leaving it to one of the characters to kill it while the other recovers the spoils. As you play, new gameplay elements are added: jump pads that react to the force with which you fall on them, heights that can only be reached by climbing on one another, color-coded divisions in the planes, making them accessible to only one of the characters, and so on. This variety in the gameplay keeps the game challenging and entertaining. Sometimes the puzzles seem impossible at first, but the obvious solution is revealed before frustration sets in.
What we didn’t like:
You must bring a friend along: If you’re the kind of player that prefers making his way through game solo, you might not get as much enjoyment out of ibb & obb. The whole game can be played alone, but since there are two characters on screen at all times, it falls to you to control both at the same time. They’re each controlled with the left and right thumb-stick, and jump when you move it up. While serviceable at first, this becomes an annoyance later in the game when the puzzles become more complex and the enemies require finesse to traverse around or kill. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that one of the characters is often in a gravity-reversed plane, meaning that your brain will have to remember that while the two characters control the same way, one of them has inverted controls. Thankfully, the game has both local and online co-op, and both work like a charm, but sadly that doesn’t completely make up for the control issues on the single player side.
Despite the difficulty of playing the game by yourself, ibb & obb is a charming platformer that makes use of clever gravity and momentum based puzzles that will keep you and a friend entertained, helped along by the vibrant visuals and catchy soundtrack.
Score: Buy it!
ibb & obb Review is a post from: PSN Fans
