Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack Review: Best Game on the Vita

Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack comes along at a great time in Vita history. With a lack of quality Vita software, owners of Sony’s newest handheld don’t have many options.

With its “Katamari Damacy” and “Loco Roco” influences and unique gameplay options, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack won’t floor you with its graphics, but it will make you laugh and will absorb a few hours of your life that no other game on the system would have. Colorful, fun and often times frenetic, its short length is the only thing that holds it back from becoming your best friend on the bus and train.

Imagine if you will a 2D side-scroller comparable to “Loco Roco” with a nod to old school sci-fi and noir; that’s essentially what this game is. Like the blob movies of the ‘50s and ‘60s, this game has you as the gelatinous entity, absorbing anything and everything in your way. Much like the “Katamari Damacy” titles, you have to absorb smaller things before you can get to the big stuff. Similar to “Loco Roco” and KD, you’ll traverse through a colorful world and embark on a journey that defies logic and gravity.

Although this formula seems tried and true, thanks to the titles this game gets its inspiration from, Mutant Blobs Attacks uses the gyro on the Vita during some levels and the touch screen control on others, giving the game the added spice. This is not a rip-off of successful gameplay elements. It’s more like taking what works a step further. The game’s clips are funnier than anything in the Damacy galaxy and the touch-screen controls and physics are cooler than anything in “Loco Roco.”

By combining the inspirations behind these cult favorites, Mutant Blobs From Space ends up deservedly earning a spot next to them. Even though it’s not an original concept, its delivery and execution make up for its lack of ingenuity.

The only problem is the game’s length. 24 levels and a few bonus levels equates to a few hours of gameplay time. While you can get access to online leaderboards, there’s nothing else to do once the story mode is completed. At less than $10, it’s a definite bargain purchase, but by the end of it all, a few more levels and a few extra gameplay modes would have made this far more than the sleeper hit it is.

While it’s sad in a way that a game like this is even considered one of the best games on the Vita, don’t let that scare you away. As of now, this is the best game you will play on the Playstation Vita.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14263 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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