Review Date: April 19, 2021
Release Date: January 1, 1990
Platform: NES
Publisher: Absolute
Genre: Adventure
Anecdotes: As a kid, I thought this game, David Crane’s A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia was a boring, pointless game, as we had no idea where to go or what to do. As an adult, I noticed that DCABAHBTOB is a boring, pointless game, but also saw it was very similar to another game I played, plus it’s loaded with gloriously bad puns that I wish I had thought of myself.
I also noticed that once the boy got below the subway, the game felt eerily familiar. That’s because this game rips off Pitfall II harder than anything I’ve seen in between. The boy even looks like Pitfall Harry. Astute or knowledgeable readers already know where this is going. Yes, I took a closer look at the title screen. This game (DCABAHBTOB) was created by David Crane. Does that name sound familiar? It should; he is the mastermind behind Pitfall and Pitfall II. He, whether intentional or not, made this game look and feel like Pitfall II. However, in my opinion, this game doesn’t reach the high bar he set for himself in those games.
Description: An unnamed boy has a shapeshifting blob following him around. He also carries hundreds of jellybeans with him that he feeds to the blob. The jellybeans have 14 flavors and each flavor causes the blob to change form. The boy must use the blob’s various morphs to navigate the games and find all of the treasures scattered about. He then will ride a rocket to Blobolonia to finish the game.
Positives:
-I’ll give the credit for the humor. Blobolonia is a pun on Babylonia; the Punch beans make a hole, and my personal favorite bad pun of the bunch, Apple = Jack. If nothing else, at least they had a sense of humor.
-The trampoline is fun to use. The boy first jumps up a few feet, but by holding down the up button, he will be practically flying after a few jumps. He’s still human, though, so dropping too far onto a solid surface will still kill him.
Negatives:
-This game could use a few enemies or at least something to cause disruption. I only saw one enemy in the caves and it really doesn’t attack. It’s also easy to avoid.
-It didn’t happen to me, but I could see plenty of situations where a player would run out of a needed jellybean. I didn’t see any way to replenish them, and even if there was, the boy would have to find his way there. Because of that, there is a lot of softlock potential. The boy could become trapped.
Screenshots:
Final Opinion: With a lack of enemies and an inability to jump, the only thing the boy can do is feed the blob jellybeans. Unfortunately, the game is all navigation and guessing which jellybean to use. It’s not terribly interesting.
Grade: D