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Released in 1989 for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], '''''A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia''''' (yep, that really is the game's subtitle), features the adventures of our eponymous hero (the Boy) and his friend Blob (full name Blobert) as they race to Blob's home world to defeat the evil emperor.
The main draw of this [[Platform Game|platforming game]] (which was created by David Crane of ''[[Pitfall]]'' fame) is that Blob has the uncanny ability to change into different shapes/objects depending on what type of jellybean the boy feeds him. From licorice to ketchup, each flavor turns Blob into a different shape, allowing the boy to overcome obstacles and complete each level.
Numerous remakes were rumored since its release, but for twenty years the series consisted of only the original and a 1990 sequel for the [[Game Boy]], ''The Rescue of Princess Blobette''.
It was finally resurrected on the Wii by [[Way Forward Technologies]], makers of ''[[Shantae]]'' and a bunch of licensed stuff, as a level-based puzzle platformer. The 2 main characters among with others were redesigned too.
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{{tropelist}}
=== Both games provide examples of: ===
* [[
* [[A Boy and His X]]: Just look at the title.▼
▲* [[Added Alliterative Appeal]]: Those jellybean names that ''aren't'' [[Incredibly Lame Pun|pun-tastic]] tend to be these. Both games have the Licorice Ladder and Tangerine Trampoline.
** The original contains the Root Beer Rocket.
** The Wii game replaces Root Beer with Cinnamon for the rocket, but gives us in return: The Berry Balloon, Bubble Gum Bouncer, Pear Parachute, Cream Cannon, Strawberry Shield (replacing Strawberry = Bridge in the original), and Cotton Candy Copy.
* [[Adipose Rex]]: The Emperor of Bloblonia.
* [[Batman Can Breathe in Space]]: The
* [[A Worldwide Punomenon]]: The "Apple" flavored beans turn Blobert into a ''jack.''▼
** This is far from the only pun among the jellybean effects, of course.▼
▲* [[Batman Can Breathe in Space]]: The inevitible trip to Blobolonia. {{spoiler|And back again in the Wii version.}}
▲* [[Blob Monster]]: But the Blob isn't so much a monster in this game.
** Some of the sequel's enemies fit into a [[Blob Monster]] category as well.
▲* [[A Boy and His X]]: Just look at the title.
* [[Collision Damage]]: It applies to some of the enemies too if they collide with different enemies.
* [[Edge Gravity]]
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** This also applies in the Wii version. If the boy falls far enough to start tumbling (about one screen in height), he's doomed. Be very careful about where you Trampoline to....
* [[One-Hit-Point Wonder]]
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: In the Wii game, the Boy is
* [[Portable Hole]]
* [[Requisite Royal Regalia]]: All kings and emperors in the series seem to wear crowns.
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* [[Shaped Like Itself]]: Coconut Jellybean = Turn Blob into a coconut. Natch.
* [[Spikes of Doom]]: Ooooh yeah.
* [[Stalactite Spite]]: It's one of the few things that can kill the Boy when he's in the Cola Bubble.
* [[Stealth Pun]]: A number of the jellybean's abilities are linked to their flavors. Both versions have Punch = Hole, Apple = Jack, and the original has Lime = Key. (* [[Collective Groan|groan]]* )
* [[Super Drowning Skills]]: The Boy and the enemies. Of course, as mentioned above, he can still breathe in space.
* [[Super Not-Drowning Skills]]: While the boy can't swim, the Blob is unable to sink if he's not a bubble or an anvil.
▲* [[A Worldwide Punomenon]]: The "Apple" flavored beans turn Blobert into a ''jack.''
▲** This is far from the only pun among the jellybean effects, of course.
=== The 1989 game and [[Game Boy]] sequel provide examples of: ===
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** [[Hilarious in Hindsight]] when the Wii remake made the boy "cuter" as well.
* [[Anticlimax Boss]]
* [[A Winner Is You]]: The NES release is a particular offender in this department.▼
* [[Broken Aesop]]: The original game seems to be saying sweets are bad (marshmallows and chocolate kisses can kill you, and vitamins are used to destroy them) yet jellybeans are the Blob's source of power and peppermints are traded in for extra lives.
** Not only that, but cherries (or more accurately, cherry bombs) are among the things that kill you.
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* [[Trial and Error Gameplay]]
* [[Under the Sea]]: The caves in your world have water in them, and you won't be able to survive unless you feed Blobert a jellybean that turns him into a bubble.
* [[Unwinnable
▲* [[A Winner Is You]]: The NES release is a particular offender in this department.
* [[You Have to Burn
[[File:boy_4385.jpg|frame]]
=== The 2009 game provides examples of: ===
* [[
* [[All Animals Are Dogs]]: The developers said that the personality of the Blob is largely based on dogs.
* [[Anvil
* [[Artificial Stupidity]]: At least the game is kind enough to note it -- When Blob cannot reach the player or seems to be getting stuck, he turns pink (as he turns gray near the enemies).
* {{spoiler|[[Award Bait Song]]}}: Yes, this deserves to be spoilered.
* [[Blackout Basement]]: Level 2-6. Blob helpfully eats a firefly to help you light the way, but if you don't have Blob cling close to you, you'll have ''no'' idea where you're going.
** Also, the "grand prize" for completing the T-rex set of Challenge Levels in World 2 is an orb that you can use to turn the lights off and play ''any'' level in this manner if you want.
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* [[But Now I Must Go]]: It's inevitable.
* [[Came From the Sky]]: How the Blob got to earth.
* [[The Cameo]]: There's a [[Shantae]] doll on the bookshelf in the World 2 Hub.▼
* [[Casual Video Game]]: The developers wanted it to be "accessible", so divided it into two parts: Ordinary story levels, and unlockable "Challenge" levels for the [[Challenge Gamer|Challenge Gamers]]. What they ''neglected'' to mention is that the later levels of the story mode are ''every bit as [[Nintendo Hard]].'' Ouch.
* [[Combat Tentacles]]: The second boss, the Beast, has an entire back full of writhing, deadly tentacles.
* [[Concept Art Gallery]]: At all the hubs after completing challenge stages. There are a few videos mixed in too.
* [[Conspicuous CG]]: The opening movie is full of it.
* [[Continuity Nod]]: The Boy is significantly younger than the original Boy... but he wears the same clothes, right down to the colors.
* [[Cool Chair]]: The main villain sits on one with heads and all.
* [[Cooldown Hug]]: It's a gameplay mechanic. ''D'aaaww....''
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* [[Credits Medley]]
* [[Creepy Twins]]: One of the enemy types is a pair of twin blobs. Drop an anvil on one of them, and the other one will counter by transforming into a Giant blob.
* [[Cuteness Proximity]]: Watch some of the hands-on promotional videos. ''Numerous'' ones contain some male, potentially jaded game journalist dissolving into a puddle of gibbering [[Baby Talk]] at the sight of Boy and Blob hugging.
* [[Cutscene Power to
* {{spoiler|[[Disney Death]]}}: In the second-to-last level, right before the [[Eleventh-Hour Superpower]] kicks in, {{spoiler|one of the Emperor's blob-tentacles appears to squeeze the Blob to little bits. However, a few [[Swiss Army Tears]]--and the fact that he's a ''blob''--help the Blob get back together in no time}}.
* [[Dark Is Evil]]: All enemy blobs are black (though the blob emperor himself is grey).
* [[Directionally Solid Platforms]]: You need a hole to get back down from these.
* [[Ditto Fighter]]: A certain jellybean will make Blob turn into Boy's shape and replicates his movements. One of the enemies can also do so.
* [[Doing It for
** WayForward has had a history of this, with their previous game [[Shantae]].
* [[Downer Ending]]: {{spoiler|Everyone knows the boy and his blob are going to be
** {{spoiler|However, given the fact that you can still redeem your treasure chests and play further challenge levels after the last boss, it seems that the Blob comes back after all.}}
* [[Dummied Out]]: The enemy concept art shows a Spider Blob enemy. It is seen standing among the other enemies in the finalized art. You never encounter it, however.
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* [[Human Cannonball]]: When your blob has a cannon form, that's what the boy can do while being able to stay invulnerable to some of the threats.
* [[Infinite Supplies]]: Boy carries an infinite amount of jellybeans, to prevent the player from getting stuck in the middle of a level.
* [[Interface Spoiler]]: {{spoiler|Directly ''inverted.'' All of the levels are 10 stages long, right? World 1 had 10, World 2 had 10, World 3 had 10, World 4 has... wait, why are you facing the [[Final Boss]]? It's only the end of Level 4-8! [[Where It All Began|Why are we back in World 1?]][[Your Princess Is in Another Castle|Wait, did someone tape ''two more levels'' to the end of the map?]] [[Oh Crap]]...}}
* [[Just Eat Him]]: If you get too close to the giant fat blobs they will swallow you. Also the frog enemies will eat Coconut Blob... [[Family-Unfriendly Death|only for him to emerge from their insides when you call him]].
* [[Level Ate]]: Bloblonia comes pretty close. Some parts of it do look organic, but there's a lot of towering gelatin-mold spires and jellybeans everywhere.
* [[Loads and Loads of Loading]]: In levels with lots of doors.
* [[Logo Joke]]
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* [[Notice This]]: "Follow the fireflies" is a good maxim to follow if you want to find all the treasures.
* {{spoiler|[[One-Hit Kill]]: All bosses take three hits to defeat, except the boss at the end of the fourth and apparently final world.}}
* [[One-Winged Angel]] {{spoiler|The Emperor's final form even has copious mouth-tentacles to put you in mind of [[Cthulhu]]. And [[Futurama
* [[Playing Tennis With the Boss]]
* [[Pressure Plate]]: Quite a lot of them, especially in the last world, as well as several of the challenge stages.
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* [[Temporary Platform]]: Small floating platforms will shake and fall when you step on them, but they respawn, too.
** The final challenge level (1-12) has one room where a basic enemy Blob moves back and forth across a [[Pressure Plate]], toggling between two sets of platforms that are form your only way of crossing a bed of spikes (and a hill).
▲* [[The Cameo]]: There's a [[Shantae]] doll on the bookshelf in the World 2 Hub.
* [[Theme Music Power-Up]]: Once the [[Eleventh-Hour Superpower]] finally makes its appearance.
* [[There Was a Door]]: Your first appearance in the World 3 hub involves crashing through the roof. {{spoiler|Averted when going from World 4 back to World 1, since the boy and the blob just fly in through the open window instead.}}
* [[Treehouse of Fun]]: The World 1 Hub.
* [[Triumphant Reprise]]: After the blob is {{spoiler|brought back to life and turned into a mech}}.
* {{spoiler|[[True Final Boss]]}}: It actually manages to be a surprise for once, due to a variant on [[Interface Spoiler]].
* [[
* [[Unexpected Genre Change]]: Level 14/2-4. It's the first level you can use the Cola Bubble jellybean in... and it plays more like something out of ''[[
* [[World Shapes]]: Bloblonia is very... bean-shaped.▼
* [[Wasted Song]]: Done intentionally! There are four ''very'' hidden songs found only in the [[Sound Test]] ([[It Makes Sense in Context]]). Musically, they don't fit the style of the rest of the game. However, they'll sound... ''familiar'' to those who've played the original game... ▼
▲* [[Unexpected Genre Change]]: Level 14/2-4. It's the first level you can use the Cola Bubble jellybean in... and it plays more like something out of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' than the other levels.
** Not to mention the World 2's Challenge level #10, which involves flying the Root Beer Rocket through a massive labyrinth full of [[Deadly Walls]].
* [[Video Game Caring Potential]]: There's a "Hug" button; yes, you read that right.
** The fourth world also has a number of caged blobs in the Emperor's citadel. Feeding them a Berry Balloon bean will free them, but you get nothing for doing so beyond warm fuzzy feelings.
** [[Video Game Cruelty Potential]]: It also has a "Scold" button. Not that it does much beyond making the Blob stay in place until you call him.
* [[Wackyland]]: Third part of the game.
▲* [[Wasted Song]]: Done intentionally! There are four ''very'' hidden songs found only in the [[Sound Test]] ([[It Makes Sense in Context]]). Musically, they don't fit the style of the rest of the game. However, they'll sound... ''familiar'' to those who've played the original game...
* [[Weird Moon]]: Always full and large.
* {{spoiler|[[Where It All Began]]: The game's final two levels are not in World 4. No, they're all the way back in ''World 1.''}}
▲* [[World Shapes]]: Bloblonia is very... bean-shaped.
* {{spoiler|[[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]]: When the [[Final Boss]] comes at the end of ''level 8'' of what's normally a 10-level world and all it takes to defeat him is a [[One-Hit Kill]] before he slinks away, you know something more has to happen...}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:A Boy and His Blob]]
[[Category:Video Game]]▼
[[Category:Video Games of the 1980s]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Video Games]]
[[Category:Platform Game]]
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[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System]]
[[Category:Puzzle Platformer]]
▲[[Category:Video Game]]
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