Globosome: Path of the Swarm is an ambitious 3D exploratory platform game from first time
German developers Fabian Schaub And Thomas Kreuger. Playing as a tiny organic blob, the
game takes you on a perilous journey through 19 stunning levels. The developers deserve
some respect for what they've tried to achieve. The game is based on an award-winning animated
short of the same name, and sets out to replicate the beautifully rendered natural environments.
With the full weight of the Unity 3D engine, they've done a fair job.
Gameplay comprises two elements. The first is straightforward parkour, requiring the
usual well-timed jumps and careful traversing of narrow ledges. The second element involves
eating plant matter to grow your swarm. This in turn allows you to undertake certain feats
that would be unobtainable to a single Globo, such as gnawing down a tree that blocks your
path or moving a large boulder.
For most of the game though you control a single globo, and the simple platforming elements
are a joy. There are multiple control options depending on your personal preference. The
gyroscopic tilt is remarkably responsive but difficult to calibrate, and I found that moving
my Globo forward required tilting the screen away from me; far from ideal. Using the virtual
thumb pad for movement turned out to be the most consistent, although the game also offers
controller support.
At times, the jumps are challenging, and throwing your globo off a cliff, or crushing it under
a falling rock results in a re-spawn at the last checkpoint. There are certainly enough
of these throughout the levels, but their placement isn't always ideal and their behavior
is inconsistent. There are also some bounding issues, making it possible to propel your
Globo out of the map and into the surrounding void; whilst, at other times, seemingly possible
jumps are prevented by an invisible boundary.
None of these issues are in and of themselves enough to impact significantly on your experience,
but combined they lead to occasional frustration which could have been avoided through more
robust testing. Thankfully these issues are of the sort that can relatively easily be
resolved in a future update.
Harder to resolve is the disappointing implementation of the swarm concept. In theory a great idea,
it simply doesn't work in practice. For starters, your swarm never really materializes. The
most Globos I had at any one time was six. Two may be company, and three's certainly
a crowd, but six definitely isn't a swarm. They misbehave too; getting stuck behind rocks,
failing to keep up as you jump from one crumbling pillar to another and generally getting in
the way.
These issues might be more acceptable if your swarm served any real purpose, but it doesn't;
except to gnaw down some arbitrarily placed trees that block your path, or to help push
heavy boulders into place - something of a chore since the boulders seem to move in any
direction other than the one you want them to.
Far from proving the value of teamwork and friendship, I was often left wishing that
half my swarm would throw themselves off a cliff like lemmings. And here's my dilemma.
Lose the swarm, and Globosome is a great-looking, well-balanced 3D platform game with some minor
bugs. But as soon as your Globo begins to replicate, the experience begins to falter.
I say this without any ill-will towards the developers; their only mistake is an over-ambitious
first project, one which even a seasoned development team might have struggled to fully realize.
There are some redeeming features - including the pleasing omission of in-app purchases,
and a low price, with the promise of additional levels and content in the future. And I can't
deny that for the most part the visuals are outstanding.
I'm giving the game a respectable six-out-of-ten, a score that, unfortunately, masks some of
the truly compelling moments that this game has to offer, but at the same time fairly
reflects the overall experience.
Globosome: Path of the Swarm is available on the App Store now for £1.99 or $2.99 in
the US.