In a time before Splatoon, de Blob was the big name in spreading colourful ink around town. Unlike Nintendo's inky shooter, the series saw you take control of a colour-absorbing ball which would complete various challenges by spreading paint across a monochromatic landscape.
You might remember de Blob on the Wii, its sequel (de Blob 2) on the DS, or the two remastered editions on the Switch, but you won't remember the original's DS release — mainly because it never saw the light of day. At least, that was the case up until recently, when popular gaming YouTuber @RebelTaxi took to Twitter to share an early build of the game that they had been sent (thanks, My Nintendo News).
The clip is only short, we realise, but it does give a hint at what almost was for the series' first entry on the Nintendo handheld. The game was originally under the development eye of Helixe and was set to be released by THQ but was later cancelled to prioritise the Wii release.
The above early build shows a rather different game from the sequel that later took to the DS, opting for an isometric style of gameplay compared to the follow-up's more conventional platformer approach. Whether this would have been the dominant style for the entire game is unclear — the early build may just be showing a one-off mission — but it certainly would have been a different look for the series.
Perhaps RebelTaxi will expand on this early build in the future and show a little more of the game in action.
What do you make of this early build footage? Paint the comments with your thoughts down below!
[source twitter.com, via mynintendonews.com]
Comments 23
I remember playing de Blob on Wii years ago.(Thanks for reminding me how old I am Nintendo Life) This DS version definitely looks a lot different than the original but it's still cool to see.
de faq did they not release it for? Could be sitting on my DS collection shelf unplayed like so many others...
I always wondered why they only "ported" the second game. I NEED this.
Looks like something that would be super fun to play for 10 minuts
i love those games
glad they are on Switch
Another who loved the De Blob games
This looks great. Way better than the actual DS game that got released (although that was super fun)
This was a good series!!! I enjoyed seeing this
I hope they make a number 3, loved these games!
Might get leaked eventually. We’ve got the GBA versions of Uridium and Paradroid eventually, so you never know.
The original PC version is out there somewhere as well, which if I recall is set in Utrecht…
I still have the sountrack playing in my car periodically. A solid game of the Wii era and glad it hit the Switch.
Now, where is De Blob 3?
That was a great little game on Wii.
I really enjoyed both Wii games. The DS one is ok, this early build looks better.
Maybe Embracer gives us de Blob 3 someday (not gonna happen and they would have to come up with an interesting twist).
That's really cool, it looks like the original De Blob's gameplay style would have translated surprisingly well to the DS.
I'm really a fan of de Blob, I have both games on Wii and Switch and also 2 on DS. Too bad de Blob 1 never came to DS, and I thought back in 2018 and 2019 that a rerelease of 1 and 2 meant de Blob 3 was coming.
"In a time before Splatoon...". Funny you mention that, because when I saw ink at that Nintendo Direct back in 2014 or 2015, the first thing I thought was that de Blob 3 was coming, until a squid came out of the ink.
Seeing RebelTaxi of all people archive a long lost De Blob DS port is wild.
@DarkCoolEdge - Let's be real, the second one's story was pretty shoehorned, too. Plus it being unserious on its own, I doubt they'd NEED a twist to justify it.
Remember playing it for about 20 minutes on Wii before it's charm faded away and it became rather tedious. DS version looks like that charm might have faded within 2 minutes before tedium set in. Can see why that was scrapped.
@Paraka gameplay twist, not a story one. The story in these games is just an excuse
I loved the two de blob games on Wii. I think I only bought no.2 on the Switch and enjoyed it again. I didn't even know no.2 was on the DS. Great times
@DarkCoolEdge - That's easy since we are dealing in colors.
Trace drawings, target practice, make rain clouds shower colors. All of which can be made into the hook of the next game with fighting new enemies and solving puzzles.
I loved the first two on Wii. Bought them again on pc. Still waiting all these years for a 3rd entry.
Got both on wii brilliant games. Never knew released on D s was this uk? Release
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