Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is the evil little brother of
LocoRoco and
Katamari Damacy, but despite its comically sinister overtones, it still makes room for a ton of visual charm. The game is absolutely full of color, and it makes wonderful use of the PS Vita's gorgeous OLED screen. The blob might have only one specific personifying feature (a single eye locked in a perpetual scowl), but it's more expressive than some fully-rendered three dimensional character models. There are tons of little details that really help give
Mutant Blobs Attack a real sense of identity. Look at the screenshots. They are burned out and smudged around the edges, just like old-fashioned television screens. Some of the bonus stages sport a retro look, and some even come with nods to previous handhelds. There's visual humor everywhere in this game, but most of it is strongly based in nerd culture. If you're into that kind of stuff, you'll absolutely love it; billboards often present sly twists on well-known internet memes, and even the original stuff is worthy of a chuckle or two.
The visuals in Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack don't ever wear out their welcome, but the sound comes awfully close. None of it is inappropriate for the subject matter -- far from it, in fact. No, the problem here is that there isn't enough original music. Too much of it is repeated, and by the time you reach the end of the game, you will be quite sick of it. Sound effects aren't quirky on the same level of Katamari Damacy, but then again, what game is? The screams of terror that come from the mouths of the soon-to-be-devoured are somewhere between genuine and sarcastic, which is just about right.
