The Ataris and Useless I.D. NOFX and Rancid. Tony Sly and Joey Cape. The late-90s and early-2000s were a wondrous time in which bands would often combine forces to put out split albums or sampler-style compilations that could be snagged from local music stores or concert venue merch table - this being well before the Internet made exposure and self-promotion far easier for musicians.
For those, like myself, who reveled in those days, a new type of musical split ‘experience” is available now in playable form and is well-worth checking out. Indie developer, Team Lazerbeam, along with indie/punk band, The Superweaks, have released Teenage Blob - a fun, punk music album/game hybrid that could very well be in the conversation as the quirkiest game of 2020 (and that’s a good thing).
What About Blob
Players take on the role of the Teenage Blob, spending the day making enough money from various odd jobs so that they can buy stylish booties to wear to the punk show they’re attending that night, and… that’s pretty much it. That’s the story. Players will be able to interact with other characters along the way - like their well-meaning yet slightly out of touch parent - but for the most part, Teenage Blob’s gameplay focuses less on a story, centering more around individual mini-games and the six tracks from The Superweaks that accompanies each game.
Teenage Blob’s mini-games will undoubtedly be familiar to older gamers especially, as many of them are clearly inspired by titles from gaming’s yesteryear. For example, “Tony Dork” - obviously a play on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater - has players shredding through the city on a skateboard while dressed as a frog (remember Battletoads?); ”Guitar Zero” has players rocking out to the rhythm while selling guitars at the mall; and “Paperperson” tasks players with tossing sandwiches to customers via bicycle, while also having opportunities to freeride and do tricks on a downhill course.
As mentioned, each mini-game is accompanied by a new track from The Superweaks, all of which rhythmically coincide with each game, though not necessarily as tight as other games in the rhythm genre. Honestly, though, it doesn’t need to be. There’s not a bad song in the game, and each one feels like it fits the vibe of its respective mini-game.
My personal favorite was “Ghoststep”, which was the track that played during the crowdsurfing concert level. That song stayed stuck in my head well after the credits rolled. The tracks were also enough for me to add The Superweaks’ other songs to my phone as well, with the hope that the Teenage Blob soundtrack will eventually be made available on Apple Music.
Boot(ies), Scoot, & Boogie
Coming in at only 30-minutes of playtime - which is on-brand for the game acting as an EP, rather than a full-length album - it’s hard not to recommend Teenage Blob to music fans, especially those who gravitate towards the indie genre. That said, the game likely won’t appeal to gamers who need a bit of structure to their games.
However, for those interested in a new type of gaming experience - along with fans of 90s-style shows like Beavis & Butthead or the weird situations presented in Daria’s “Sick, Sad World” - Teenage Blob will be right up your alley.
A PC copy of Teenage Blob was provided to TheGamer for this review. Teenage Blob will be available on August 13th for PC.
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