The question with World Of Goo was never one of the appeal of its underlying mechanics. 2D Boy co-founder Kyle Gabler’s original Tower Of Goo proved an essential freeware download (Internet Game of the Month in E149) and the hallmark of the Experimental Gameplay Project he helped found, as it took the staid engineering delight of Bridge Builder and Pontifex (and, subsequently, Elefunk) and infused it down to its very rivets with anthropomorphic charm and soul.

Instead, World Of Goo’s prospects hinged on how well the upstart’s debut title could string together its sprightly tar balls into a larger, wobbling framework worthy of full commercial release – and the answer, put simply, is that it does it phenomenally well.

Rather than employing the strategy of other indies-gone-retail and expanding itself on volumes of otherwise one-note sandbox play, the formerly EA-employed 2D Boy has taken a page from Portal’s playbook and woven its physical challenges into a hilariously ludicrous allegorical autobiography of creatives breaking free from the grey machinations of monolithic game industry megacorps.

Oozing with an organic fluidity that seeps into every interaction and stage design, and building with perfect pitch with the introduction of its varied ball types, the game crescendos toward some of the most meticulously – and near-sadistically – concocted challenges before introducing a game-changer in its fourth act that smartly brings a fresh gust of levity precisely when you wonder just how long it can hold its tune.

The game comes closest to faltering in cases where the challenge brings together perilous balance and fast reaction – its autonomous balls can’t always be relied upon to be immediately at your fingertips, or can be too closely clustered to make selection unnecessarily difficult – but it’s just that vitality that gives it its seductive tension. Masterfully done, and certainly set to become an instant Wii and PC cult hit.

8/10