Ooblets

Ooblets (previously known as Moblets)[1] is a life simulation video game developed and published by Glumberland. It was released via early access on July 15, 2020, for Windows and Xbox One.[2][3] Its Windows release was exclusive to the Epic Games Store until October 2023. The game launched on September 1, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Xbox One.[4]

Ooblets
Developer(s)Glumberland
Publisher(s)Glumberland
Designer(s)Ben Wasser
Programmer(s)Rebecca Cordingley
Artist(s)Rebecca Cordingley
Platform(s)
ReleaseSeptember 1, 2022
Genre(s)Life simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

The game combines the farming elements of Story of Seasons with the creature collecting and battling mechanics of Pokémon.[5]

The player arrives in Badgetown, a seaside town in Oob, where they are greeted by Mayor Tinstle and given a basic starting farm. In Badgetown there are several shops including Meed's Seeds, Kibbonbon, Manatweee and Cuddlecups Cafe. Players can purchase furniture and decor for their house, as well as seeds to grow on their farm.[6] There are different quests that can be performed to unlock new shops and buildings, as well as improve the player's friendship level with the other residents.[7] Players can also join one of four clubs: Frunbuns, Peaksnubs, Mossprouts and Mimpuns.

Ooblets, little creatures that the player befriends, can be grown from seed and used to perform tasks, like farming and machine operating, or dance-battle with other Ooblets. Unlike other life simulation games such as Stardew Valley, Ooblets replaces combat with a card-based dance-off system[8] allowing new Ooblet seeds to be won and Ooblets to be levelled up.

Updates

Ooblets has received frequent updates to fix bugs and introduce new features and locations. On June 12, 2021, the Port Forward update was released bringing a new region and new Ooblets.[9][10] As of July 2021, there are six locations in the game: Badgetown, Wildlands, Mamoonia, Nullwhere, Port Forward, and Pantsabear Hill.

Development

Ooblets was developed by a two-person indie game development studio composed of artist/programmer Rebecca Cordingley and designer Ben Wasser, since 2016.[11][12]

Controversy

The game was due to be published by Double Fine, but following that company's acquisition by Microsoft in June 2019,[13] the Ooblets developers announced that they would instead self-publish the title.[14] On August 1, 2019, it was announced that Ooblets would be an Epic Games Store exclusive.[15] In the announcement by Glumberland's Ben Wasser, addressing criticisms of the Epic Games Store, he facetiously called those who he believed would pirate Epic Games Store exclusives "immature, toxic gamers", and that the situation was "nothing to get worked up about." The announcement led to backlash, including individuals sending messages to the developers voicing their displeasure. A fringe minority also circulated out-of-context or fake posts by Wasser, including a fabricated post of Wasser claiming that "gamers should be in gas chambers."[16] Wasser later compiled his thoughts on the matter in a Medium post in August 2019, apologizing for acting in a hostile manner.[17] Several fans who were shown in the screenshot conversations being spread clarified that they held no contempt towards Wasser, but noted that his responses on Discord were poorly worded.[18][19][20]

On September 18, 2023, the developers announced they would be releasing the game on Steam on October 5 of that year.[21]

Reception

The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

Further reading
  • Fenlon, Wes (June 12, 2017). "Ooblets trailer shows off exploration, dancing and fashionable poop hair". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  • Jarman, Casey (September 2, 2020). "Pedro Silva's 'Ooblets' Score Exudes Cuteness Through Far-Flung Future Funk". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  • Plunkett, Luke (February 22, 2017). "Ooblets Is About Farming And Collecting Cute Animals". Kotaku. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  • Priestman, Chris (February 7, 2017). "Building audience early with visuals-first development in Ooblets". Gamasutra. Retrieved September 4, 2020.

References
  1. Carpenter, Nicole (August 22, 2016). "Moblets will let you catch creatures way cuter than Pokémon". Kill Screen. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  2. Caldwell, Brendan (February 22, 2017). "Cuteness overwhelming in Ooblets trailer". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  3. "Ooblets is still the cutest game at E3". The Verge. No. June 11, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  4. "Ooblets launches September 1". Gematsu. August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  5. Frank, Allegra (March 6, 2017). "Ooblets is a Pokémon and Harvest Moon lover's dream game". Polygon. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  6. Ooblets Farming Guide - Ooblets Wiki Guide - IGN, retrieved July 18, 2021
  7. June 2020, Sam Loveridge 23 (June 23, 2020). "Ooblets will be so much more than the indie Pokemon you're expecting". gamesradar. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  8. "Ooblets shows off new card-based dance battles". Rock Paper Shotgun. September 2, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  9. Bolding, Jonathan (June 12, 2021). "Ooblets goes to the arcade in the Port Forward update". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  10. perplamps. "v0.8 Port Forward Update". Ooblets. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  11. Marks, Tom (January 20, 2017). "How Stardew Valley inspired the creator of Ooblets to quit her job". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  12. Grayson, Nathan (August 6, 2019). "Epic Store Rage Has Gotten Out Of Hand". Kotaku.
  13. "Microsoft acquires Psychonauts-maker Double Fine Productions". TechCrunch. June 9, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  14. "Very exciting Ooblets news! | Rebecca Cordingley on Patreon". Patreon. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  15. Grayson, Nathan. "Ooblets Is Epic Exclusive, Developer Puts Expected Backlash In Perspective". Kotaku. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  16. Khan, Imran (August 6, 2019). "Ooblets Developer Deals With Harassment Over Epic Games Store Exclusivity". GameInformer. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  17. Perplamps (August 6, 2019). "Regarding what's been happening". Medium. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  18. "Ooblets dev received thousands of "hateful, threatening messages" over Epic exclusivity". GamesIndustry.biz. August 5, 2019.
  19. "Ooblets Epic exclusivity results in thousands of hate messages, claims dev". GameRevolution. August 5, 2019.
  20. "Ooblets: The Story So Far - What's with the outrage and fake screenshots?". PC Invasion. August 6, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  21. "Ooblets is coming to Steam!". September 18, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  22. "Ooblets (Switch)". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. September 1, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  23. Warner, Noelle (September 22, 2022). "Review: Ooblets". Destructoid. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  24. "Ooblets Review". Edge. No. 376. September 8, 2022. pp. 112–113.
  25. Stewart, Marcus (September 9, 2022). "Ooblets Review - A Cheerful Grind". Game Informer. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  26. Peeples, Jeremy (September 12, 2022). "Review: Ooblets". Hardcore Gamr. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  27. DeFreitas, Casey (September 3, 2022). "Ooblets Review". IGN. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  28. Phillips, Kara (September 1, 2022). "Ooblets - An Adorable Life Sim Full Of Charm, Character, And Dancing". Nintendo Life. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  29. DeVader, Joe (September 1, 2022). "Ooblets Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  30. Musgrave, Shaun (September 5, 2022). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Ooblets' and 'Aquadine', Plus the Latest Releases and Sales". Touch Arcade. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
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