Since becoming a father five years ago the control of the Nicktoons universe has slowly been taking over my household. I’m a big fan of SpongeBob, Jimmy Neutron and many of the characters from several Nicktoon shows. In my opinion some of the shows are just as good as many of the animated shows on FOX, Adult Swim and other networks. Having a chance to play a new SpongeBob game might not be on the top of everyone’s list but I had to give it a try. Globs of Doom does a good job of mixing up the gameplay to give Nicktoons’ fans a unique experience.

Globs of Doom gives players a twist in the usual 'let’s play as SpongeBob, Jimmy or Danny Phantom.' Instead what we get is a game with the heroes and villains joining forces to protect the Nicktoons’ universe from destruction. It isn’t just two good guys joining together and then two villains working together. Nope, in Globs of Doom the gameplay is a cooperative experience with you playing as both a good guy and villain for each level. You will play from a rather extensive list of characters: SpongeBob and Technus, Danny Phantom and Plankton, Tak and Beautiful Gorgeous, Jimmy Neutron and Dib, and INVADER ZIM & Traloc.

Once again the name of the game here in Globs of Doom is cooperative gameplay. The entire single-player game will have you switching between both the hero and villain. Each character has their own unique abilities that you will need to use to solve puzzles and destroy enemies to make it to the end of a stage. For example, SpongeBob can blow bubbles which he will use to elevate himself and Technus. Plankton can use a small rocket ship to blow up certain walls for Danny Phantom to move through. Every character in the game plays completely different from each other with their own abilities and attacks. 

The majority of stages feel very similar to each other in their execution and layout. You will have to switch between both characters repeatedly to maneuver around and advance. One character will have to trigger a switch to raise a wall or lower a platform and then you can change to the other character to keep them moving. If both characters are next to each other you can summon the non-playable character to follow you, at least until you reach the next puzzle section. The game will also have signs pointing you in a certain direction for each character to take. Danny Phantom might have to take the low road while Plankton takes the high road until they can meet up again later in the stage.

Combat in the game is a rather simple setup with each character having a small assortment of attacks. You can perform a special attack and if both characters are near each other you can unleash a powerfully charged attack. The action in the game felt hit or miss simply because you can spend a large chunk of time trying to solve puzzles and just a few minutes in combat. Then the controls would feel rather airy with your characters seemingly floating in slow motion, especially during encounters with a large number of enemies.

Honestly in my opinion the games biggest hang-up is the main part of the game, the cooperative elements. You have to switch between the characters in order to clear the levels. This isn’t just a simple 2D platforming title where you control two characters at the same time. Nope this one will require you to switch and backtrack several times to make sure you have both characters in just the right location to keep moving in the game. Then you’ll run into those rare occasions where you’ll move one character to a spot in the game to find yourself completely stuck with no option of getting the character free. Even when switching to the other character I figured out that I was still completely stuck and the only option was to restart the game. I’m sure some younger players will be yelling to their parents about some of these puzzles. 

All things considered Globs of Doom is a unique gameplay experience for what many gamers would assume to be a simple platform title. You will find yourself having to stop and think about where to move both characters to get them through the stages. The action in the game is a rather generic blend of old school 2D combat that we’ve seen countless times on other DS games. Globs of Doom shouldn’t be taken lightly since you’ll find yourself scratching your head wondering “How am I going to get past this one?”

Gameplay: 7.2
The cooperative gameplay of switching between both characters is a different type of experience than the typical 2D -action combat in the rest of the game.

Graphics: 7.5
Visually the game does a good job of duplicating the look of their animated counterparts. The animation seems to be lacking at times and there are hints of slowdown during heavy combat.

Sound: 6.0
Not a bunch of voice acting in the game but the music sets a decent tone for the game.

Concept: 7.7
The cooperative gameplay was definitely a shock to me since I thought this would be a just another generic license-based game.

Multiplayer: 6.5
The game does support two players that have their own copy of the game. It would have been nice to see a single card type of mini-game to at least let gamers try the game with friends. 

Difficulty: Medium
I really do believe that some younger gamers will have a hard time figuring out some of the puzzles, especially when you have to keep switching back and forth between the characters.

Overall: 7.0
Glob of Doom takes a bold chance by offering an unusual gameplay experience with the cooperative gameplay. The game might not offer a true awe-inspiring gameplay experience but it doesn’t fall flat on its face either.