Noby Noby Boy

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Noby Noby Boy review
Blackened Beans


Stretching till you can't stretch anymore


Players will undoubtedly be attracted to Noby Noby Boy’s interesting style, and for $5 it might seem like a steal. However, if you are like me and like structure – or for that matter, gameplay, then there are probably better things to do with the cash. Linger in Shadows, anyone? Of course, if you are into the whole Trophies thing, then Noby Noby Boy offers a lot of easy ones. Like one for completing the tutorial and one for quitting the game. But even in the case of Trophies there are some difficult ones, such as reporting an exact length to Girl.

Speaking of Girl, the game has you playing as Boy. He is a little Caterpillar thing that can stretch and twist his body. Your basic goal is to move Boy about, stretching across the map and wrapping around things such as trees and pedestrians. You control Boy’s head with the left stick and his butt with the right stick, which might seem pretty simple, but can be infuriating thanks to the game’s lousy camera and Boy’s unusual movement. Needless to say, the controls just aren’t very good. But what’s the point? Well, there really isn’t a point. You report your length to Girl, and with the help of Noby Noby Boy players around the world, Girl can reach new planets, which then become available to play on. Of course, this is useless, as levels are randomly generated anyway. The only difference is that the moon is uglier than Earth.

Graphics and sound

Noby Noby Boy is cute. Boy has an undeniable charm about him, while many pedestrians, like koalas and frogs are obviously quite adorable. The game’s graphics are very unusual, and also extremely reminiscent of Katamari. There are no textures, or details of any kind, and sometimes if your view of Boy is blocked by a hill, that hill will turn transparent and you will see a grid for it. It is unusual, and at many times ugly, but overall the game looks colorful and cute.

Here is a helpful tip: play Noby Noby Boy with the sound down. As you stretch Boy, you hear a repetitive and annoying sound that will drive you mad if you are stretching for long enough. There is hardly any music, but what is there is so forgettable that I can’t even remember what it sounds like while writing this. However I do know that much like the sound effects, it is repetitive. Of course, no one is going to buy Noby Noby Boy expecting great sound effects and top notch music, but that doesn’t mean the sound has to be so bad.


The game’s longevity depends on your patience. As a game that revolves around the community and their pace, it is going to last a long time, considering you don’t quit after your first ten minutes with the game. The main problem is that with so much stretching to be done, I never felt like I was actually needed, or like I was making a difference. I felt like another grunt in an army of millions of grunts. I’m virtually useless. And here is a question: what happens once Girl reaches every planet? Do we just run around doing nothing? Does the game start over? What? It is just a really stupid goal, and with no story or reason for anything happening, why should I even care if Girl reaches Mars or not?

Patient players might be able to cooperate with the frustrating camera and lack of purpose, but even then they likely won’t have any fun. Noby Noby Boy is a game without gameplay, a game without purpose. And worst of all, it is a game without fun. $5 can buy you much greater things than this game, like an ICEE, or a movie ticket. And both of those things are going to last you longer than this game will, and not only that, but they are more fun. If you are adventurous, then give it a shot, but after several minutes you’re going to want your money back.


fun score

No Pros and Cons at this time

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