There’s an element of trial and error involved – and things do become difficult in the later “challenge” stages, but that’s all part of the experience. It’s enormously satisfying to work through solutions and thankfully, the checkpoints are plentiful (and you have infinite lives), encouraging experimentation and practically eliminating frustration. Wayforward has effectively re-created a challenging old-school puzzle paradigm, minus all the elements that made me want to rip my hair out.

The graphics and music are absolutely beautiful; I’ve already mentioned the animation, but the overall “storybook come to life” style and quirky character details really add to the charm of the experience. There’s even a button dedicated to hugging – something you don’t see every day in modern gaming.

Like last year’s WarioLand: Shake It, only with more depth and characters that are actually appealing, A Boy and His Blob proves that hand-drawn 2D design is far from dead – and not necessarily relegated to the downloadable game realm. It may be a little out of left field, but if you have love for puzzles, platformers, or excellent blob-based fantasy realms, you’ll almost certainly enjoy it. The Wii needs more games like this one.