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A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia

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Title Screen

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia

Also known as: Fushigi na Blobby: Blobania no Kiki (JP)
Developer: Imagineering
Publishers: Absolute Entertainment (US), Jaleco (JP), Nintendo (EU)
Platform: NES
Released in JP: November 29, 1990
Released in US: January 1990
Released in EU: 1991


AreasIcon.png This game has unused areas.
EnemyIcon.png This game has unused enemies.
GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
Sgf2-unusedicon1.png This game has unused abilities.
TextIcon.png This game has unused text.
DebugIcon.png This game has debugging material.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.


DCIcon.png This game has a Data Crystal page

David Crane's A Boy and His Blob is the patriarch of the puzzle/platform genre. It's also one of the most bizarre and unique NES games.

X/Y Coordinate Display

TURN LEFT. RECALCULATING...

A simple coordinate display can be enabled with the Game Genie codes XAKKEZXY UGKKOXXK. Note that all other status bar updates will be disabled until you change screens, due to a lack of Vblank time.

The first set of values is for the boy, and the second set is for the Blob. Each value represents the character's current screen number, X position, and Y position, respectively.

(Source: BMF54123)

Unused Screens

The game contains a number of unused screens, several of which are completely unique. According to the developer, Nintendo set a strict 6 week deadline to complete the game which is likely the reason why all these screens were cut.

(Source: David Crane)

These screens can be seen in-game by setting RAM address $23 to the desired screen ID (set $24 to the same value or toss a ketchup jellybean to make Blob appear). Screens D2, D4, D5, and D7 are particularly odd, as they consist of a limerick in various stages of completion. Judging from the slightly suggestive ending, it was likely used to test the screen drawing code and not actually intended to appear in the final game.

Screen FF is identical to the Evil King's chamber seen in-game, except the Evil King is missing. He does not normally disappear after you dump the vitamins on him, rendering this screen unused.

(Source: BMF54123)

Unused Graphics

Jellyfish

Don't be so sting-y!

A simple little jellyfish, probably intended to fill some of the vast emptiness of the underwater areas.

Apple

Teacher would not approve.

A nasty-looking apple, probably intended to appear on one of the unused Blobolonian orchard screens.

Bubble

That's a resilient bubble!

A bubble-like object. The bottom half is shifted downwards by one pixel, for some unknown reason. (An obstacle using these graphics actually appears on two of the unused screens, as shown below.)

Gingerbread Man

You can't catch m--oh, never mind. :( I'D LIKE TO WAKE UP NOW PLEASE

It seems the gingerbread men lining the walls outside the Evil King's chamber were originally supposed to attack you! How unpleasant.

(Source: BMF54123)

Unused Enemies/Obstacles

Green Bubbles

What are those things?!

Screens BC and BE both feature glass jars in the background that spew large, green bubbles. Neither the jars nor bubbles appear anywhere else in the game. As is to be expected, touching a bubble means instant death.

Much smaller, yet just as deadly.

Strangely, in the Japanese version, the bubbles were replaced with vitamins. Perhaps the developers had considered resurrecting this obstacle?

(Source: BMF54123)

Useless Hidden Ability

Grape Wall, get it?

An early preview of the game in Nintendo Power featured a grape jellybean that turned Blobert into a wall, instead of the ketchup one featured in the final. A later issue then revealed a "code" to turn him into a wall by giving him a honey jellybean then switching to ketchup and tossing one in the opposite direction while the blob is transforming. This will result in a brick wall, which no longer has any use in the game.

Regional Differences

Title Screen

The title was given a very colorful overhaul for the Japanese release.

Japan US Europe
"Fushigi" can be "amazing, wonderful, mysterious;" Take your pick. I poured coffee over the logo, sorry. Of America is removed from the copyright

The English title was localized as "ふしぎなブロビー ブロバニアの危機" for the Japanese version, which, directly translated back, means "Mysterious Burobi; Burobania's Crisis."

Character Sprite

The boy was given a more cartoony (and rather out of place) look in the Japanese version.

Japan International
Fushigi na Blobby Blobania no Kiki-Kid.gif A Boy and His Blob Trouble on Blobolonia-Kid.gif

Text Changes

Most of the jellybeans have different flavors in the Japanese version. Only coconut, cola, honey, and orange were left unmodified.

English Japanese Translation
Apple にっき
Nikki
Cinnamon
Cinnamon かれー
Karē
Curry
Ketchup こーひー
Kōhī
Coffee
Licorice あっぷる
Appuru
Apple
Lime かき
Kaki
Persimmon
Punch どーなつ
Dōnatsu
Donut
Root beer しゃんぺん
Shanpen
Champagne
Strawberry なし
Nashi
Pear
Tangerine ぷりん
Purin
Pudding
Vanilla きのこ
Kinoko
Mushroom

Staff Roll

The Japanese version displays the credits in green text, while the international versions use yellow text.