作者：Brian Frantz

概述

《World of Goo》讲的是一堆可爱的粘粘球（Goo balls）的事迹。这些粘粘球被通向未知世界的管道唤醒了。在好奇心的驱使下，粘粘球们叠罗汉似地搭成塔，希望进入管道，去探索管道尽头的新世界。这些管道其实属于一家叫作“World of Goo”公司，该公司使用粘粘球作为产品的原料。随着越来越多粘粘球进入管道，World of Goo公司越来越强大，并继续扩张。

游戏向玩家展示的故事非常实在。唯一对故事发表评论的就是一个神秘的、自恋的“Sign Painter”。在关卡开头出现的话暗示了玩法或作为解说，但也给玩家留下了想象的空间。《World of Goo》的剧情按排得好的地方是，它并没有告诉玩家应该思考什么，而是展示了许多有意义的道德情境，如虚荣、贪婪、污染和甚至滥发邮件。简单地说，这种设定主要是为玩法服务的，刺激玩家思考这些现象或单纯地享受游戏的谜题。

角色

World of Goo公司：一家使用粘粘球作为原料生产各种产品的大公司。World of Goo公司将复杂的管道延伸到世界各地，收集更多粘粘球，实现自己的扩张计划。

Sign Painter：作为游戏中唯一一个有“对白”的角色，Sign Painter在游戏世界的各处留下自己的话，除了发表自己的看法，也为玩家提供玩法提示。Sign Painter虽然有自恋倾向，但通常能从实用的角度看待事物。

粘粘球：粘粘球与玩家之间的关系颇为奇特。玩家控制粘粘球的活动，把它们搭成通向管道的塔。显然，玩家的目标是赢得游戏，但粘粘球在这种游戏世界背景之下，其动机其实是相当费解的。Sign Painter提示不同的粘粘球因为不同的能力而形成不同的个性。例如，绿色粘粘球的分离能力意味着它具有“献身精神”。将Sign Painter的解说和粘粘球的合作及自我牺牲精神相结合，在每一个关卡中都有所体现，游戏给玩家许多材料来了解这些小球的个性。粘粘球的动机是什么，答案取决于玩家，因为玩家就是粘粘球，正是玩家操纵着这些粘粘球的一举一动。

World of Goo(from gamecareerguide)

分析

与许多好故事一样，《World of Goo》有非常清楚的开头、发展和结尾。它利用玩家作为冲突的来源和角色动机，这是它不同于其他游戏和一般故事的地方。玩家不只是被迫观察非正义现象，而且为了获胜还要主动地参与其中。因为这是通关的唯一办法。为了从另一个角度考察这个问题，玩家可能并不想那么做，但游戏迫使玩家那么做，这就产生了一种只能由玩家自己克服的心理冲突。这种特殊的矛盾视角使玩家对故事产生更为感性的反应。《World of Goo》利用互动性强化玩家情绪和沉浸感，创造了真正的交互式剧情。

故事的开始不只是游戏。Sign Painter提供了关于玩法的暗示和幽默评论，由World of Goo公司给予玩家通关奖励。直到第一章，故事才真正开始：一群粘粘球漂浮在空中，看到充满机遇的遥远大陆。

第二章开始于一个流传着神秘能量工厂传说的岛屿。在前往工厂的路上，新类型的粘粘球加入队伍。为了进入管道系统，玩家必须碾碎巨大的“美人”球。这些美人球太重要了，所以粘粘球们必须牺牲部分同伴。在一个例子中，玩家必须使机械红地毯下降，以便让美人球通过。为了激活这个机制，粘粘球们必须搭成高塔以接触到按钮。红毯下降后，有许多粘粘球被它的尖底刺破了。

这是一个用象征手法展示迷恋虚荣的例子：玩家通关的必要步骤是执行道德上可疑的行为。另一个例子是分类机：丑人球必须与美人球分开。丑人球被碾破并丢进深坑，好让美人球踩着它的残躯通过。分类机让一个巨大的女人能够用她的美丽为世界提供能量。碾碎的球被注入她的额头，使她再次发电。

新能量来源使World of Goo公司得以在全世界范围内扩张。第三章发生另一个岛屿上，World of Goo公司在这里留下许多废弃工厂。这些工厂的作用是为推出Z产品做准备，在这个过程中它们排放了许多垃圾和污染物。事实上，这一章反复强调了在破坏中进步这个主题。许多关卡要求玩家搞破坏才能通关，甚至Sign Painter似乎也不关心破坏这个问题。“但通道正在他的头上。好吧……你不能停止前进。”

经过这些废弃的建筑后，玩家终于看到了Z产品。Z产品把世界变成三维空间，使粘粘球与之格格不入。粘粘球作为数据被送往信息高速公路（Information Super Highway），但只要World of Goo公司仍然存在，它们就无法前进。在探索庞大空虚的网络世界时，隐私显然不再重要。一把粘粘球被当作聊天客户端的数据，必须把它们拦截下来才能通关。Sign Painter指出，通过使用监视系统来抓获信息高速公路上的盗贼可以通关。“但我们很难判断谁是盗贼。安全起见，可能最好监视所有人。”

最严重的隐私侵犯行为来自MOM，一种不断把用户信息出售给其他公司，以方便他们滥发邮件的搜索客户端。简要地讨论MOM后，我们知道了在信息高速公路上到处是垃圾邮件。如果把所有这些邮件同时发送给World of Goo公司，它的系统可能会超载，并中断与Z产品的关联。为此，玩家必须破坏和越过多重安全系统。

虽然在许多关卡中，玩家必须做一些道德上错误的事，但冲破安全系统是第一次Sign Painter没有消极鼓励，且明确地表示：“你不应该去这里。”要不要恢复那些邮件是游戏中的最大困境，但显然玩家在破坏安全系统时就已经做出决定。为了清楚解释没有回头路，对话框问玩家是否确定，人只有两个选项——“是”和“否”。垃圾邮件的流量如此大，使World of Goo公司不得不引爆Z产品，把世界从它的控制中解放出来。

故事发展到破坏后的余波。World of Goo公司摇摇欲坠，爆炸产生的灰烬阴霾了天空。几堆粘粘球仍然呆在小岛屿上，必须合作前往最后几根管道。Sign Painter变得越来越失落和消极，不断鼓动玩家放弃并退出。之后玩家发现Sign Painter其实就是望远镜观察者（Telescope Operator），他感到沮丧是因为灰烬使他无法观察天空。玩家可以把气球似的鱼捆到望远镜上，带着它穿越云层，俯瞰整个小岛屿。粘粘球在World of Goo公司被破坏的总部处聚集成巨大的塔。在望远镜观察到粘粘球之塔的建设情况之前，一个粘粘球挡住了它的视野，望远境又落回云层之下。

《World of Goo》讲述了一个故事。不是一个可以阅读或倾听的故事，而是一个可以玩的故事。通过使用互动元素来推动故事发展，玩家对游戏世界产生影响。游戏世界被精心设计，使玩家面临道德困境。尽管玩家对某个问题持有不同的态度，但成功的道路只有一条。如果玩家想获胜，就必须放弃部分个人价值观，这体现在牺牲一些粘粘球上。当消极地看待故事发展时，很容易看出人格缺陷或恶劣的价值观，但当玩家被迫做出相同的选择时，情况就不一样了。通过与玩家进行人格上的交流，这种交互性充实了玩家在游戏中的沉浸感。《World of Goo》是交互故事的光辉榜样，为良好的游戏体验树立了新标准。

强大的元素

到现在为止，游戏故事最突出的地方就是它的叙述方式。游戏中当然有故事，但没有强迫玩家接受故事。大多数剧情是通过观察关卡本身或阅读Sign Painter写的各种符号来体现的。甚至那些符号也起到双重作用，一是叙述故事；二是作为引导玩家通关的教程。例如，第三章发生在一个充满废弃工厂的岛屿上。Sign Painter让玩家看到附近的一堆垃圾，由此暗示了World of Goo公司推出的新产品。“按这个东西看，我们一定接近新产品了。”之后他让玩家观察到变得粘乎乎的峭壁，这是通关的重要信息。

游戏采用如此微妙的叙述方式，使故事更加有趣，因为玩家觉得自己是在探索发现。Sign Painter从来没有告诉玩家应该思考什么，而是提示问题，然后让玩家自己去琢磨解决方案。这使玩家更加沉浸于故事，因为玩家需要自己去补全故事的某些方面，比如粘粘球的目的。因为事实上，粘粘球是由玩家操作的，从技术上说玩家与粘粘球的动机是一样的，所以玩家会投入于故事，并把自己的行为融入到游戏世界中。

World of Goo (from gamecareerguide)

不成功的元素

我认为可以做得更好的元素之一是信息高速公路。随着Z产品的诞生，似乎所有人都踏上了信息高速公路，但当你抵达时，它已经被废弃好几年了。这里，游戏没有提到人们去哪里了，为什么去以及如何去。我希望在粘粘球困在不兼容的2D网络世界时，游戏也能提到一些3D世界的情况。

亮点

这款游戏最让我印象深刻的是，在红毯关卡中，粘粘球之塔被尖尖的红毯刺破，好让其他粘粘球通过。如果不是因为这个关卡，我根本不会把《World of Goo》当成一款奇特的益智游戏。游戏的想象力之丰富确实让我觉得它深刻的故事值得细细体味。

为了胜利而无情地牺牲粘粘球这种玩法，影响了玩家的通关目标，使玩家陷入无法抉择的处境中，因为玩家自己负有全责。游戏的目标导向属性往往削弱强大的剧情，但《World of Goo》表明，将游戏的胜利条件与信息相结合，可以使玩家产生更加深刻的反应。

评论

游戏剧情的回顾很简略。《World of Goo》有太多令人惊叹的元素了，故事掩盖了对独特的玩法、美术和音乐的赞扬。IGN的Matt Casamassina给游戏打出9.5的高分（总分为10），并提到Sign Painter是游戏和故事的主要向导，但为了避免剧透而没有举例。GameSpy网站的Sal ‘Sluggo’ Accardo给游戏五颗星，但只提到该游戏的故事是“……一个歪曲的小故事，微妙地影射了各种生活现象，从美貌到消费再到网络隐私。”

大多数人为了玩游戏而玩游戏，所以评论者自然也专注于这一点。简单地说，这款游戏的玩法也确实很棒。当游戏玩法如此出彩时，剧情难免会被忽略。另外，《World of Goo》的故事的另一个优点在于它的微妙。这款游戏并没有用繁琐的故事吸引玩家，这虽然使玩家难以注意到故事，但也增加了故事的魅力。

启示

在如何微妙地叙述交互性故事方面，《World of Goo》中有许多值得借鉴的地方。通过玩法强化故事，而不是使用对话或过场动画，不仅对玩家产生重大影响，而且启发了整个游戏产业。

玩法是体验的一部分。让各个关卡叙述自己的故事。

不需要像填鸭子似地向玩家灌输重要的问题，以微妙的方式展示主题，不仅能启发玩家思考问题，而且不会让玩家觉得像说教而反感。

利用眼下的主题，贴近玩家生活。如果玩家在游戏中能直接体验到这些问题，就更可能对其作出反应。

总结

《World of Goo》也许不是第一款对故事叙述这么用心的游戏，但我认为它至少是目前的游戏中最好的例子。游戏是用来玩的，故事是用来讲的。理解怎么把故事做成游戏是游戏业最应该学习的一门课程。《World of Goo》只是在“创造一种可以被当成游戏来享受的好体验”的道路上迈出了第一步。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Game Narrative Review: World of Goo

by Brian Frantz

World of Goo is about the exploits (and exploitation) of a group of lovable sentient goo balls. The goo balls have been awakened by pipes leading to an unknown destination. Driven by curiosity, the goo balls build themselves into towers, reaching towards the pipe so that some may explore where it leads. The pipes are run by World of Goo Corporation which uses the goo balls in its products. As goo balls from all over the land journey towards the pipes, World of Goo Corporation grows more powerful and continues to expand.

The story is presented to the player in a very factual manner. The only character commenting on what is happening is the mysterious and self-absorbed Sign Painter. Many of the signs appear to start out as a game play hint or social commentary, but immediately become about the Sign Painter, leaving the player to fill in the blanks with their own ideas. The beauty in World of Goo’s story is that it doesn’t tell the player what to think. It presents interesting moral scenarios such as vanity, corporate greed, pollution, and even spam mail using symbolism present in various puzzles, but does so from a na?ve perspective that is primarily concerned about game play. This allows players to generate their own opinions or simply enjoy the game for its puzzles.

Characters

World of Goo Corporation – A large corporation that harvests goo balls to be used and sold in various products. World of Goo Corporation focuses primarily on progress and expansion and spans many islands with intricate pipe systems designed to collect goo.

The Sign Painter – The only character with “dialog,” the Sign Painter leaves signs scattered throughout the world expressing his opinion as well as providing tips to the player. The Sign Painter is a little on the self-absorbed side, but usually views things from a practical viewpoint.

Goo balls – The goo balls have a strange relationship with the player. The player controls the actions of the goo balls and builds them towards World of Goo Corporation’s pipes. It’s pretty obvious the player does this in order to win the game, but the actions of the goo balls in the context of the game world are actually rather mysterious. The Sign Painter projects personality onto the goo balls by assigning traits based on their various abilities. For example, the green ball’s ability to detach could mean it has “commitment anxiety.” Couple the Sign Painter’s commentary with the fact that teamwork and self-sacrifice are common occurrences in every level and the player has a lot of material to characterize these little balls of goo. The goo balls are the player, and any attempt to rationalize the goo balls’ motives must be done by the player because the player is the only one making them do anything.
Breakdown

World of Goo has a very clear beginning, middle, and end like any good story. It’s utilization of the player as a source of conflict and character motive is what sets it apart from other games, and stories in general. The player isn’t just forced to observe injustice, but to actively participate in it for success. Because there is only one way to finish the game, it forces players to take actions they maybe otherwise wouldn’t in order to get new perspective on the issue, as well as creating internal conflict that can only be overcome on a personal level. This gives a unique, reluctant perspective that creates a more personal reaction to the story. By using interactivity to enhance player emotion and engagement, World of Goo is forging the way to true interactive storytelling.

The story begins as little more than a game. The Sign Painter provides hints and humorous observations regarding how the game is played, and World of Goo Corporation is the entity that awards the player with completion at each level. The story doesn’t really start until the end of Chapter 1 where a group of goo balls float high in the sky and see distant lands filled with opportunity.

Chapter 2 begins on an island filled with rumors of a mysterious power plant. On the way to the factory, a new type of goo is discovered. Giant “beauty” balls that must be ground up in order to be sucked through an exclusive pipe system. These new beauty balls are so important that standard goo balls must be sacrificed to pave the way to exclusive pipes. In one instance, a mechanical Red Carpet Extend-o-Matic must be lowered for a beauty ball to roll across. To activate the mechanism, a large tower of goo must be built atop a button to press it. The Red Carpet Extend-o-Matic is lowered and its spiked bottom crushes and destroys the goo balls that created the tower so the beauty ball could cross.

This symbolic representation of vanity obsession is one of the first instances where the steps necessary to complete a level require the player to perform morally questionable symbolic actions to win. Another example is inside a sorting machine where the ugly balls must be separated from the beautiful ones. The ugly balls are ground up and thrown into a pit so the beauty ball can cross by stepping over the crushed remains. The sorting machine leads to a giant woman who used to power the world with her beauty. The ground up beauty balls are injected into her forehead and allow her to produce electricity once again.

The new power source allows World of Goo Corporation to expand and outsource throughout the world. Chapter 3 takes place on an island filled with abandoned factories left by World of Goo Corporation. These factories have already served their purpose preparing for the release of Product Z, and any pollution or waste created are just steps on the way to progress. In fact, progress through destruction is a recurring theme in this Chapter. Many levels require the player to destroy to finish, and even the Sign Painter seems unfazed by this behavior. “[...] But the pipe is right behind his head. Well… you can’t stop progress.”

After blasting through the derelict buildings, the player begins the unveiling of Product Z. The inciting incident begins as Product Z transforms the world into three dimensions, and renders the goo balls incompatible with the world. The goo balls are sent to the Information Super Highway as bits of data and are trapped as long as World of Goo Corporation still stands. While exploring the vast emptiness of the internet, it becomes apparent that privacy is not a concern. A handful of goo balls are being used as data in a chat client, and must be intercepted to complete the level. The Sign Painter points out that this can be achieved by using a monitoring system used to catch bandits on the Information Super Highway. “But it was hard to know who’s a bandit and who’s not. It’s probably best to monitor everyone just to be safe.”

The most serious infraction of privacy is committed by MOM, a search client who consistently sells user information to companies so they can be sent spam mail. After a brief discussion with MOM, it is learned that somewhere on the Information Super Highway is all of the spam mail ever sent in the history of the internet. If all of that mail was sent to World of Goo Corporation at once, it might be enough to overload the system and break free from the bonds of Product Z. In order to do this, multiple security systems must be broken and overridden.

While there have been instances where the player must do things that can be viewed as morally wrong, breaking through the security systems is the first time the Sign Painter doesn’t passively encourage and explicitly states, “You’re not supposed to be down here.” Whether or not to undelete all that mail is the biggest quandary in the game, but it is clear the player has already made the decision by breaking down security to get there. To drive home the point that there is no going back, the dialog box that asks if the player is sure only has the two options of “ok” and “yes.” The influx in spam mail is so great, it actually causes World of Goo Corporation to explode and releases the world from the grasp of Product Z.

The story then explores the aftermath of this destruction. World of Goo Corporation is in shambles, and dust from the explosion blocks out the sky. A few more groups of goo balls are still gathered on small islands, and must work to reach the last few pipes. The Sign Painter becomes increasingly depressed and pessimistic, encouraging the player to simply give up and quit. It is then discovered that the Sign Painter is actually the Telescope Operator, and is depressed because the dust prevents him from gazing into the sky. Balloon-like fish can be attached to the telescope and carry it up through the clouds to allow it to see over all the land. All of the trials passed by the goo balls are shown as they gather into a huge tower at World of Goo Corporation’s destroyed Headquarters. Before the telescope can see what the tower is building towards, a goo ball blocks the view and the telescope descends back beneath the clouds.

World of Goo has a story to tell. Not a story to be read or heard, but a story to be played. By using interactive elements to progress the story, players are given a stake in the game world. The game world is strategically crafted to force an emotional dilemma on the player. Regardless of the player’s stance on a particular issue, there is only one path to success. If the player wishes to win, some personal values may have to be put aside and some goo balls symbolically sacrificed. It’s easy to point out flaws or poor values in characters when passively watching a story progress, but things change when the audience is forced to make the same decisions. This level of interaction enriches immersion by communicating with the player on a personal level. World of Goo is a shining example of interactive storytelling and an indicator of great game experiences yet to come.

Strongest Element

By far the best part of the game’s storyline is the manner in which it is presented. There is definitely a story, but it isn’t forced on the player. Most of the storytelling happens by viewing the level itself or reading the various signs written by the Sign Painter. Even the signs are frequently stylized tutorials that serve the dual purpose of telling a story and guiding the player through the game. For example, the third chapter takes place on an island filled with abandoned factories. The Sign Painter alludes to a new product launch from World of Goo Corporation by observing a nearby garbage dump. “Judging by the buildup, we must be getting close to the launch of the new Product.” He then provides the observation that the cliffs have become sticky which is useful knowledge for completing the level.

The game presents itself in such a subtle manner that the simple act of following the story is fun because it feels like a discovery. The Sign Painter never tells the player what to think, but rather hints at an issue and allows the player to come up with a solution. This immerses the player into the story because certain aspects such as the goo balls motives are left up to interpretation. Because the player is actually controlling the goo balls, they technically have the same motive, so the player is projected into the story and must contextualize his actions to fit into the game world.

Unsuccessful Element

The one element that I think could have been portrayed better was the Information Super Highway. It seems to be implied that everyone is sent there upon the release of Product Z, but when you arrive, it had already been abandoned years ago. There isn’t mention of where everybody went or why or how. I would like some information on the condition of the 3D world during the time the goo balls are stuck in the incompatible 2D internet.

Highlight

The point in the game that impressed me most was The Red Carpet level in which a tower of goo is crushed by a spiked red carpet so a beautiful goo ball could walk over it. I hadn’t considered World of Goo to be anything more than a quirky puzzle game until I played that level. The imagery was striking enough to make me really give the game’s potential for powerful storytelling a second look.

The game leverages the player’s goal for completion in such a way to force callous sacrifice for the sake of an arbitrary victory. This puts players into a situation where they cannot pass judgement on the act because they themselves are wholly responsible. The goal driven nature of games can often dilute attempts at powerful narrative, but World of Goo shows that uniting the win condition of game play with the message creates a much more profound reaction in the player than either element could alone.
Critical Reception

The reviews of the game’s story are usually very brief. There are so many fantastic elements in World of Goo, the story is glossed over in favor of praising the unique game play, beautiful art, and wonderful soundtrack. IGN’s Matt Casamassina gave it a 9.5 out of 10 and mentioned the Sign Painter as the primary guide to the world and story, but doesn’t site many examples for fear of spoiling anything for the reader. Sal ‘Sluggo’ Accardo at GameSpy gave a full 5-star rating, yet the only mentions the narrative as “[...] a wry little story that takes subtle jabs at everything from beauty to consumerism to Internet privacy.”

Most people play games for the game play, so the reviewers naturally focus on that point. The game is also, simply put, very well done. It’s easy to overlook the story when the game is so great. In addition, part of the strength in World of Goo’s story is its subtlety. The game doesn’t beat the player over the head with the story, which makes it hard to notice, but only adds to the appeal.

Lessons

World of Goo has a lot of great lessons to teach about subtlety in interactive storytelling. Using game play to enhance the story instead of dialog or cut-scenes will have a much greater impact on the player in addition to helping the medium grow as a whole.

Game play is part of the experience. Let each level tell its own story.

Important issues can be addressed without cramming it down the player’s throat. By presenting the topic in a subtle manner, it won’t sound preachy or turn the player off.

Develop a connection to the topic at hand and the player. Players will be much more likely to reflect on an issue if they have first hand experience with it through game play.

Summation

World of Goo may not be the first game that comes to mind when narrative is mentioned, but I believe it is currently the best example of storytelling available in the medium of games. Games are meant to be played and stories are meant to be told. Understanding how a story can be played is the most important lesson for the game industry to learn, and World of Goo is only a step on the way to creating truly amazing experiences that can only be consumed as games. (source:gamecareerguide)