Blob Volley

Tips for Blob Volley

In Blob Volley, where you stand decides where the ball goes, because it bounces off whichever part of your dome gets under it. Keep moving to meet the ball rather than waiting for it, and remember that you can hit it as often as you like on your own side. The ball picks up spin from the blob that hits it, so a shot struck while you are running sideways curls away from the blob chasing it.

The smash is the quickest way to end a rally: jump above the ball near the net and drive it down into the other side. Mistime it and the ball clips the tape and drops on your own sand, so go for it when the ball is high and close to the net. The net, poles and bunting are all solid, and the bunting works as a ceiling, so expect high balls to bounce back down. Start against the Easy blob and move up when your rallies feel steady; Sharp reads where the ball will land and times its smashes to meet it. Switch on the gull pick-ups once you are comfortable, as a big ball, low gravity or a scorching ball can turn a rally at once.

How to play Blob Volley

Blob Volley is volleyball for two blobs on a sand court split by a net. The aim is to land the ball on the other side and keep it off your own sand. Player one moves with A and D and jumps with W; player two uses the left and right arrows and up. On a phone each player has thumb controls in their own bottom corner, or can tap and hold their half of the sand to move and tap to jump.

The ball bounces off whichever part of your dome it meets, so where you stand under it sets the direction. Unlike in real volleyball, you can touch it as many times as you like on your side. Moving sideways as you hit it adds spin that curls the ball. Jump above it near the net to smash it down; mistime the jump and it hits the tape and falls on your side. The net, the poles and the bunting overhead are all solid, so the ball never leaves the court.

A game runs to five, ten or fifteen points and must be won by two. The serve alternates and the players swap sides at half time. You choose the Beach day, Sunset or Night stadium court, play a friend or an Easy, Normal or Sharp computer blob, and can switch on gull pick-ups. P pauses, M mutes and R starts a rematch.

About Blob Volley

Beach volleyball is played on sand by small teams, each trying to ground the ball in the other half of the court. Blob Volley, made by Kiloo, cuts it down to one player a side and swaps the athletes for gooey half-dome blobs with big eyes that follow the ball, squash flat when they land and stretch tall on the way up. Those shapes are the whole control scheme: there are no buttons for passes or sets, only where you stand and when you jump.

That makes it easy for two people to pick up together, children included, while the spin, the smash and the bunting overhead give practised players something to work with. It is above all a two-player game for one keyboard or one phone, but the three computer blobs let you practise alone, and Sharp, which reads where the ball will land, is a fair test before you challenge a friend.

Frequently asked questions