World of Goo is the next free contribution from Epic Game Store – and all PC owners will receive an HD update

As has become commonplace lately, Epic Games has announced that another free and solid video game was being offered to all of its Epic Games Store (EGS) users, which was up to now a promotion. every two weeks for the brand new shop. And again, as this has become a usual event, the news came from a confusing mix with Steam, the mega-ton retailer that EGS does not take so subtly.

Friday's announcement confirmed that the award-winning puzzle game Goo World, which was launched in 2008 on PC and Wii before reaching other platforms, will become an EGS freebie as of May 2nd. Users will have two weeks to log in and claim a copy of the game (which currently costs $ 10 to Steam and other digital download windows).

Shortly after the announcement of Epic, a PC Gamer report clarified a key detail: this version of Goo World includes a significant update of the "framework" with a focus on higher resolutions. However, this report did not specify whether this update was an EGS exclusivity – the type of update that would require fans of the game to connect to a second store and claim a free copy – or the exact equivalent of its Steam software.

"No artificial delay"

In an interview with Ars, Goo World Co-creator Kyle Gabler confirmed that all existing versions of the game on Windows / Mac / Linux on showcases such as Steam and GOG (and the developer site 2DBoy) would receive the update "as soon as the software is ready. " Whether it means it will happen on May 2 or a few days later will depend on "our own ability to generate and test versions," said Gabler.

"It's a free update for everyone – we do not make downloadable content," added Gabler. "The timing is right, whenever we can, and there is no contractual or artificial delay." We assumed that we would escape this update without anyone noticing it. so we did not make a whimsical plan or anything. "

While Goo World has a relatively timeless appearance thanks to vector graphics and shaded comic worlds, the base of the original game was built with a resolution of 800×600 – more in line with the 480p output of the original Wii. As such, 2DBoy took advantage of the launch of the game in the EGS game as an opportunity to 'tidy up before inviting the neighborhood', which includes a redrawing of all game assets to double their original resolution , one can [now] launch the game on modern widescreens at the resolution of your choice ") and the quality of life enhancements offered by the Nintendo Switch version.

The classifications of the original game will be disabled, because the 2DBoy team of three executed them on their own server and chose to cut them instead of transferring them to another service. But they seem to compensate for this by doing something cool enough: remove all the encryption from the game 's resources and back up the files. "We hope this makes the game more open and user-friendly for the mod," Gabler told Ars.

So that's all: current owners will get good benefits and anyone who has not already bought one of the fifty zillion game versions will soon be able to dive in and see what Goo World the fun is absolutely free – even on their favorite 21: 9 widescreen, if they wish it. This is certainly a change of pace compared to the last time that 2DBoy spoke publicly about the free game of gamers – the developer revealed a 90% hacking rate on the DRM-free version of the game in 2008.