Wobbly Life Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 & PC)

Wobbly Life asks a question to pique your curiosity: What if Grand Theft Auto was targeted at a younger audience? Say, if it took the same basic bone structure—the mission format and the open-world sandbox, the property market and the extracurricular activities—and transformed it into a Roblox-like sim that could contain hundreds, perhaps even thousands of hours of content. If it did that, would it make for a more inclusive experience, or would it fall into the realm of a shameless cash grab?

Of course, I’d hate to leave the above question without an answer. In fact, having spent a little too much time in Wobbly Life, I can immediately deflate the notion that the game is a shameless attempt to recreate one of the most iconic open-world games of all time. No, Wobbly Life isn’t a cash grab, nor is it a shot in the dark—a hopeful idea that could gain traction among fans of the genre; it’s an original treat unto itself—a game that scratches two itches with the same utensil. See, in Wobbly Life, it isn’t just about appealing to the younger generation; it’s about being inclusive enough to give elder folk a glimmer of adolescence—a chance to take those Grand Theft Auto tendencies and port them into a calmer, less chaotic environment.

Wobbly Life is a mixture of several different things, if anything. It’s an open-world game at heart, true, but it’s also a physics-based sandbox; a life simulation game; and a community-driven build ‘em up, too. Simply put, it’s a game that you can quite easily drop into and just find something to do without having any fixed goals or motives in mind. And frankly, that’s everything a good open-world sandbox should be.

Welcome to Wobbly

Wobbly Life waxes a number of layers; it’s a little bit of Goat Simulator, a little bit of Human Fall Flat, and a bit like Roblox with a Grand Theft Auto progression system. That’s a lot to take into consideration, I’ll admit. Yet, Wobbly Life isn’t so much about learning how to juggle multiple tasks at once; it’s about finding yourself in a world that’s as equally fulfilling as it is entertaining. Say, if you prefer the act of exploring the world and bathing in its tapestry of characters, points of interest, and local haunts—arcades, beaches, and suburban neighborhoods, for example—then you can. Likewise, if you want to plunge into the job market and earn cash for clothes, cars, or lavish homes, then you can do exactly that. The point is, you won’t find a shortage of things to do here, and that speaks volumes about its knack for pleasing its loose demographic.

Wobbly Life isn’t exactly short on material to carve through. As it stands, the game features over twenty jobs—careers that involve physics-based tasks and challenges, as well as separate cash injections and benefits—and an entire catalog of mini-games. In addition to the simple job of, you know, living, you can also pledge your allegiance to sectors that range from firefighting to courier services, plowing to harvesting, fishing to demolition — and honestly, I think that’s barely scratching the surface here. Oh, you also have a museum that requires artifacts, an intergalactic space program that needs loyal recruits, and, above all, a judgmental grandma who wants—no, needs you to succeed in life.

Suffice it to say that, as far as meaty sandbox games go, Wobbly Life has the granddaddy of sirloin steaks in its hands—the protein-loaded wedge that infuses more than enough ingredients to satisfy your appetite and keep you chomping away for weeks, perhaps even months. The achievements are another story, but eh, it’s probably best not to delve any deeper into that.

Aimlessly Wobbling

There’s no denying the fact that Wobbly Life, as a whole, has a tremendous amount of content to share. But that’s just a small part of what makes it the special kind of pedigree that it is. Granted, it isn’t a visually spectacular showpiece, nor is it exactly teeming with the intricate details of a modern triple-A game. That said, where Wobbly Life falls short in its graphical style, it makes up for in its stupidly entertaining physics-based gameplay. On that front, it’s an easy one to sink your teeth into, especially if you’re playing with friends. It’s easy, not because it simplifies the controls to appeal to players from all walks of life, but because it actively encourages you to make mistakes. That’s a whole other ball game that, weirdly, I could talk about for hours.

Frankly, it doesn’t matter if you roll into Wobbly Life with the intent of getting a foot on the career ladder or launching yourself into outer space. Oddly, you don’t need to have any ambition in order to succeed here. And I think that’s what makes Wobbly Life so darn addictive: the fact that it promotes discovery and rewards spontaneity. That’s something that I think we could all do with a little bit more of in life — even if it is wobbly.

Verdict

Wobbly Life fills a hole in the fabric of open-world sandbox games with its gut-loaded universe of quests, mini-games, and extracurricular events that could, in all likelihood, formulate a wobbly voyage of endlessly entertaining episodic adventures that ought to appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers alike. With hundreds, if not thousands of hours of gameplay to shovel through, as well as an open-ended format that allows for infinite possibilities to explore and create, the game is, in all honesty, an excellent alternative for the traditional bullet-brazen sandbox. And the best part is that, despite it being aimed primarily towards a younger demographic, it contains all of the juicy components to strike a chord in the seasoned player’s hands, too. A perfect blend, you could say.

Wobbly Life is definitely a game that you could lose yourself in for whenever you’re feeling the urge to unwind and engage in some physics-based antics amongst friends and jelly-like companions. It’s also a game that has the potential to expand and latch onto a variety of additional careers, cosmetics, and activities, which again, makes it all the more appealing. The point is, if you are looking to jump into a hybrid world that waxes physics-based shenanigans with infinite possibilities, then you should definitely consider packing your bags and shipping out to Wobbly Life to start anew the next time you’re feeling spontaneous.