'Splosion Man

'Splosion Man User Review

XBLA - 800ms pts

by ArmaziLLa

Ok what is there to say about 'Splosion Man? Obviously, this game is an instant classic. It's fun, it's funny, it's quirky, and it's addictive - to a point.

Story - 4/5

While there is arguably very little story here -- what there is is incredibly endearing and fun. The basic premise (from what I could gather) was simply that you play as an experiment gone wrong and now you need to escape the clutches of the mad scientists that created you....and take a few of them with you as your navigate your way out of their lab. The only drawback I felt as I played this game, and perhaps it's simply me, but at times I felt myself sitting back and thinking "Who in the name of God would build a laboratory like this?!" The sheer amount of boiling acid, spike walls, electric fences, gun turrets, and various other apparatuses just scattered about throughout the levels make for an incredibly hazardous workplace...and I for one just could not see any feasible reason for a place like this to exist. Granted, those moments were few and far between and, once I let myself forget about my qualms, the story was quite awesome -- ESPECIALLY at the end...which I won't spoil here...needless to say it is epic.

Art Style - 5/5

First let's start with what Twisted Pixel did right on this title. The game has an incredibly unique look and feel about it. The main character is love-able...or at least as love-able as a nuclear lab experiment gone wrong can be. The sheer amount of nods and funny little extras thrown into this game, whether it be the cakes that you collect on each level (you know, the one's that AREN'T a reference to Portal? Yea, those.); or whether it's your character screaming "GET TO DA CHOPPA" at random intervals as you explode violently across the levels.

Gameplay - 3.5/5

The platforming in this game is done well; plain and simple. The checkpoints make the levels fairly nice and easy to get through, especially in the beginning. But be warned, the difficulty ramps up...fast. By the time I got to the end of the third world and 50 levels I found myself breathing a sigh of relief because well, unless I want to go into Hardcore mode, the frustration is behind me! I found myself cursing the TV time and again on levels that I had to do over and over again due to my perfectionist nature...especially when I wanted to collect some of those hard-to-acquire cakes for achievements sake. And then there were the seemingly random "boss battles" on the last level of each world...these were the one thing in this game I found the most annoying...mainly because these battles have no checkpoints...if you get hit (usually even once) by a boss you're dead...and you're starting the ENTIRE encounter over again which can be incredibly annoying as you're trying to learn the boss. Again, the platforming is well done -- however, it's just that -- platforming, and LOT'S of it. If you were never a Mario or Sonic fan back in the day you will not like this game, regardless of how endearing the art style may be. That being said, the game kept me coming back even with it's drawbacks...and it was a lot of fun anyway...ESPECIALLY when I finally pulled off some of those hard levels.

Multiplayer - 4/5

I won't say a lot about the multiplayer seeing as how I haven't had a chance to delve into some of the later levels. However, what I have seen is incredibly fun. The game supports up to 4 player co-op each of you being your own colour 'splosion man...and well, it's a lot of fun. It's a great party game when you have a few friends over and you just want to mess around and have a bit of fun. The game takes quite a bit of teamwork in the areas where you'll need to time your splode's (the in-game timer feature is a very great assett for this) and use each other as fuel to get extra height, or hit buttons at the same time to progress. The game does support online play, however as of yet I have been unable to try this out...I've heard it can be quite frustrating with lag issues and what-not...but I'm assuming it won't be long before those issues are addressed.

Sound/Music - 5/5

Plainly put -- the sound and music in the game is phenomenal. The little songs integrated throughout the game add an incredibly air of fun to the whole experience...even getting some laughs out of me from time to time. The doughnut song that plays when you pick up a fat scientist is hilarious and the songs that you will hear at the end will crack you up (if you don't laugh at least a little you are dead inside). Also, the sounds your splosion man will make as he's running just add to his air of childish awesomeness that makes you want to help him escape.

Overall - 4/5

In conclusion (that's right, it's like I'm writing a college paper), this game is a definite buy. If you're a fan of old school platforming and can shell out the incredibly reasonable 800ms points...then do it. While there are downfalls to the game, they aren't enough to make it unenjoyable by any means...it'll just induce those moments of "F@$# !!" that all good oldschool games used to. The inclusion of 2 unlockable gamer pics as well as a premium theme make this game a steal at the current price.

I salute you Twisted Pixel...you have gotten yourself a loyal fan...I might even go back and get The Maw now...keep it up!