Baking all the delicious bits...
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom looks and sounds like it should be a pretentious game that takes itself way too seriously. That couldn't be farther from the truth, as Winterbottom is a silly, lighthearted game about pies- plain and simple. The ensuing product is a clever puzzle game that fans of the genre will undoubtedly love, but those without a penchant for some serious brain teasers would be better served elsewhere.
As mentioned, Winterbottom is a game about pies. You play as the titular P.B. Winterbottom, a chubby pie addict who will stop at nothing to get his hands on his favorite desert. Each and every level tasks you with collecting said pies, and you'll have to use Winterbottom's myriad of time and space bending abilities to satisfy the old man. The individual mechanics are all really sound, and the game uses them in imaginative ways. Each level basically ends up being a small, stand-alone puzzle that seems to showcase its own unique trick, and the game does a good job at having each level build off the previous ones. There were a few levels where I felt the game expected me to make an illogical leap in understanding the mechanics, which could occasionally be a little frustrating. But for the most part the game's many bite-sized levels advance at a snappy pace that's fairly intuitive. It also manages to make the act of solving each puzzle a pretty satisfying endeavor, which is the main thing you want from a good puzzle game.
Unfortunately, Winterbottom is also super short. Even with the bonus levels, the game shouldn't take anyone but the slowest puzzle solvers (who probably aren't going to bother with a puzzle game anyway) more than a meager three or so hours to complete in its entirety, which is kind of a shame. And barring trying to improve your leaderboard positions, there's no incentive to replay any part of the game. This lack of content is offset by a perfectly reasonable $10 price tag, however, so it's not like the game is a rip off by any means. What it does mean is that Winterbottom doesn't really hang around long enough to leave any kind of lasting impression. It tries by sporting a unique aesthetic vibe, complete with attractive visuals and a fitting soundtrack, but you're still bound to forget it pretty quickly once it's over. There are simply more memorable games out there.
It's this somewhat minor caveat that holds Winterbottom back from being a puzzler for the masses. Fans of puzzle games in general will almost certainly enjoy Winterbottom, and it is totally worth your $10 if you're part of that group. But the game does about as little as it possibly can to stand out from the pack, and anyone who's not a regular fan of the genre can find better alternatives. Put bluntly, if you like puzzle games, buy it. If not, don't. That's really all you need to know.
For additional information on my review style and scoring system, click here.
