Game Review: Splosion Man

Splosion Man is Twisted Pixel’s second game, and their second offering on X-Box Live Arcade. A 2D Puzzle Platformer in 3D, Splosion Man aims for providing a challenging puzzle game that everyone can enjoy. This zany game does its best to capture a unique style and throw in some humor along the way. Does Splosion Man light up the night sky, or simply fizzle out?

Story
You are Splosion Man. Radioactive or just molecularly unstable. Who knows? All that you really know in Splosion Man is that Splosion Man himself was a poor soul who had terrible things done to him in some lab. Terrible things that give him the ability to ‘splode, and an unintended side effect (I assume) that made him, let’s say, mentally unstable. Somehow, Splosion Man escapes confinement in this lab and runs amuck, and the scientists who once tormented him with mad experiments are now trying to recapture him by any means necessary.

This is essentially the entire plot and story of Splosion Man. Like Twisted Pixel’s previous effort The Maw, they don’t do much by way of story. However, what little they do isn’t really needed. You know enough about the situation to not be totally confused, and they leave it at that.

This being said, Twisted Pixel does a fantastic job at creating compelling characters using little dialogue or explanation. The three bosses all are very quirky and unique, each with little quips that make you laugh or are so bizarre that they are funny just for being weird. Splosion Man himself is where the charm of the game really comes through. His insanity is obvious, and it really draws the player in.

Story: 6/10

Gameplay

Splosion Man is at the same time a very simple game to play, and a very complex, difficult game to play. Splosion Man has one move, which is done with every button on the controller. He ‘splodes. This causes him to leap into the air, and he can do this thrice before he has to recharge, essentially creating a triple jump. The ‘splosions also can be used as an attack to damage enemies or ‘splode barrels. He can wall jump and sliding down walls can also cause him to recharge his ‘splosions. The goal is to get from the start of the level to the end. And don’t forget to find the hidden cake in each stage, Splosion Man loves cake.

This is where the difficulty comes in. The game has you avoiding traps, fighting enemies, ‘sploding off barrels, racing against rising water, and escaping giant robots. Sometimes all at once. At its heart, it’s a puzzle game. The magic in the gameplay here is that the action is often times so frantic and urgent, that the simplicity of the core gameplay flows, resulting in you solving complex platforming puzzles in seconds, leaving you thinking “how did I just do that?” It really is amazingly fun to try different things to try and figure out just the right way to get to the end of the level. The difficulty is perfectly scaled as the game progresses, and while frustrating at times, it never gave me the rage. Checkpoints are perfectly placed, so you never have to go back to far upon dying. It just kept urging me on towards the end. And when you do finally get there, it’s incredibly satisfying.



Splosion Man also has an insanely fun multiplayer game. With just as many levels as the single player experience, co-op in Splosion Man is more than just an added on game mode. Playing in the same way the single player game does, co-op takes it one step further. You and up to three of your friends can take on the puzzles designed for multiple people. The key here is you really have to work together with your buddies to get to the end of the stages. One player will be responsible for moving a platform for another, or activating a switch that disables a trap in the other’s path. Often times the areas you need to go require you to ‘splode off one another, launching off in opposite directions in mid-air, but giving you both just that extra juice to reach higher up areas. Later levels have you frantically racing against rising water, needing to hit switches at the same time to avoid laser walls or ‘sploding off each other in midair above spikes. Luckily the game accounts for the precise timing needed. Pull the left trigger and the game activates an onscreen countdown so you both know just the right moment to ‘splode. Multiplayer in Splosion Man is one of the most fun co-op experiences I have had in a while.

Splosion Man is a blast. Single player is a great time, with multiplayer even better. While challenging at times, the game is very rewarding. And after all, if you can’t beat a level, you can always take ‘The Way of the Coward’ and skip it. You look good in a tutu, don’t you?

Gameplay: 10/10

Presentation

Again, Twisted Pixel shines on presentation. Keeping with their tradition of a cartoony style, the graphics in Splosion Man are very Sunday morning kids show. They are simple, but really add a lot of style. Everything is detailed, and while you are for the most part in a giant puzzle room, it actually feels like some secret laboratory somewhere in space.

The animations here are solid. The way the scientists run and cower is hilarious. Splosion Man is even funnier. From the way he moves, the mid-air positions he finds himself in after ‘sploding, and even when just idling around, he is full of character and humor.

The sound is just as good. The voice work from the bosses is hilarious. The first time the first boss shot missiles at me and called out “Missiles are awesome!” I couldn’t stop laughing. Splosion Man is a riot. From the goofy things he says between levels, upon beating levels, standing around, he had me chuckling throughout the entire game. The music is a neat sci-fi jazz blend, with guitar riffs firing up as the action in the game becomes more intense. And pick up the fat scientist. That “doughnuts song” will be stuck in your head for days.

The presentation in Splosion Man is incredible. Everything has style and humor. From the way the scientists ‘splode into deli meats when they die to the way Splosion Man excitedly claps his hands when he beats a level. And the live action ending alone is worth buying and finishing the game. It’s just that good. The presentation in Splosion Man all just works so well.

Presentation: 10/10

Summary

Despite having no real story, Splosion Man doesn’t need one to succeed. The gameplay is amazingly fun, no matter if you are by yourself, or with some friends. And although it’s hard in some points, it knows it’s hard, and compensates with well placed checkpoints and a way to skip levels. And when you do finish that last level, it’s incredibly rewarding. From start to finish you’ll be laughing along with the sounds and animation of Splosion Man. Should you pass this game up? As Splosion Man would say: “No way ‘splos-ay!”

Final Score: 9/10

(Average of Story, Gameplay, and Presentation)