'Splosion Man: The Review

Posted by: TacoCat on: 08/26/2009 03:58 PM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]

‘Splosion Man

‘Splosion Man is wacky Xbox Live Arcade platformer, starring an experiment gone wrong, an exploding man if you will, that is attempting to escape the laboratory where he was created, by using his only skill available, ‘sploding. This game introduces you to ‘Splosion Man, which has a very unique and humorous demeanor to him. One minute he’s running through hallways with his arms out like airplane wings, the next minute he’s ‘sploding scientists into cuts of meat.

As you can tell so far, ‘Splosion Man is no average platformer, or perhaps it is one, one that’s hidden with an awesome style and ‘sploding gameplay (And yes, I will use ‘sploding instead of exploding from this day on). You move the Man around with the left stick, and use any of the face buttons to ‘splode him, causing him to go higher and higher, essentially this game’s jump button. There are two whole separate campaigns, single player and co-op, for you to enjoy, and hopefully not throw your controller at the T.V. in frustration. Before you begin your excursion, remember that this game is difficult, and it requires very carefully timed jumps to make it through and escape. It did frustrate me a little during some of the end stages, when I kept dying from timing my jumps 0.01 seconds too late, and missing a platform, but that’s just a small gripe that can be easily overcome with practice.
‘Splosion Man has a very clean, but cartoony look to it, just like Twisted Pixel’s last release, The Maw. ‘Splosion Man is animated greatly, and you can actually sympathize with him, because all he wants to do is run around and play, but he only knows how to ‘splode, so that doesn’t really make the scientists want to hang out with him. He’s got a certain charm to him, and he could be a great mascot, if they decide to do any sequels.

The sound is comprised mostly of screaming and ‘sploding, but there are very random quips said by ‘Splosion Man during gameplay that really made me chuckle. There are also so very awesome songs that pop up during gameplay, but to reveal much more would be considered a spoiler. They completely caught me off guard, and made me enjoy this game even more.
This game has lasting value in your hard drive for three reasons, hardcore mode, time trails, and co-op. Hardcore mode is basically the same game, but with no checkpoints, so only the strongest of men (and women) can survive that brutal challenge. Time trails are pretty explanatory, and during the whole game, I never finished a level in time to beat the ‘Par Time’, so It’ll be difficult to time well on most of the maps. The co-operative campaign is separate from the single-player, and contains 50 new levels for you and a buddy to ‘splode through, with some added gameplay mechanics to boot. To get to higher ground you normally couldn’t ‘splode to, Just have a partner boost you with their ‘splosion. This portion of the game gets very difficult near the end, and requires split-second decision making by both you and your partner, but when you finally complete a level, you’ll feel an immense feeling of accomplishment.

To sum it all up, ‘Splosion Man is a great platformer; one that’s got a fresh, cartoony style, and a charming main hero. It’s so addicting you’ll play for hours, without ever checking the time. With co-op mode, you can spend some ‘bonding time’ with your family by crowding around a T.V., and passing controllers around. You might get frustrated at parts, but it’s overall charm and witty humor make up for it. Also, the ending will have you ROFL’ing, and I believe it’s on the level of Portal’s ending, so make sure you finish the game!

Pros: Great platforming gameplay, Very funny, charming style/presentation, the ending

Cons: Frustrating at times