For XBLA, ‘Splosion Man looks great. Plus, it’s tons of fun
When I was a kid, I was super into competitive multiplayer games. The sound of the modem buzz became an all too familiar sound as I went head to head with my friends in Doom, Heretic, and even Descent. These days, I don’t have the time to play super competitively, so although I still enjoy a good deathmatch, I’m much more interested in cooperative games these days. In a perfect storm of gaming nirvana, a good friend from the other side of the modem was in town visiting the week after I downloaded ‘Splosion Man, the latest Twisted Pixel offering on XBLA. Over the course of three days, we managed to finish the cooperative version of the game without alienating our wife and girlfriend, and partook in one of the most enjoyable cooperative experiences out there.
‘Spolsion Man is a simple game that harkens back to platforming days of yore. There is no plot to speak of; you are an exploding man running your way through 50 levels and killing scientists along the way. I’m not even sure if you’re escaping, or are trying to take down Metal Gear, or what. It doesn’t matter.
The gameplay boils down to this: you run through a level (2-D), and can ‘splode 3 times, essentially allowing you to jump, bounce off walls, etc. This leads to various puzzles and difficult platforming which requires precise timing. It also facilitates some pretty interesting boss fights. ‘Splosion Man can be quite a frustrating game – if you’re off by a millisecond you might miss a ledge, etc., but it makes pretty fair use of checkpoints and I actually really enjoyed the steep challenge. For those who really want to prove their skills, there are cakes hidden in each level (not a Portal reference = best Achievement name ever) that are particularly tough to get.
The game is quite fun in single player, but what really makes the experience shine is multiplayer (up to 4). There are 50 multiplayer levels that complement the 50 single player offerings, and they really put the co-op back into cooperative. When my friend and I played through the game, it was like we were 10 years old again trying to get through Contra or something. For us to beat the game, we needed good teamwork, precision timing, and puzzle solving. Most of the time we would end up dying and then figuring out what we did wrong so that we could make it happen on a second or third try. But every once in awhile, there were those zen moments where we tackled an obstacle on the first try. Since it was cooperative, it required us being on the same page logically AND exact timing. ‘Splosion Man really creates those moments where you can drop your controller and raise your hands in triumph.
The last thing to be said about ‘Splosion Man is that it has a great sense of humor. The music, sound effects, and voice work all comes together to make an incredibly unique experience. It also has a totally unexpected ending, and in general it just has a lot of character. Coupled with the challenging gameplay, this is one XBLA title not to be missed. Find a friend and go ‘sploding!
Final Grade: A
