Sometimes the games that make the least sense on paper can end up being the most fun. ‘Splosion Man is a pretty good example of that. On paper, you have a 2D platformer with only basic movement and one action. Not really impressive, right? That’s just on paper though. Once you start playing, you’ll be hooked after five minutes of gameplay.

Gameplay:

Everything in ‘Splosion Man is simple. The game is a side-scrolling platformer and your objective is to reach the end of the level as quickly as possible. As the ‘Splosion Man, you don’t jump, attack, or flip switches…you explode (erm, sorry, ‘splode). Scientist in your way? ‘Splode. Gap to cross? ‘Splode. Anything that needs doing at all? ‘Splode. You can ‘splode three times before recharging (by staying on the ground or sliding down a wall), so the trick to getting around is usually knowing how to use your ‘splodes. Sometimes you’ll have to ‘splode upward, then ‘splode off a wall to get higher. Other times you may need to ‘splode in time with an explosive barrel. And of course, there are a handful of enemies you’ll need to ‘splode past or ‘splode behind to finish them off with a sneaky ‘splode.

And that’s it. There are no tokens to collect, no rings to grab, no power-ups to pick up, dinosaurs to ride on, princesses to rescue, or…you get the idea. Just you, a big level, crazy enemies, and the basic, fundamental goodness of classic video games. The simplicity of the controls make it easy for anyone to play, and as the game progresses it gets more and more difficult, giving a challenge to the most experienced gamers playing. ‘Splosion Man has just a tiny dash of on-the-fly puzzle solving in it, so you’ll have to figure out how to advance past a few tricky parts if you want to set a good time. If you don’t, there’s certainly no consequence, but when you see how you can improve if you just do one action differently…well, I know I can’t really resist the temptation. Can you?

‘Splosion Man isn’t just a solo adventure, though. It’s a four player co-op platformer as well. Playing online or locally, you and three other ‘Sploding Men can face an entirely different campaign of levels, all of them geared toward working together as a team to succeed. In addition to the usual ‘sploding movements, you can time your jumps and ‘splode off of each other to reach higher areas that you couldn’t reach by yourself. The gameplay feels seamless and intuitive, and there isn’t any confusion since each ‘Splosion Man is quite colourfully distinct from the others.

Graphics:

The graphics are beautifully cartoony and colourful. Everything has a very fun style and the characters and backgrounds are very smooth and crisp. The camera work is also solid and smart, zooming in and out when it needs to. The animations are perhaps the most impressive part of the visuals, though. The fleeing scientists are fun to watch, the various robot enemies are all amusing, and the game’s “gore” and “violence” are priceless. You see, in ‘Splosion Man, blowing up a scientist will gib him…into delicious steaks, hotdogs, and ribs.

The ‘Splosion Man himself is downright hysterical. Everything he does is adorably crazy, from juggling his own eyeballs with one hand to holding his arms out and pretending to be an airplane while you run around. His ‘sploding jumps often become cartwheels or flips, and it’s impossible not to laugh just watching him stand still or celebrate a level completion.

Sound:

The sound is also a definite highlight. The music is fun, quirky, and fits the visual aesthetic of the game perfectly. There’s also a good mixture of tunes available, so it won’t feel like you have a handful of tracks on repeat. The sound effects are solid and wacky, with scientist screams particularly amusing, though again the highlight is the ‘Splosion Man’s “talkings.” His mutterings, screams, and otherwise unexplainable noises are a riot to listen to as you go careening through the level with reckless abandon. Along with his insane idiosyncrasies and the gameplay, it’s almost impossible to not enjoy this game.

Longevity:

With 50 levels to complete playing alone and 50 more to complete cooperatively, you’ll get your money’s worth if you just play all 100 levels straight through and quit. Chances are, though, you’ll get a heck of a lot more use out of the game than just that. There’s always that ever-present urge to beat your best times (or even set a world record?) and find a delicious piece of hidden cake on each level, after all.

Overall:

‘Splosion Man has personality and humor to spare, and it’s easily one of the most polished side-scrollers you’ll ever have to pleasure of playing. For only 800 Microsoft Points ($10.00 / £6.80), Twisted Pixel has given us an unreasonably fantastic deal that you really can’t afford to miss.