Earlier this year, Twisted Pixel launched a fun and quirky Xbox LIVE Arcade game called The Maw. The Maw came out of left field, being a fun title and a great looking game, definitely a hidden gem in the Xbox LIVE Arcade line-up. Now, the fledgling indie developer is launching their sophomore effort on the downloadable platform with ‘Splosion Man

‘Splosion Man is a 2.5D action-puzzler that puts you in control of the titular hero, the product of an experiment gone awry that as busted out of captivity and uses his artificially given abilities (namely, the ability to blow himself up) in order to escape from the secret laboratory that begat him. Along the way, you’ll find yourself dealing with your former scientist comrades as they attempt to subdue you as well as navigate several platforming puzzles using your special powers.

‘Splosion Man follows a pretty simple set of rules and abilities. Your character can only explode yourself three times in a row, catapulting your body into the air, at which point you must determine the right way to navigate yourself in order to get to higher ground or get over a long pit. After exploding yourself three times, you’ll have to take a short breather in order to recharge. The end result is pretty simple, but requires a lot of patience and timing in order to explode yourself in the right direction and at the right moment. You’ll gain new abilities as you progress through the game, but the gameplay is never overwhelming.

The game’s action-platforming-puzzle gameplay harkens to other titles on Xbox LIVE Arcade like N+, but the end result is still very addicting and quite fun. The game starts out easy enough in order to allow players to get comfortable with the mechanics, but the challenge level ramps up substantially as you progress through the game’s meaty campaign.

One “interesting” element in the game that deals with the challenge level is the Way of the Coward feature. If you find yourself stuck on a certain stage and die enough times, the game will present you with this option, effectively allowing you to skip the stage and move onto the next one. However, that comes at price, as your character get a very lousy score for the stage and be forced to wear a tutu in the next area.

Aside from the single-player elements, there is a pretty substantial online mode as well. The game allows you to do four-player co-op through a set of multiplayer-specific missions, each one requiring you to play in sync with your teammates and often explode in a particular sequence in order to win, presenting some unique challenges that you don’t get in the single-player game.

Graphically, the game looks pretty good, even great for an Xbox LIVE Arcade game. The game’s characters, from ‘Splosion Man himself to the scientists at your heels, boast a ton of personality and are well animated, and the visual design is very quirky and lends itself well to the goofy and off-the-wall plot. The sound is also quite good, with a varied score that sounds like cheesy old sci-fi films and fun sound effects.

‘Splosion Man is a real treat on Xbox LIVE Arcade, offering a lengthy single-player campaign, addictive multiplayer, and fun and quirky gameplay that’s funny and fast-paced.

Gameplay: 9.0
Solid and unique action-puzzle gameplay, ‘Splosion Man requires quick reflexes and timing, but is simple enough that anyone can grasp the mechanics.

Graphics: 8.5
The characters are quirky and fun, and the environments are well designed.

Sound: 8.5
The cheesy sci-fi soundtrack and goofy babbling by the main character are well done and lend themselves well to the game’s atmosphere.

Difficulty: Hard
Although the gameplay is easy to grasp, the later stages are very tough and require a lot of patience.

Concept: 8.5
A solid platformer that recalls great games like N+, ‘Splosion Man has tons of personality and addictive gameplay.

Multiplayer: 8.5
Four-player co-op adds some challenging and fun new elements to the formula.

Overall: 8.7
‘Splosion Man is a solid action-puzzler that will provide hours of entertainment, and delighting characters.