Twisted Pixel has a recipe for success, but they’re not exactly keeping it a secret. First, you’ll need one part Sonic the Hedgehog, one part Bomberman and one part N+. Second, you’ll need to take the first three ingredients and cram them all into a can of Cherry 7Up. Add in a pack of Pop Rocks for good measure and you’re almost set. Lastly, you’ll need to shake it all up as violently as you can, and then slam it down onto the ground. If you’ve done everything right, what you’ll have is Twisted Pixel’s Ms. Splosion Man, the follow-up to 2009’s smash hit, ‘Splosion Man.
Seemingly infused with an endless supply of caffeine, Ms. Splosion Man is pure energy from the get-go. Not only do you have to be quick with your wits, but sharp with your reactions as well. Fail the same section too many times and the game will tempt you with a Nintendo-inspired-opportunity to have the game complete the stage for you. It comes at a cost, though, as you’ll have to give up some majors points, thus watering down your score.
The multiplayer mode asks that players keep up with one another as they traverse through level after level, all different from their single player counterparts.
An obvious tribute to Ms. Pack Man, Ms. Splosion Man is as quirky as it is fun. In terms of pace and design, the game holds many similarities to Sonic the Hedgehog. The gameplay and physics are obviously influenced by N+. With regards to game’s main tool, methodical explosions, Bomberman‘s fingerprints are everywhere. But Ms. Splosion Man doesn’t simply borrow the best aspects of other arcade style games. It creates a fresh atmosphere, all its own. But being completely honest, the sheer “bubbly-ness” of the game is a bit much at times.
And that’s where the freshness of the game falters. It’s almost sickening after a while. At some point or another in our adolescence, we all experienced the remorse of having gorged ourselves on candy and cake (or at least I did). It was a good idea at the time, but we never thought of the repercussions. And that’s what Ms. Splosion Man is akin to — devouring cake and ice cream, washing it down with soda, and then going berserk on the trampoline. It doesn’t take long before you’re puking up all that (once) sweet goodness.
But enough of the metaphors. Ms. Splosion Man is a good game. It’s fun, but only in spurts. It can get repetitive fairly quickly, but you’ll want to play it again soon enough. That having been said, there are only so many times a person can listen to regurgitated Beyonce and Spice Girl lyrics before the mute button becomes your best friend. See, I told you it was quirky.
