Splosion Man is Twisted Pixel’s follow up to their much acclaimed platformer The Maw. And as good as that game was, Splosion Man outshines it on every level. Microsoft featured the title in this year’s Summer of Arcade on Xbox Live and it’s easy to see why.

The concept of the game is simple, you are a science experiment gone wrong. You are now made up of a molten fiery substance and have the ability to explode. Hence the title Splosion Man.

After becoming a freak of nature your life is centered around two goals:

1. Escape from the laboratory.

2. Kill every scientist in your path (revenge is a bitch).

That’s it. There’s your plot. Simple but extremely addicting.

Read the rest of the review after the break…

And the control scheme is just as simple. Every button on the controller does the same thing…make you explode. The only other controls you have are the left analog stick which you use to move left or right, or the right trigger which you can use to kill yourself should you find yourself stuck somewhere.The right analog stick moves the camera in all directions in some situations as well. But you get the point, there isn’t a whole lot to confuse you here.

To make your way through this puzzle platformer you use your exploding powers to navigate through different obstacles. After all the scientists worked hard to make you the way you are, they aren’t just going to let you leave.

You can explode up to three times in a row, blasting you into the air. After those three times you’ll have to wait for a short period of time for you to “recharge”. You can also slide down walls and explode from wall to wall, which will be your main mode of transportation throughout the game.

The mad scientists will make your escape as hard as possible. Using robots, lasers, electrical fields and boss battles to keep you from earning your freedom. There are a ton of levels to play (around 50!), each more challenging then the next in their own way. It’s that challenge and the addicting nature of the gameplay that keeps you coming back for more.

The single player mode is a blast to play but if you’re into playing online with pals than the multiplayer will have a lot to offer you as well. Each level in multiplayer mode is laid out so that you have to cooperate and plan with your friend to make it to the end of every level. Try to do your own thing and you’ll get nowhere. Use perfect timing and team coordination and you’ll be just fine. Although you should be prepared to swear at your pal if he keeps fucking things up…

As you can tell by this review it’s hard to explain this game to someone who hasn’t played it without sounding like a retarded monkey. You have to just play it to understand why it’s so fun. And I recommend you do. It’s well worth the 800 Microsoft Points. For that small price you’ll get hours of old school platforming fun.

Hell it would be worth buying just to see if this cluster fuck of a review makes anymore sense to you after you play it.