Game: The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

Platform: Xbox Live Arcade

Game length: 3 to 5 hours

Completed? Charis beat it.

Reviewer: Charis

With the ridiculous name “The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom,” it’s easy to disregard it as something legitimate, and move onto the next game. However, a second glance will show that there is more to this game than meets the pie… I mean, eye… This puzzle-platformer with a twist proves that a name isn’t what makes the game.

The story of P.B. Winterbottom is straightforward and hilarious. Winterbottom, along with his unwieldy nose and knack for stealing sweets, encounters a giant flying pie and follows it through 50 levels over five different acts. The goal of each level is to collect all of the pies using clones that Winterbottom creates of himself. Each level has a clone limit, and each act uses different versions of the clones (some are evil, so you can’t touch them, and some replay actions that you record). The ability to record and rewind may be somewhat reminiscent of Braid, but it’s done in its own unique way. The difficulty ranges primarily based on player skill. Gamers used to puzzle type games may find Winterbottom “easy as pie,” while players new to the genre will no doubt get stuck in a few places.

Not only is the gameplay unique, but the presentation is as well. It looks very much like an old movie being projected on your screen off of a film reel. Old-fashioned music and great animation accompany it, and the loading and story screens are also wonderfully illustrated. Another thing that I personally found clever were the names of each level, based on famous movie and television titles. The close attention to detail makes Winterbottom even more charming.

Full of charisma, great gameplay, and a funny name, Winterbottom isn’t something to pass up. While the levels may be easy for some, it will pose a challenge to others, but nothing that will have you throwing your controller out of frustration. Any fan of a good puzzle-platform game should give it a shot.


Score

8.0

(7’s and 8’s are good to great games that excel in certain areas, but fall short in others. It needs to have some great ideas and be consistently fun. It may have technical flaws that hold it back from being a better game, as well. It’s worth a purchase to fans of the specific series or genre, but comes with hesitations for anyone else)