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Splosion Man

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

9.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 52 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 27 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Twisted Pixel

Genre(s): Action, Adventure

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: July 22, 2009

Summary

[Xbox Live Arcade] Fools they were, to tread where knowledge should stay forbidden. For what emerged was not a man - it was Splosion Man. "And all who saw him were 'sploded, for he was the fire and they were but meat." Able to 'splode himself at will, Splosion Man launches his way through levels, an uncontainable force. From Twisted Pixel Games, developer of the award-winning The Maw, comes a single- or co-op multiplayer experience that 'splodes like no other. Play through 50 single-player levels split into three environmentally different chapters as Splosion Man escapes the underground Big Science Labs where he was created. Multiplayer action: Jump into 50 multiplayer levels supporting up to four player co-op split into three different chapters. Bonuses: Get free unlockable premium dashboard theme, gamerpics, and Avatar accessories. Visual style: The personality and humor shine through in film-like cinematics and hundreds of in-game animations. Vivid and colorful graphics advance character animation and emotion. Hours of fun: Splosion Man is a retail game's amount of content that can be downloaded from the comfort of your own living room. Musical talent: The original music score is from award-winning composers Joshua R. Mosley (single-player levels) and John DeBorde (multiplayer levels). [Twisted Pixel]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

GameShark

‘Splosion Man is a game that does things right from beginning to end and even though it may have you cursing up a storm every now and then, it’s a game that you can get a sense of satisfaction from, either playing it for an hour or for five to ten minutes at a time.

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Game Over Online

All in all, Splosion Man is a definite must-buy. Its combination of challenging, but addictive gameplay, impressive graphics, and humor combine to form a memorable experience that stands out and sticks in your head long after you’ve shut the system off.

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GameFocus

It is one of those rare games that are perfect for the casual gamer who cannot spend much time gaming or is not very good at gaming in general or the hard core gamer who likes to play with friends and see this fast unique title in action. It is a must buy for all gamers and is a great way to start off Microsoft’s 2009 Summer of Arcade. If the rest of the titles are this good it will be a great summer to be indoors.

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Console Monster

Splosion Man maybe my sleeper hit of the year on XBLA. It just popped up on my radar upon release and I've pretty much fallen for it since I started playing it.

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Game Revolution

It's great to see yet another great downloadable game come from Twisted Pixel that not only brings something fresh to the table but does it with style.

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Vandal Online

Splosion Man is one of the best Xbox Live Arcade games, a fantastic platform game nobody should let escape.

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Eurogamer Italy

Original, various, addictive e above all, funny: 'Splosion Man is the must buy for summer 2009. A new masterpiece that enrich the already huge offer on Live Arcade: and the great score is for you! BOOM!

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NZGamer

'Splosion Man is about the most fun I have had with a platform game since New Super Mario Bros, or Sonic Advance 2.

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Gamer 2.0

Though Splosion Man definitely is a platformer on the harder side of the difficulty fence, the great level design and presentation really does a great job of making you want to continue playing to see what’s next even when you get frustrated.

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GameSpy

'Splosion Man will probably prove too difficult for a lot of people to want to play through in its entirety, but I urge you to at least try.

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DarkZero

For those who crave a bit of old-school platforming with a few unique twists, it’s an essential purchase.

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Thunderbolt

It has a certain charm you can’t help but love and the precision based, high octane gameplay is one you’re going to keep coming back to.

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IGN

'Splosion Man is bursting with humor, personality, and classic platforming challenges. Not a moment goes by without seeing something new and exciting and 'Splosion Man himself is one of the most endearing new videogame characters of the year.

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TeamXbox

’Splosion Man is not for the weak, or the uncalloused of thumb. But if you do have the druthers to give it a whirl, you’re going to find yourself playing one of the most addictive and challenging games to come out on XBLA so far. To put it simply, it’s a blast.

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Worth Playing

'Splosion Man is one of the most enjoyable and unique platform games I've played in years. The gameplay is simple to pick up but full of complexities to master.

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Destructoid

’Splosion Man is without doubt one of the most polished, original, and enjoyable games on Xbox LIVE, a great way for Microsoft to kick off its “Summer of Arcade.” If you enjoy stern, sometimes unforgiving platforming challenges, you simply shouldn't miss it.

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VideoGamer

'Splosion Man has come out of nowhere, with little to no hype surrounding its release, but it easily ranks as one of the best XBLA games we've played. It's a remarkably simple idea that's been turned into a truly devilish platform puzzler, and it's full of charm and humour without coming across as cheesy.

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Meristation

Splosion Man has the graphics, the humour, the sound and the joy to become one of the greatest arcades of this summer. The latest work from Twisted Pixel is one of the most innovating games of this generation, a mixture between action and puzzle that slowly makes his way to the top in an incredible show of originality and wisdom. Despite some minor unattended matters, this is a very good chance to enjoy a good game without wasting a pence.

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MS Xbox World

‘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.

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GamePro

While not for the meek, Splosion Man is terrific game and at a paltry 800MS Points, a great value. Not only is it funny and fun to play but with tons of content (50 single and 50 multiplayer levels; theme, gamer pics and Avatar clothing to earn; time trials to participate in) its a must add to your XBLA game library.

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Totally360

Overall, Splosion Man is a really fun title and a great start to the “Summer of Arcade”. It is a unique take on the side scrolling genre and definitely something everyone should experience.

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Impulsegamer

In conclusion, it's good to see an original game hit the market that is quite affordable priced and contains decent graphics, a great soundtrack and some fun gameplay, Splosion Man is deliciously delectable.

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GameTrailers

There's a lot here, the price is right, and games this well-realized don't come along very often. If you ask us, this manic little ball of fire has a long career ahead of him.

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GameZone

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

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MEGamers

A great game steeped in retro design.

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Pelit (Finland)

Fast and furious platformer with an excellent co-op play. [Aug 2009]

Planet Xbox 360

With its great visual style, simple mechanics, quality level design, and goofy sense of humor, Twisted Pixel has created a game that makes even its most maddening parts a good time.

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3DJuegos

Brilliant. Splosion Man brings tons of humor and challenge, and it is without a doubt one of the best platforming arcades on Xbox Live in months. Vintage lovers can’t miss this one.

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WonderwallWeb

Splosion Man is a top title, its packed with humor, is very well presented and is also great fun to play.

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GameCritics

It's visually attractive, tuned to perfection, and presents a classic formula that never goes out of style.

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PALGN

Splosion Man is a wonderful breath of fresh air that's enjoyable, well priced and full of personality.

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Gamer Limit

'Splosion Man offers a lenghty and engaging puzzle platforming experience that's only helped by great music and hilarious jokes.

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Everyeye.it

A strange platform, that clearly shows how in 2009 is still possible to make a really funny game in which you have to press only one button, with the right timing.

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Gaming Age

And if it doesn't fulfill your platforming needs at least it'll be good for fair amount of mindless laughter.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

As the game manual expressly states, every button on your controller makes you do the same thing: “splode.”

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Giant Bomb

Just fun enough and charming enough to make it worth gritting your teeth through all the tough spots. It's a great second effort from Twisted Pixel, and a tidy little value for the money.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

The cruelty of the levels can be frustrating, but you'll keep coming back. The infinite lives and near-instant reloading of checkpoints means stress always loses out to the classic "one-more-go" syndrome.

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ZTGameDomain

'Splosion Man is a great way to kick off the Summer of Arcade program and is a steal at only $10, if you enjoy platforming. If you're not into some serious timing and precision trial-and-error gameplay, then 'Splosion Man might not be for you.

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Edge Magazine

‘Splosion Man lives up to his name, providing a burst of exciting, arresting fresh IP that significantly changes the landscape around.

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GameSpot

This is one of the most original platformers to come down the road in a while and is one that just might be good enough and addictive enough to spawn a new franchise.

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Cheat Code Central

This game could have probably used a custom level editor to create your own levels, but as an arcade game that just costs 800 MS Points, you really couldn't ask for a whole lot more. The most important thing is the game is fun, imaginative (to a certain point), and contains a good sense of humor and a quirky protagonist.

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Play Magazine

A wider variety of backgrounds would be nice, but the gear-works within them change and evolve at a rate that the makes the sameness fade away. Gameplay this pure, this tuned, and this fun is rare indeed, and the ‘S-Man himself is a total blast.

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Video Game Talk

If you're looking for a solid Arcade title to pick up then you could do a whole heck of a lot worse than 'Splosion Man. This game is a blast from start to finish and it's even better with friends.

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Games Radar (in-house)

‘Splosion Man’s many humorous moments and generally pleasant silliness counteracts stage design that doesn’t really offer enough visual variety through the game’s 50 levels.

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X360 Magazine UK

It's still not as good as N+, though. [Nov 2009, p.104]

Gamestyle

Twisted Pixel showed that it had promise with The Maw, but with ‘Splosion Man it’s definitely cemented its place as one of the top developers for the XBLA.

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games(TM)

It's brash and ridiculous, but better for it - the insane climax easily among the most entertaining endings we've seen in years. [Oct 2009, p.132]

Official Xbox Magazine

There's a vast supply of goodies for determined 'sploders, making this a sparkling, silly treat. [Oct 2009, p.80]

Gameplayer Sweden

Splosion Man is an old school platformer that is more related to Sonic and N+ rather than Mario but still manages to be as charming and colorful as the Italian plumber. Though the game is low on new gameplay elements towards the end, it never gets boring or monotonous. It's an instant buy for all platform junkies.

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Eurogamer Portugal

If you’re looking for a fun and simple platform game, then you’ll have to take a look at this explosive hero.

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Teletext GameCentral

Like any good firework display this fun platformer retains its charm even after the novelty runs out.

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Eurogamer

Its immediate charms are tarnished only by some repetitive level design and some minor control frustrations.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 27 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Joey K.n gave it a10:
One of the best purchases I've ever made on XBLA. I'm not one of those hardcore twitch speed run N+ guys, either. I'm not that good at platformers, but I had a blast beating this one. It's hilarious, loaded with charm, has great production values, is very creative, and it mindblowingly fast paced and intense at times. It does get challenging, but not unbeatably so. Except for the boss fights which were genuinely annoying, it always stays fun. Despite dying hundreds of times, I rarely got actually frustrated, and I was never stuck for too long. I could go on about all the things they did right, but let's just say that it's practically perfect. Try the demo, and if you had any fun, then it's totally worth the bargain price of 10 bucks.

Sam F. gave it a10:
Awesome platformer that hooks you in from the beginning. Within seconds of playing the demo, I was unlocking the full game. Loads of fun. Yes, the levels can be a bit repetitive in terms of their styling, but to be honest I'm more interested in completing the puzzles and getting to the end or finding the cakes! Not once have I been playing and gone "you know what? I'm bored of this because the backgrounds aren't interesting" so that argument is null and void. On top of which you also have the infectious music and sound effects. 'Splosion Man himself is highly amusing with lots of little quotes and exclamations along with character animations. Also, the Donut Song!!

Mike M gave it a10:
A truly phenomenal platforming game. A blast to play with 3 friends on a single TV, and a much better game than several of the ones that cost 4 times as much.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
One of my favorite XBLA games of all time! 100 total levels, unlockable gamerpics, themes, avatar accessories and more this game is awesome. For only 800 points this is a huge bargain, don't hold back go download it while the online community is still thriving. In a matter of months it'll be gone.

John F. gave it an8:
A fun and addicting game with a good sense of humor. Parts of the game feel like they were lifted directly from N+, but the game overall has more energy and charm than N+. The main problem is that sometimes the camera zooms out so far that 'Splosion Man can be hard to see, but overall the game is worth $10 for sure.

Matt G. gave it a10:
This is a great title that gets better with each new level. I don't buy a lot of XBL titles but this was a must after downloading the demo level !

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