I figured it was worth lumping these two games in together as they are both very much worth your time! I played through both of them when they were first released and they are honestly some of the best downright fun I've had in this generation of games. You'll not find any tearful cutscenes or Hans Zimmer scores here - what you will find is cheap comedy (Arnie impressions and blowing up fat guys) and really really good platforming. And explosions. Lots of explosions.
The basic premise is that you ('Splosion Man or Ms. 'Splosion Man) are the result of a science experiment gone wrong. You are essentially a bundle of energy shaped like a person that will explode with very little encouragement. You use this "talent" to make your way around the levels in two ways, firstly it acts as your ability to jump - secondly it will acts as your only weapon in the game. When you explode it throws you into the air acting as a jump, while in the air you can explode again to give you a double or triple jump. You only store enough energy to do a triple jump, but you regain your energy when you land on the ground and you can refill your energy by sliding down a wall or going through a flame so there are times in the game that you spend a good 20 seconds jumping around without touching the ground - where one wrong move can be fatal.
That's another thing about 'Splosion Man - it can be very hard at times, but never unfairly so. You usually know what you need to do quickly enough, but it's all about accurate timing and reflexes. There are lots of incredibly challenging but fun puzzles to figure out along the way and there are more than 50 levels in each game so they will last you a long time.
In addition to the single player mode both games feature a co op mode with a whole new set of levels. This is devilishly fun but at times incredibly frustrating. Now you don't have to just get your own timings right, you have to get your timings in sync with your partner. Luckily by pulling the left trigger you can kick off a three second countdown so that you can plan to execute your plan simultaneously. This is a real lifesaver but still requires a lot of communication so is better suited to "couch co-op" rather than online - or at least with someone that you know.
In terms of differences between the two games, there aren't an awful lot. The playstyle is exactly the same, but the sequel (Ms. 'Splosion Man) just does things on a much larger scale. The puzzles are more inventive, the levels are longer and the art style is a lot more interesting than the slightly samey levels from the original game.
The only criticism I have of the first game is the boss battles can be a bit underwhelming and don't really match the rest of the game. The mini bosses that feature in the middle of a few levels are much better and involve you being chased by a giant robot through an obstacle course with the hope that you can reach the end before he catches you and set off a laser to destroy him. Intense and - there's that word again - fun. The bosses in Ms. 'Splosion Man are much improved.
Admittedly I haven't played a lot of 2D platformers this gen, but Splosion Man/Ms. Splosion Man are probably my favourites of the bunch - they're cheap and you can get them without leaving your house. If you're looking for a platform game or something you can play with your friends that are a lot of fun then definitely look them up. If you were a fan of Earthworm Jim or the Ren & Stimpy games from the 90s you will love them. Ms. 'Splosion Man is the better game all round, but 'Splosion Man can be had for cheaper and is still brilliant so that is probably the better choice if you aren't sure. If you like it though you will absolutely love the sequel so try them both out!
_______________________________
Fun stuff, but controller gnashingly hard in places...we still need to co-op Ms. Splosion man ASAP.
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for more fun (but very tough) platforming action might I recommend Super Meat Boy. Recently played through it myself and reminded me of this. So fucking hard but never cheap and you just don't want to stop playing until you get it done.