Review: Ms. Splosion Man

Price: 800 Points

Castrum - Well, I just finished Ms. Splosion Man. A disclaimer: I did not use a guide at all, nor did I feel like using one, so to all thoughts of "dude, just use a damn guide", meh.

Here goes:

PRESENTATION

Story-wise, Ms. Splosion Man (MSM) is basically the same as the original Splosion Man (SM): the scientists go pissing around, something goes awry, MSM is created, and she goes on a killing spree to save the newly-captured SM. There's really not much else to it.

There are three bosses in MSM, with the last two really having very little to do with the initial story set-up or general sense, though are competent battles as they are.

In terms of art style, it's somewhat unique for a game these days, but it doesn't differentiate at all from SM's, so it feels pretty same-y.

As for ease of use, everything tends to respond well and the menus are satisfactory.

GRAPHICS

The graphics in MSM are certainly adequate and vibrant most of the time, though some typically out-of-camera areas (like the ones you end up falling into and dying) are rough.

I should note that the graphics, or at least their implementation, conflict with good gameplay at certain times. This is particularly prevalent when landing on flying transports (which explode everywhere) and in the second boss battle.

SOUND

The music in MSM is kind of catchy and good quality, but wears very thin after a while. I found myself wanting to mute both the music and especially the incessant blonde-girl gigglefests MSM got up to. These bouts of lunacy were amusing at first, but got old very quickly.

One song in particular in MSM is quite catchy though, I must say. It gets old after a while as well, but it's enjoyable the first 5 or so times you hear it.

For sound effects, aside from the aforementioned aggravating giggle-parties, the effects are taken straight out of SM, which were of competent quality.

GAMEPLAY

I played MSM solo, though there is a 4-player co-op mode I did not play. There is also a Hardcore Mode you unlock after you beat the campaign.

The gameplay in MSM is virtually identical to SM's: blow shit up, rack up points (which you don't see until the end of the level), and reach the end of the level after platforming/exploding through lots of hazards. MSM adds a few new things, like going inside a fat woman scientist to get past turrets instead of just holding a guy like in SM, but overall it's the same game. For clarity, I should note for anyone who has never played SM/MSM, you have unlimited lives.

That said, I did have a lot of issues with MSM by the end:

1) In MSM, there is a dearth (that is, a distinct lack) of checkpoints within levels, particularly during tough sections. Now, I know I'm not some Pro gamer and I know SM/MSM were designed for "t3h h4rdc0r3s", but christ man there's a lot of replaying shit you've already done, even more so than in SM. In fact, this lack of checkpoints can be so bad at times that cheating (via the Game Menu after you die an ungodly number of times, which also negates your score for the level) is really your only option if you don't have "1337 skillz".

2) The aforementioned lack of checkpoints within levels has an additional side-effect: due to their rarity and all the replaying of areas you've already been through once you die, you as the player have a distinct incentive NOT to explore, which is a shame as there is a pair of collectable Shoes in each level (MSM wears them till the end of the level) as well as potential Secret Exits. While I'm not saying it's impossible to go and search for secrets in MSM, it's certainly a large hassle to do so if you are not "1337".

3) Though I thought going into this game that I couldn't wait to play through more SM-style gameplay, sadly by halfway through World 3 (there's three Worlds in MSM with about 15+ levels each) I was simply waiting for the game to end. Whether it was MSM or the gameplay itself, I'm not too entirely sure. All I can say is that the gameplay felt stale by that point.

4) Annoying trial-and-error plagues MSM, even more so than it did SM. Entire sections rely upon either split-second reflexes or grueling die-try-die-try-die-try-etc. gameplay. Many times, barrels you need to explode on or platforms you need to land on/manuever towards are off-screen until it's too late, leading to the aforementioned. It's not like I wasn't expecting something like this, as it is a Platformer and I did beat SM, but it's just aggravatingly-common in MSM, especially after the start of World 2. There was one level in particular, 3-12, which had a section involving platform switches which for the life of me I could not discern how to act in order to proceed.

5) A minor annoyance, but important: I honestly feel the explosion recharge is lacking. I found it takes far too long to recharge, especially in tough situations, and my opinion would be to make it so that it auto-recharges fully the second you make contact with a surface.

Finally, I should state that the last boss has a gameplay sequence similar to the old Punch-Out games in style and input; however, it does not indicate at all what your controls are in this battle, which is reminiscent of the game's gameplay in general really.

ETC.

Really not much else to add. I guess if you had a bunch of friends who owned MSM, you could have a lot of fun in co-op and increase MSM's replayability, but as for solo, there's really not much else aside from secrets mop-up and time trials.

Also, there is a movie shown at the end of the game, before the credits, though it is too "Space Ghost" comedy-wise for my tastes.

I also left out a comment on the "store" in the game, where you can spend the coins you get for beating a level, though since it's all just concept art and random junk, I didn't see much point.

SUMMARY

Ms. Splosion Man is a decent platformer, and certainly worth something around 800 Points or lower (if it gets a sale). It's a virtual carbon-copy of Splosion Man for all intents and purposes, though is more "hardcore" and unforgiving. The game bothered me as I played it, and while I am no Pro gamer and realize as much, MSM gave me some notable bouts of swearing and sometimes even outright confusion as to what I should do to advance. It is by no means a bad game, however, it is by no means the equal of its predecessor either.

Achievements - 10/200
Hours Played - Probably around 12 hours
Game Completed - Yes

My Rating - 75 (Rent)