Available on Xbox Live or in Windows.  I can’t believe I missed this game when it came out in early Feb. It just arrived for PC and I caught a commercial for it and – wow. Using German expressionalistic/surrealism to create a loopy platformer is a great idea. It’s a black and white world, with grainy film-stock and the protagonist is the villainous PB Winterbottom. A scourge, a rogue and a stealer of yummy pies. I like yummy pies, I like clever puzzle games, I like 2D platforming games and I like silent movies that make me think of a cross between Metropolis, Buster Keaton and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

PB is an old guy in a top hat. He can smack things with his umbrella, he can jump and he can use his rainy day aid to help him float gently, saving him from falls. A brilliant tutorial sets the mood and the gameplay and features PB pursuing a magical pie – it’s in color – once he has a taste, he can create time-clones of himself to help him in the increasingly baffling levels to come.

For example, create a clone to stand on one side of a see-saw – so when you jump, he careens up and lands, sending you up to where the pies are. Or you can whack them into new areas, create “loops” where a clone performs a certain action again and again (like hitting a switch). Each level features clever puzzles, all in 2D, and the animations are amusing, surreal and adorable.

It also happens to be yet another great example of games as art.

Portal fans take note, this game is challenging in much the same way. I can’t believe it isn’t making more of a splash, PB Winterbottom while as tasty as, is not as easy as, pie.

There’s nothing offensive except the silly whacking (clones rub their butts in annoyed pain) but the game WILL help your child find creative solutions to interesting problems using a limited toolset and imagination. I heartily recommend this game, it’s cheap, filling and dessert for your brain.

Tags: Game Reviews