The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom Review
I’ve discussed before the some of the effect that Valve’s Portal had on the gaming world. Also worth mentioning is the effect it had on indie games. Portal proved that even a bunch of whippersnappers from DigiPen could revolutionize gameplay. Everyone got it in their heads that they could make the next big thing, regardless of budget or resources. Wonderfully, they’re right. Indie gaming continues to thrive, and Portal was definitely an inspiration. The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom isn’t quite the first to do what it does, but it’s still a fairly new concept, and it does it quite well.
No one is perfect. We all have our vices. Mr. P.B. Winterbottom is no different. He hungers insatiably for the delicious pastry known as pie. So much so, in fact, that he seems to have stumbled upon a way to control time itself. With control of time, he can create parallel clones that act along side him. More P.B.s means more opportunities, and methods, for pie theft. Winterbottom thinks not of the repercussions of these actions, only that there are more ambrosial pies in sight. The misadventures that ensue, however, quickly take a toll on the townsfolk. The misadventures are charming and silly, and are told in well-drawn still black-and-white image form, with accompanying silent-film-style captions and film grain. The game’s orchestral soundtrack is fantastically done, giving a feeling of foreboding mixed with mischief.
In each stage of the game, the player must help Winterbottom collect every pie present. Holding the right bumper records the actions of the player’s P.B. Once the bumper is released, a parallel clone is spawned that infinitely loops through those actions. Each stage has a set maximum of clones the player can spawn. Clones can be destroyed at will, and automatically fade away if whacked or otherwise diverted from their course of action. Despite his physique, Winterbottom is no slouch. He can run and leap quite well. He also has an umbrella with which he can hit things, and fall more slowly. After that, he has to rely on the assistance of his expendable clones. He can hit clones toward pies with his umbrella, ride on and jump off of clones, and they can do the same to him. This means P.B. can not only travel more quickly, he can be in several places as once.
The game’s puzzles are well designed around the core gameplay concept. The player will have to figure out, when and where to spawn clones, what to have them do, and when to destroy them in favor of new ones. Switches and buttons control everything from moving doors, to spawning pies, to popping bumpers for P.B. to jump off of. This means you’ll often have to spawn clones and move in less than obvious ways. The game does a good job of switching up the gameplay by introducing new mechanics over time, like pies that only clones can grab, portals that limit where you can begin recording, etc.
I consider myself fairly good at puzzle games, and overall I progressed rather quickly, but the occasional stage had me stuck for a while. If you would go as far as to say you’re a fan of action/puzzle games, then you’ll probably be ok with the difficulty. At one point, I had to shut down the game and come back later. Luckily, I figured it out shortly after I returned, and it was indeed satisfying. As you progress in the main game “bonus shorts” are unlocked. These are stages that seem to be more about speed and spawning as few clones as possible. These stages are plentiful and feature leaderboard support, so if you get stuck in the main game, you don’t have to quit the game altogether. Leaderboard support is unfortunately missing from the main stages, and I have to wonder why.
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom isn’t my favorite game to use the parallel-selves time-travel mechanic (demo), but it’s the best we English-speakers have gotten, and its a great game on its own. If you enjoy the demo, know that it gets even better.
A TideGear review? Wow, it’s been ages!
I know this sounds petty- but is there any color in the game at all?
You got to love Tide, he reviews one game and then plugs another.
It’s been awhile since a review from Adam. I might have to pick this up along with Toy Soldiers.
LOL.
Wait until you hear this weeks podcast!
Love you, TideGear!
I heard Destructoid calls them ‘cakes’ not pies 😉
Can you turn off the film grain that I’m sure is in the game?
Whats the most clones you’ve seen? I’m afraid the game might get too complicated.
How many points is this 800 or 1200?
Good review, Adam.
How many levels are there in all?
Give us a clue!
Tides back! I thought this gcame out a while ago, but I see it was just last week.
800 Points. Very fair price judging from the demo.
Swaying Half-Robots 😛
Good review, Adam. I was on the fence for this one.
I heard about this months ago, I’ll have to try the demo.
Love the suggestion. very good game. I also picked up PB!
Downloading the demo right now.
I really like game, but it does get really tough. If you get frustrated easy, try the demo.
I’ve heard nothing but praise for the game. Go indie!!!!
Man I wish I had broadband, this seems like a game I’d love!
A half-robot would be a cyborg, so that’s not entirely accurate. Just saying!
Hey, I like to think of it as plugging two games!
Good to be back!
I think I’ve see a max of 6 (which is sometimes more than you need), unless you’re talking about levels with portals (then it’s more). Portals make simplify the levels in a way, so they allow more clones in these stages.
Oh, don’t even, haha!
You guys want to tell the rest of us what you’re talking about!!!
Yes, that bothers me in game, too.
It really shouldn’t be called a misadventure if its that good.
Yes, but it’s mostly pretty subtle when it’s used.
It’s been a long time coming! My theory is that they finished making the main gameplay, but decided to add more storyline elements and/or music.
You mean Onore no Shinzuru? It’s available for import (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-ch-49-en-70-3bqn.html) if you don’t yet have the full game. I consider it worth even the import’s price hike.
Is your dial-up stable enough to download a 282MB file over a few hours? If not, maybe bring your console to a friend’s house?
Like Schindler’s List? Man, that scene was so powerful.
I’m currently deployed (although not in a hot spot, thank god) and broadband is the commodity here.
If I do that, and then go offline, will I still be able to play the game, or does the machine check XBOX Live each time.
I think you should be able to play it offline.
Godspeed, sir!
Cool but really worth the $50 price tag? I’m strapped for cash!
Good review! I may have to try it.
It’s worth that price to me. If you’re on the fence, perhaps wait until you’re not strapped for cash?
Thanks. keep the reviews coming!
Great show. Like the trivia!