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This unusual aesthetic is used remarkably well, giving the devious fellow you control an air of quaint mischievousness that makes all your actions feel extra silly. The occasional film grain flicker completes the effect, and because Winterbottom is a man of few words, everything about the game's presentation is reminiscent of old silent movies. This ridiculous premise is given an old-timey, Victorian-era style, painting the world in black and white. The elderly star of this puzzle-solving adventure uses the wisdom only age can bring to steal pies from the mouths of youths, thereby satisfying his own greedy needs.
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Winterbottom is far from your typical video game hero. It's a puzzle game, true, but this is one of those rare gems that will be treasured by anyone who's a fan of good video games, period.P.B. There are passing similarities to Portal and Braid here, but the game is unique enough to survive comparisons and stand on its own. Winterbottom is easily one of the most original and entertaining games to hit Xbox Live in a long while. Not only that, but the game's music is simultaneously creepy and whimsical, and will hopefully be released for download soon. Winterbottom is like running through a living, breathing, Edward Gorey illustration. Winterbottom himself looks like a cross between Snidely Whiplash and a bipedal rat, but it's actually the game world that will steal the show.
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Initially, puzzles require clones to hit switches while the original Winterbottom runs around the level and collects pies, but the game quickly grows insanely challenging.Īside from the delightful and maddening play, the game's production values are wonderful. After the recording stops, a clone running in an endless time loop will perform the recorded actions until you stop him. The idea is that you press and hold the right trigger when you need your actions recorded. But it's also fun, engrossing, challenging, and very addictive to play.
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