'Splosion Man is a Platform Game for the Xbox Live Arcade service, created by Twisted Pixel, makers of The Maw. It was released on July 22, 2009. This aptly-named title follows the adventures of the eponymous, slightly deranged, experimental subject as he escapes from a variety of dangerous laboratories. To navigate the many hazards that he faces, he is blessed with the power to spontaneously explode without harming himself. This ability functions as a jump, as well as a temporary shield from projectiles and a means of offense.
A follow-up, Ms. 'Splosion Man, was released on July 13, 2011
on Xbox Live Arcade and November 22, 2018 on the Nintendo Switch.
'Splosion Man provides examples of the following tropes:
- 2½D: The game is a 2D sidescroller, but uses a 3D artstyle.
- Acid Pool: Acid appears as a common environmental hazard.
- Action Bomb: 'Splosion Man himself.
- Airplane Arms: One of 'Splosion Man's silly running animations.
- Anti-Frustration Features: The game lets you take "The Way of the Coward" if you die enough on a level. It does, however, force 'Splosion Man into a frilly pink tutu for the next level.
- Award-Bait Song: Parodied with "The Splode Beneath My Splosion" during the end credits.
- Ax-Crazy: The player character is arguably a heroic version of this. Just listen to his psycho giggle.
- Black Blood: In possibly the weirdest application of this trope, the scientists bleed meat. No, not bloody chunks of meat from their 'sploded limbs, but steaks, ribs, legs of ham.... and donuts.
- Boss-Arena Idiocy: Justified in that the boss in question is a giant hungry monster, and thus doesn't even know what a good or bad idea entails.
- The Cameo: A certain purple blob from Twisted Pixel's first game released on XBLA makes an appearance. You even get an achievement for finding it.
- Conspicuous Electric Obstacle: One of the most common hazards in the game are reddish nodes that shoot out purple electricity between them.
- Death Course: Acid traps, Spikes of Doom, water, Inconveniently Placed Conveyor Belts and walls of electricity make later levels hard to navigate.
- Distaff Counterpart: Ms. 'Splosion Man
- Easter Egg: "The Donut Song", sorta. It's not hidden, but it does require you to make a specific action and you interrupt gameplay for it.
- Easy-Mode Mockery: Take the "Coward's Way Out" just once and you get a bow 'round your midsection until you finish a level by yourself. In a more serious example, it prevents you from getting "You're The Best Around" (Complete the single player mode) and "A Little Help From Your Friends" (Complete the multiplayer mode) until you do complete the level in the time trial segments.
- Escaped from the Lab: Splosion man himself was made in a laboratory, and the entire game is him trying to escape.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Really, what could I say here?
- Exploding Barrel: Two kinds. The first one is a regular barrel that reignites 'Splosion Man and sends him a few feet in the air. The second one throws him really far, but the player can't control the direction he goes.
- Genius Ditz: 'Splosion Man. Ms. 'Splosion Man even more so.
- Grotesque Cute: A hyperactive, cheerful chap who giggles and coos at practically everything he sees... and 'splodes at random and literally reduces anyone who crosses him into pieces of meat. If it weren't so cartoonishly hilarious and fun, this game would mentally scar quite a few people.
- Having a Blast: Well, DUH! Everything about this game involves explosions.
- The Hyena: If he's not sputtering nonsense, 'Splosion Man is giggling like a loon during gameplay.
- Idle Animation: A great variety that include everything from jumping jacks and shadow boxing to juggling fireballs against a wall.
- Keet: 'Splosion Man
- Made of 'Splodium: Well, duh.
- MST3K Mantra: Invoked during the end credits.How is that possible?
Don't know!
How is that feasible?
Don't know! -
Nintendo Hard: Sweet Jeebus, just try some of the later multiplayer levels! The game in general can be this at times. See Platform Hell. - No Ending: More like a random music video.
- No OSHA Compliance: The game's levels take place in what are ostensibly laboratories, with constant hazards of spiked walls, spinning blades, Exploding Barrels, open vats of bubbling green acid, hostile robots, laser guns, sparking electrical... thingies, and insane burning men running about.
- Phlebotinum Rebel
- Platform Hell: Some of the later levels border on this.
- Press X to Not Die: Some levels can border on this.
- Primal Stance: Another run animation, complete with gorilla-like grunting.
- Psychopathic Manchild: 'Splosion Man tends to sound off with meat-related stuff. "Pork Pork Beef Pork Pork" and "Pork rib!" when he pulls himself up to a ledge. He'll also randomly shout "Bacon!" and other things in-between levels.
- Rise to the Challenge: There are multiple instances of the game where the player has to outrun rising water.
- Rule of Fun: The game is founded on this principle. It works.
- Rule 63: Now with MIZZ Splosion Man! Basically not called 'Splosion 'Oman because this is a puzzle-action platformer like Ms. Pac-Man.
- Rise to the Challenge: The game's many Scrappy Levels often consist of these, both the water and spiked wall varieties. Considering that 'Splosion Man is made of magma, his death on touching water is perfectly plausible.
- Shout-Out
- "Get to da choppa!"
- "See you at the party, Richter!"
- Mighty Eternal: "Wake up, time to die."
- Perhaps the most hilarious is "We're done, professionally!" from Christian Bale's infamous rant on the set of Terminator Salvation.
- In one cutscene, 'Splosion Man dodges bladed projectiles in mid-air ala Peter Parker from the first Spider-Man movie.
- "Video Game Achievement: Not a Portal Reference."
- The end boss seems to be a reference to the Gene Worm final boss of Half-Life: Opposing Force.
- Something Person: "'Splosion Man" has a nice ring to it.'Splosion Man, 'Splosion Man, does whatever a 'splosion can... Can he swing, on a web? No, but he can 'splode you dead, look out! Here comes the 'Splosion Maaaan!
- Spikes of Doom: Spikes act as a fairly common hazard.
- Stop Trick: Present in the credits video.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The Game. In an average level, a player will probably blow themselves up about 150 times. There is an Achievement for 'sploding 300 times in one level — this is by far the easiest Achievement to get in the game.
- Too Dumb to Live: The scientists thought it was a good idea here to create a guy with the ability to explode, in a place full of explosive materials. Not smart.
- Totally Radical: The first boss thinks it's "so uncool" that you're 'sploding in his face and reflecting his missiles.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Cake for 'Splosion Man, to the point it's the hidden collectibles in the levels. It's how the scientists lure him into a trap in the sequel.
- Turned Against Their Masters / Hoist by His Own Petard: 'Splosion Man vs the scientists.
- Twinkle Smile: Present in one of the cutaways during the climax of the final boss.
- Video Game Caring Potential: You can go through a few of the levels without killing anyone. There's even an achievement for it. However, the game notes that only Gandhi would be proud.
- A Winner Is You: The games literally ends with it calling you "the most awesome of the awesome" in a quick song!You are the most awesome of the awesome, you totally beat this game!
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: The end boss. Him calling out things like "Wait, wait, wait!" and eating his own hands when he gets hurt, he's sort of cute, in an Eldritch Abomination sort of way.
- Your Head A-Splode: It happens a lot.
