The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom Review

 

A pie thief caught in a time vortex certainly qualifies as a misadventure. The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom brought to you by The Odd Gentlemen is a puzzle platformer that combines time manipulation mechanic to devise many devious puzzles. All in the name of Pie!

 

This is one of those little games that has excellent production values and incredible charm. Unique silent film like art style, a memorable music score that’ll get you humming to it in no time, a kooky story that’s not taking itself seriously, and many things that you’ll just smile in glee as you discover them. This is a game that’ll get you hooked as soon as you start it.

 

 

P.B. Winterbottom is a pie thief that goes on this wild pie thieving adventure only to somehow be caught in a time vortex while chasing down a mysterious(yet delicious looking) pie. The story’s cute, but it’s more to serve the gameplay than trying to tell a personal or meaningful tale(like Braid).

 

Gameplay is the strength of this game, as P.B. Winterbottom has somehow got time manipulating powers. The objective of all levels are to collect all the pies in them. You’ll need to create clones of yourself to help yourself get to places and collect pies you can’t reach or by the time limit the pies stay active. You’ll also get to smack Winterbottom on the bottom with his umbrella to get him or his clones to places and higher ground faster.

 

 

Much of the levels center around this, and each episode switches things around and has new rules that will restrict or force you to do things differently. For instance one episode requires you to collect pies at a certain order and another episode has pies that only your clone can collect.

 

Just when you get comfortable with how one episode(episodes are basically a collection of levels in the game) behaves, it flips things around and forces you to rethink how you solve a puzzle. It also has to be said, P.B.Winterbottom requires some platforming skill. Many times, to solve a puzzle, you’ll have to get your timing and position of your clones just right to complete a puzzle.

 

 

What I really like about The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is that many of the puzzles have multiple ways of solving them. Unlike Braid which mostly has one perfect way to solve a puzzle, P.B. Winterbottom’s design offers more freedom. This is especially true for the bonus shorts/challenge levels where the objective is to collect all pies in the shortest amount time and using the least number of clones possible.

 

There are leaderbords for these bonus shorts and you’ll really have to put on your best try if you want to get on the top ten. This mode offers more replayability and length to a short game(the main story is about 3 hours of playtime, roughly 50 story levels, and 30 challenge levels). It’s a shame that there is no practise mode for the bonus shorts to practise a routine before trying it in time trial mode.

 

 

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is an excellent puzzle game that offers lots of challenge with a polished and unique presentation. It’s a short and memorable experience that for USD$5, is a steal. Get this game if you like puzzle platformers, you won’t be disappointed.

 

 

 

Pros:

-Unique and cool art style

-Very addictive music

-Smart puzzles

-Lots of different ways to solve puzzle

-It’s good value for only USD$5 on Steam

 

Cons:

-The game is short. About 2 to 3 hours to complete the main storyline.

- No practise mode for bonus shorts/challenge levels

 

Verdict: Winterbottom indeed is Dastardly!