Twisted Pixel: A PAX 10 Success Story

So with PAX fast approaching I thought it might be fun to cover my favorite PAX 10 success story. For those of you not familiar with the PAX 10 every year the people who run PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) chose 10 independently developed games to showcase as part of the expo. In 2008 one of those games was The Maw from a then little know developer by the name of Twisted Pixel. Thanks to that choice the game became kind of a media darling and was covered by pretty much every gaming outlet out there.

When The Maw was released in January of 2009 it was met with an impressive amount of hype for a game on the then fledgling Xbox Live Arcade service. The Maw if you haven't played it was an incredibly cute and whimsical game that managed to funny and challenging all at the same time. The player controlled a small blue alien who in turn controlled a larger purple alien with one hell of an appetite. I know it sounds different, and it is. That is what makes it worth playing even now. If you happened to have missed it the first time give The Maw a shot and download the demo.

The following year Twisted Pixels next game was part of the Summer of Arcade program for Xbox Live Arcade. 'Splosion Man was immediately hailed by everyone as the platformer everyone had been waiting for. It took a simple one button control scheme and turned it into one of the most challenging games to have ever been released on the 360. Splosion Man manged to mix the accuracy needed in Super Mario Brothers with the speed and twitch reflexes needed in a game like Sonic, and what came out of it was pure gaming joy. Are you starting to see a pattern yet? Yep, go get it if you haven't already.

After they finished working on 'Splosion Man Twisted Pixel started work on a game with more scope. And in fitting fashion they announced Comic Jumper at PAX in 2009. By this time Twisted Pixel had built a big following with the PAX faithful and it quickly picked up steam on the show floor as well as across the gaming media. Over a year later Comic Jumper was released as part of Microsofts Game Feast and sold very well. The game followed Captain Smiley and his costumes smart-ass star logo through four comic book eras. The game is easy enough to explain, it is a bullet hell side-scrolling platformer.

If you know your video games then you know that the game isn't as easy to play as it is to explain. It is a game that is not for the faint of heart. It will punish you over and over again. Here is the catch, you will most likely enjoy every minute of it. Thanks to the fun characters and worlds.

So what would the creative minds at Twisted Pixel think of next? Well, on July 13^th, they decided to riff on Namco and Ms 'Splosion Man was released on Xbox Live Arcade and has managed to bring all the fun of the first game with a lot more difficulty and A TON of pop culture references to boot. I haven't finished this one yet, but I am having a blast with it so far. This one is a must have for anyone that considers themselves a gamer. The same tight controls as the first game with a lot of added attitude and fun. You don't want to miss this one.

So what do you do after you have essentially conquered Xbox Live? Move on to retail! That is exactly what Twisted Pixel is doing with their next release, The Gunstringer. It was announced recently that this new Kinect title, that has players controlling a gunslinging marionette with just hand gestures, will be the developers first retail boxed release. I haven't got my hands on this one yet but hopefully it will live up to the legacy that Twisted Pixel has built. I'm sure they will be showing it off at the place where is all started 4 years ago, at PAX.

As always you can leave feedback in the comments or hit me up on twitter, @Jlove89. Also feel free to click the assorted social media thingys below to help spread the word. Thanks!