Twisted Pixel, creators of The Maw and Splosion Man have a new game hitting the XBLA on Wednesday. The company is based out of Austin, TX, and was founded in 2006. Their previous games have won the PAX 10: Audience Choice award at PAX 2008 for The Maw, and Best 360 Platforming Game at E3 2009 for ‘Splosion Man. With that background, their newest title Comic Jumper has a lot to live up to. Check past the break for our full review!

The game stars Captain Smiley, a comic book hero with a failing franchise, and his assistant “Star” who is literally a foul-mouthed star attached to his chest. After his series is cancelled, Twisted Pixel funds his return to a solo comic by building him the Comic Jumper. The Comic Jumper is a machine that allows Captain Smiley to jump between other comics and essentially become a hero for hire.

Each set of levels (3 on average) brings a differing art style and character design to Captain Smiley and star. From Silver Age Comics to Conan The Barbarian-style fantasy, to Manga. Twisted Pixel have managed to nail not only the art style of the different genres, but the characters as well. All of the characters reek of the era and style of comic that they come from, be it the woman’s lib villainous or the cutesy Shojo Manga characters. The dialogue  in the game spends most of its time making jokes about everything, from comic books to video games (including Twisted Pixel mocking its own past IP’s). Everything is fair play, and the banter is absolutely fantastic and thoroughly hilarious.

The game play itself is fun and intuitive. During the melee sections of the game as you beat up enemies they can fly into various bits of scenery. Along with the melee there is quite a bit of shoot-em-up game play with very tight controls. However, if there is one weakness in the game it’s the difficulty curve. You will often find yourself overrun with enemies and will have to prioritize your targets with a touch of finesse. The upside is that you have unlimited lives; however, at the end of the level, the less times you died – the more of a bonuses you’ll receive.

Between levels, you spend time in Captain Smiley’s base which is populated by the bosses you have vanquished. Be sure to stop by and chat with them between levels for the bonus cash and the banter. In the base you’ll find your trophy case (Achievements), two arcade machines which allow you to purchase The Maw and Splosion Man without leaving the game, and a shop. The latter is the most important thing in the base besides the Comic Jumper.

At the shop, not only will you be able to purchase upgrades with the money you’ve accrued in your adventures, but its where you purchase all the extras. These range from comic book covers to character models, to profile pictures, a premium theme and two levels for ‘Splosion Man. The best part about that is you dont have to pay Microsoft Points for these extras –you just have to save up enough, and you’ve got free DLC and a premium theme. This is an innovation that I think more titles need to use.  The downside with the shop is that there is a brief animation for each purchase, and while its not an issue the first few times, when you’re unlocking 160 of something at once it becomes a bit tedious.

The game on the whole is really fun, though a bit frustrating, and mostly in a good way. Between the gameplay, hilarious dialogue, extras for your dashboard, and the in-game DLC (You can’t just download them from the marketplace – you have to get them in the game), Comic Jumper is a must-buy on the XBLA.

Be sure to pick it up when it drops Wednesday October 6th. The game will cost 1200 MSP, and its part of the XBLA’s first Game Feast.