The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

About

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a single player arcade action adventure game. It was developed by The Odd Gentlemen and was released on April 20, 2010. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a puzzle-platformer game that follows the story of a mustachioed villain bent on stealing all the pie in the world. Players manipulate time and create clones of Winterbottom to solve increasingly complex puzzles across different levels. With its unique gameplay mechanics and hand-drawn art style, the game offers a refreshing and entertaining take on the puzzle genre.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom screenshot

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 258 reviews

gameplay23 positive mentions

emotional3 negative mentions

The game features striking artistic visuals and a charming aesthetic reminiscent of silent films.
Puzzles are inventive and provide a satisfying challenge, requiring clever use of time manipulation and cloning mechanics.
The soundtrack is brilliant, enhancing the whimsical atmosphere and overall experience of the game.

Gameplay can become frustrating due to the reliance on twitch reflexes and strict timing, detracting from the puzzle-solving experience.
The narrative is simplistic and not well integrated into the gameplay, making it feel less engaging.
Some levels can be overly difficult, leading to repeated resets that may frustrate players.

gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The gameplay of Winterbottom is characterized by its clever puzzle mechanics that involve time manipulation and cloning, providing a mix of challenge and fun. While some players find the mechanics repetitive and lacking in narrative depth, many appreciate the introduction of new elements that keep the puzzles engaging throughout the game. Overall, the combination of solid mechanics, charming aesthetics, and a unique gameplay gimmick makes it a noteworthy puzzle platformer, despite some criticisms regarding its length and character.
- “The gameplay is a combination of puzzle and platforming, which is very well-designed.”
- “A lovely, clever little puzzle game that reeks of personality and charm with very solid gameplay.”
- “The puzzle mechanics are unique and although they rely on one specific mechanic, the additional elements keep up the challenge and introduce new ways of thinking into every new level visited.”
- “The core puzzle gameplay is very bland and uninventive, up until the point where the 'record your actions and replay them' feature is included.”
- “What really kills the title for me is that it just does not have a lot of character, the story is nearly non-existent, and the mechanics don't blend into the game with any sense of purpose.”
- “The game is very long and its gameplay is repetitive, even for a puzzle game.”
music
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
32%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its excellent composition, often featuring a charming ragtime piano style that complements the game's vintage aesthetic. Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack enhances the overall atmosphere, making it a memorable aspect of the experience, despite some opinions that it feels somewhat overlaid with the gameplay. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's unique charm and appeal.
- “Fun gameplay, but what truly carries the game is the soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is just magnificent and I truly think this game is an underappreciated little gem.”
- “The music is classy.”
- “The music is laid on top of the game; it's decent music, but it feels overlaid. It doesn't really flow with the action of the game and feels like a mute game with YouTube playing in the background.”
- “Such as the music, you have a 3D character that's kind of low quality, the film grain feels very fake, and the hotspot interactables often also feel overlaid cheaply on top of the static backgrounds, noticeably so.”
- “The OST isn't something I would go out of my way to listen to, but it is brilliant nonetheless.”
story
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
54%
8%
The story of the game is characterized as whimsical and charming, often conveyed through poetic verses and an old-fashioned aesthetic reminiscent of early cinema. While some players find the narrative simple and lacking depth, others appreciate its quirky humor and engaging atmosphere, particularly in the context of the puzzle mechanics. Overall, the story serves as a lighthearted backdrop to the gameplay, with a mix of amusing elements and unexpected twists, though it may not appeal to those seeking a more substantial narrative.
- “The game takes inspiration from the early days of cinema, with text screens that tell the story, funky circus music, black and white color palettes, and environments from factories and early theaters.”
- “With beautifully done artwork and a wonderful story expressed through poetry, this game is definitely worth playing!”
- “The puzzles are challenging, the story is silly and charming.”
- “This game has a strange story that is told very simply, but not very well.”
- “What really kinda kills the title for me however is that it just does not have a lot of character, the story is near non-existent, the idea of chasing pies is unattractive, and the mechanics don't blend into the game with any sense of purpose and just seems to be there because 'gameplay.'”
- “It doesn't have any storyline or anything, it's just the same as any level-based indie game.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
39%
8%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and unique art style, heavily inspired by silent films and vintage aesthetics, which create an immersive atmosphere. While some users noted occasional awkwardness in the visuals, the overall presentation, including hand-drawn artwork and a fitting soundtrack, contributes to a delightful and cohesive experience. The combination of black and white visuals with subtle color accents enhances the game's appeal, making it a standout in its genre.
- “Amazing little puzzle game with beautiful artwork.”
- “The silent movie aesthetic of the game matches well and gives a certain sense of immersion.”
- “Winterbottom is wonderfully bizarre - gorgeous Victorian-style greyscale visuals, superbly decadent music, and game mechanics that become more and more surreal as we progress through the levels.”
- “The graphics and animation in the game are all done in a silent film, black and white style.”
- “Graphics are awkward and seem very odd at times, almost like the game was made for a web browser.”
- “The faux-film grain, black and white aesthetics, and okay animation work come together to give this sort of 'Cuphead' cinematic feel, but cheaper, more shoddily put together with clashing.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, featuring funny poetic verses and entertaining gameplay elements that enhance the overall experience. Players find the combination of challenging puzzles and humorous storytelling, including the recurring theme of pie, to be highly enjoyable and memorable. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with engaging mechanics, making it a delightful choice for those who appreciate a lighthearted approach to puzzle-solving.
- “The game is also hilarious.”
- “Winterbottom presents clever humor and a fantastic soundtrack that will echo in your head for weeks after you completed the game.”
- “Extremely funny, fun platformer with clever rhymes and puzzles that will truly challenge the way you think.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
10%
The atmosphere of *Mr. Winterbottom* is consistently praised for its brilliant blend of old film aesthetics, a captivating soundtrack, and unique visuals that create an engaging experience. While some players find the atmosphere slightly repetitive and the cinematic interruptions disruptive, the overall ambiance is considered delightful and integral to the game's charm.
- “What makes this game delightful is the atmosphere that remains consistent from beginning to end: simple frames of silent film with a simple orchestra and a sarcastic yet silent narrator.”
- “Aesthetically it is very cool, the use of black and white (with few colors), its aesthetics of old films and good music provide a very pleasant atmosphere for a ludic and fun story like that of Mr. Winterbottom.”
- “The game has a wonderful atmosphere aided by astonishing visuals, excellent soundtrack, and a very incredible overall art style.”
- “Mechanically, it reminds me of The Swapper, though the graphics and atmosphere are totally different.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The emotional aspect of the game is largely overshadowed by a tedious story and an unnecessary tutorial, leading to a lack of engagement and connection for players.
- “The story felt tedious and uninspired, making it hard to connect emotionally with the characters.”
- “The tutorial dragged on unnecessarily, detracting from any potential emotional engagement with the game.”
- “I found myself disengaged from the narrative, as the pacing and lack of depth made it difficult to feel any real emotions.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its significant stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs and overall poor performance.
- “The game is buggy.”
- “The game is bloated and filled with bugs.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game offers limited replayability due to its short length and the nature of puzzle games, which typically do not encourage repeated playthroughs. However, the challenging bonus shorts provide an additional layer of replay value for those seeking more content.
- “Plus, the bonus shorts are hard to complete, which adds lots of replayability.”
- “A lot like Portal, my only issue is that it's kind of short and, like every puzzle game, it has zero replayability.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate that the levels are short and concise, which helps to avoid a grindy experience.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game suffers from performance issues despite users meeting the recommended system requirements, indicating subpar optimization.
- “This game has performance issues on my PC, even though it should run just fine; I meet all the recommended requirements.”
- “The optimization is terrible; I experience frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite having a high-end system, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making it frustrating to play.”

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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3h Median play time

3h Average play time

3-3h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a arcade action adventure game.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is available on PC, Windows, Xbox 360 and Xbox.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom was released on April 20, 2010.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom was developed by The Odd Gentlemen.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its emotional.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a single player game.

Similar games include Braid, The Bridge, Life Goes On: Done to Death, Creaks, LIMBO and others.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom

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XBLA Review - 'The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom'