Remember Lemmings? OK now flip that idea 360 degrees...
Take the basic concept of Lemmings, and flip it on it's head. Got the idea? No? OK remember how Lemmings played. You had these cute little fellas all in danger and you had to plug gaps where they could fall to their death, or make them activate an umbrella as a parachute, dig through blockages, etc. all before time runs out.
Now remove the time limit, and flip the concept by designing traps to stop your 'lab rats' from escaping the lab zone, You fail if just one gets away so it can take more than one attempt to succeed, but if you have a twisted enough imagination and the patience to do so, then you may well find much to enjoy and amuse you in this title.
Others may find it a little too dark and twisted but it's no more twisted than some survival horror games out there or Prison Architect whose very first task is to build an electric chair and fry a criminal!
There are many gadgets here to help you, swinging mace like devices, cannons, land mines, etc, etc. I'm sure you get the picture. Imagine Heath Robinson designing devices and death traps for the camp 60's Batman show or ways for the Hooded Claw to despatch Penelope Pitstop and you'll get the idea.
If this still sounds like fun then give it a go. I found it enjoyable in a twisted kind of way, and quite challenging. The game physics are key here, you have to learn the angles and increments concerning the best places to locate such things as cannons, trampoline traps and spikes.
As time passes and more Splats get released you may well find yourself biting your nails as you try and stop them getting away. The game has quite a few levels to it, but it doesn't take too long to get through. People reckon in all it will take up to 10 hours or so to work your way through the levels and complete the challenges within, but if you have problems with the angles (like me) it may well take longer. To be fair the action pauses as you access the catalogue of components for your deadly mazes but starts again the second you leave the menu so you'd better have the right place and the right angle or it's back to the start of the level.
The music for the game is eerily jaunty and the presentation suitably cartoony and more than adequate for the game. It's not the prettiest game on the market but then again it does not need to be, but saying that, the graphics are sharp and clean and suit the game perfectly.
It's not the longest or the most detailed review I have ever done, granted but a lot of these independent titles are meant to be quick fillers, a diversion from the bigger AAA titles I guess and it lacks enough scope to have me write about different aspects of the game, it is what it is, a multi room or chamber set piece with an entrance and an exit, just stop the specimens leaving the chamber. Like I said, take Lemmings and flip it on it's head and you have the game in a nutshell.
It's not rocket science but it's not easy either. Is it fun? Yeah kind of but the novelty value may wear off for some and it only lures me back to it from time to time, so yeah fun but lacks the give me one more go factor of say Lemmings or solo play Worms or even Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare, so it's an OK kind of game but not amazing.
It amuses, entertains but just fails to engage as much as it could/should have. It's a shame, because it could have been just a little bit more.
Finally a big thanks to Xbox for the code.