World Gone Sour has just hit Xbox Live and it is one of the more interesting titles I have played in a while. This is a game based off of the Sour Patch Kids candy and as such no one really knew what to expect. What we got though was a cute and quirky platformer reminiscent of some of the titles of the 16 bit era. Going through the levels I definitely had flashbacks of my time with Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario World as a child. You assume the role of a piece of Sour Patch Kid’s candy as you make your way through the game towards your ultimate goal, to get eaten. The destiny of each Sour Patch Kid is indeed to get eaten and those who have failed in the quest tend to become evil and deranged. If this premise sounds a little crazy to you that’s because it is, in addition to being a whole lot of fun. This is one of the more creative ways that I have seen product placement being used in a game and the whole title is a bit of fresh air.

You start off the game in a trash can after the boy that was about to eat you trips and spills his candy everywhere. You need to make your way up, over and under discarded candy boxes, empty cups and much more. As you progress you will come across other pieces of candy that will become your followers. Once you have acquired enough followers you can grow in size. Your size will be important for puzzles in the game and the game will allow to shrink or grow as needed. There are many different obstacles to overcome and you will have to utilize your followers at times to advance. There were times when I had to throw a follower into an obstacle so that I could break free or sacrifice one of them by throwing them at an item that I wouldn’t be able to get to myself without getting killed. Hazards in the world include an angry hunk of chewing gum, liquid on the floor, nails, stove tops and much more.

The environments in World Gone Sour vary from a trash can at the movie theater to the concession stands, a freezer and more. Each environment has different obstacles that must be avoided such as the fryer in the concession stands that is used to make French fries. The basket goes up and down slowly and you need to be able to time it so you land when the basket is out of the oil or you will get killed. The game does encourage you to sacrifice your followers whenever possible going so far as to offer an achievement for sacrificing 1,000 followers. Some your moves include the ability to double jump, wall jump and use your followers as a grappling hook so you can latch on to something before you fall to your death. This game also features local co-op so that you can go on this journey with a friend of yours on the couch. After every few levels there is a boss that you will need to fight which also tend to be pretty interesting going from a deranged doll being controlled by a deranged Sour Patch Kid and more that I don’t want to spoil.

World Gone Sour is a really fun platformer and one of the better uses of product placement that I have seen in quite a while. I love how crazy the concept is and how well the development was able to execute on their vision. The game is only 400 Microsoft points as well making it an easy title to recommend for everyone. If you are a fan of platforming titles then you really should play this game. Don’t let it slip under your radar and be sure to be careful the next time you are eating candy…unless you want to deal with evil, deranged candy out to get you.

Score: 8/10

Originally posted on Totally Gaming Network