Like an automatic pitching machine gone haywire, Xbox Live Arcade is tossing out entertaining titles at a very rapid pace. Since the turn of the new year, games like Serious Sam HD, Darwinia+, and Toy Soldiers have joined the ranks of the extensive Arcade library. If you judge a book by its cover (or its title), it would be easy to skip over The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom.

That would be incredibly unfortunate, however – this charming little title by The Odd Gentlemen is one of the most entertaining Arcade games I've played in a while. Replace Braid's time-reversing mechanic with the ability to clone copies of the game's anti-hero, and you've got an idea of what to expect in Winterbottom. The unique black-and-white style, silly poetic writing, and whimsical music put a strong emphasis on the artistic presentation.

Hush up now, Mario, you shouldn't talk – Winterbottom's 'stach is the best on the block. So, my friends, without further adieu – hit the jump and read our review!

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is an Xbox Live Arcade puzzle-platformer that puts a clever spin on the genre's standard mechanics. It's pretty gimmicky, like Braid's time-manipulation concept. Nonetheless, in many ways, Winterbottom out-classes that sacred cow of a game. Anyone that enjoys a tricky challenge from time to time will find as much to enjoy here.

The story, told entirely through short poems, is about a large-nosed little man named Winterbottom. With the ability to clone copies of himself, Winterbottom sets out on an epic “misadventure” to satisfy his ravenous desire for warm, delicious pie. Yes – pie. There are some other silly characters along the way (including an army of evil clone Winterbottoms!), but the story is all about Frostybutt getting his hands on as much pie as possible.

Playing the game is pretty simple. PB is controlled like any platformer character; he can jump, float, and smack things with an umbrella. His special clone trick is what makes the game interesting. By hold the right trigger, PB's movements are “recorded”. Upon releasing the trigger, a cloned version of PB executes the exact actions that were performed while recording. For example, if you record PB standing motionless underneath a platform, his clone becomes a perfect stepping stone. If you record him running across the room to smack a switch, the clone will carry out the task, allowing the “real” PB to continue without needing to smack the switch himself.. It's a simple concept that is stretched out, tinkered with, and paced so well that the game is constantly throwing fresh new challenges at you without getting stale..

There are 50 brain-teasing levels and 25 bonus stages, and each level is completed by collecting pies that are strewn about. Sometimes you need to collect the pies in the right order, so mastering the cloning ability quickly becomes necessary. The difficulty of solving each puzzle on your own will make some people put the game down in frustration; this is the way that this game is supposed to be played. I read another review that mentioned this – it's true, though – you want to savor Winterbottom. You do not want to devour the entire game in one sitting, it just isn't enjoyed as much that way. Use a walkthrough or video guide when necessary – only when necessary.

I have already compared Braid and Winterbottom a couple of times, but it's inevitable. Honestly, they are just too similar to avoid it, but neither is necessarily better than the other. The two games are very unique and charming in their own way: Braid evokes a very relaxing, dreamy mood that is reflected brilliantly by its wonderful artistic direction; Winterbottom does the same thing in a very different way. It is a quirky, silly game. The Winterbottom character is simply hilarious – his huge nose and dominant mustache are as memorable as Mario's hat and overalls. The antagonizing poems between each level tell the story of a character who would have made a perfect early-morning cartoon character. The music is a particularly notable highlight; comparisons to Braid are unnecessary here because the style is designed to evoke an entirely different mood in Winterbottom.

The only major differences working directly in Winterbottom's favor include the flexibility of the puzzles and the amount of content in the download. I felt like Braid's puzzles were not as open-ended as the challenges in this game. While that isn't a bad thing, I enjoyed the wiggle room that I noticed in Winterbottom. Many of the levels had multiple solutions, and occasionally it was easy to see how they could be solved in other ways. I also feel like Winterbottom has more to offer in terms of content. The 25 bonus levels have a “Recording Challenge” and a time trial, so there are essentially 50 challenges as well as 50 story-related levels. Earning all of the Achievements for this game requires the mastery of all of the challenges and story levels, so there is as much content in Winterbottom – if not more – than in Braid. It still won't take more than 5-10 hours to experience most of the game, but that's not much shorter than a lot of $60 retail games.

Winterbottom is one of the best Xbox Live Arcade titles since the start of the year, and that is saying a lot. With its charming style, tricky puzzles, and wacky music, this game is in the elite company of Xbox Live Arcade hits like Braid, Castle Crashers, and 'Splosion Man. It is easily worth the investment of 800 Microsoft Points. Unless you're holding out for Perfect Dark or Toy Soldiers, this should be your next Arcade download. It's sweet as pie.