If there is one thing that this console generation deserves credit for, it’s introducing us to developers that would never have had a chance without formats like XBL and PSN. Twisted Pixel happen to be one of my top two developers in this regard (ThatGameCompany being the other), so when I discovered that they would be producing a fully fledged title for Xbox 360, my heart skipped a beat. The Kinect may not be my favorite peripheral of all time, but it is certainly starting to gather a stronger line-up and a little Twisted Pixel is just what the tech-doctor ordered.

The Gunstringer is setup as a live puppet cowboy show in which you are the puppeteer. On a quest for revenge, you control the undead Gunstringer using your arms to move and shoot. Your old gang put you in the ground and now you’re out to get even. You’ll have to shoot, brawl, dodge and ride your way to these dastardly villains through several chapters. Each chapter is divided into stages, with the final being a showdown between you and your current target.

The controls are simple. With your left hand you move the Gunstringer around, much like you would with a puppet, pulling up on the strings to jump. Guiding your right hand around the screen locks on to up to 6 targets, pulling your arm back as if you were suffering recoil lets those bullets fly. It’s an intuitive system which feels like second nature after a small amount of time. Regularly the game switches it up a bit, either changing the dimensions of movement (e.g. changing from left/right moves to a side scrolling style) or by putting a second gun in your left hand instead, automatically firing and letting you raise hell upon your foes.

For the most part this control scheme works, but it’s not without its flaws. Sometimes the game will detect slight movement from your shooting hand and open fire before you’re ready (it’s never happened to me before), which can be a pain when you need to hit an explosive at the right time to avoid damage. Also, knowing how much movement is a small movement can be tricky as the game seems to pick and choose on a whim, creating rather frustrating sequences of gameplay. It’s made all the more poignant by sections of the game that ask for precision platforming, which is taxing to say the least.

Thankfully, The Gunstringer never punishes you enough in these tricky sections to make you want to quit. In fact, I never died. Health pickups are scattered through the game in reasonable locations and considering they recharge all your life, you should be able to battle through. The only issue is the score you will receive at the end of the level. There is something curiously aggravating about getting a silver medal for mistakes that you can honestly say were not of your doing.

As with all Twisted Pixel games though, it’s the setting and humor that make their games so wonderfully entertaining and The Gunstringer is no exception. References to Duck Hunt, jokes about cross-breeding and more Western nods than you can tilt a hat at. All of this is beautifully presented in a rather unique way. The Gunstringer is a stage show and the game will often show the crowd’s reaction to cutscenes as well as your actions. At the end of every chapter you’re even given a standing ovation, as roses scatter around the stage. Topping of this bizarre production is the narrator, who is the only person with any lines in the entire game. Somehow, this presenter manages to convey to you all the personality traits of every other character in the game perfectly while keeping in line with all Western film traditions. Prepare for lots of sentences that end with comparisons.

The whole thing is a parody and The Gunstringer manages to pull it off with style. They manage to keep the jokes coming, the weird flowing and the film references flying all the way through the game. Once again, it’s a delight to see the world that Twisted Pixel have created.

The Gunstringer holds many a reason to come back too. Aside from earning medals based upon your performance, there are additional medals earned through other modes and unlockable modifiers which range from changing the gameplay to the character models. I warn you now that hardcore mode might as well come with an attachment for the Kinect, so it can spit on you after it is done kicking your ass, it’s that hard. In the bonus shop you will also find videos, music and a picture gallery, with the later so full of content that it borders on the ridiculous. It’s good all this stuff is in there too, as the game is not particularly long, clocking in at just over 2 hours if you take your time re-trying a couple of levels for higher scores. Some may scoff at the small completion mark, but gameplay modifiers and medals really do act as incentives to and play the game again and again.