Sorry, Scientist Guy: you’re gonna get ’sploded.

If Portal and The Maw conceived a baby, odds are it’d look a lot like Warp. After huggably cute extraterrestrial Zero crash-lands on Earth, he’s dragged by evil humans to an underwater research facility. They poke and prod the poor lil’ guy until he wiggles away, regains his signature ability (short-distance teleportation), and escapes the lab.

With Zero unable to open doors or perform too many basic motor functions, you’ll need his gifts to navigate the game world and its obstacles. Guide him with the left stick and teleport inside people and objects using the A button. As puzzles grow more complex — rooms stocked with deadly lasers or shielded guards impervious to your warping — you’ll need the extra powers you gain along the way, such as the ability to swap places with a distant object or to launch an occupied barrel.

Collect these grubs for upgrade points (and an Achievement).

Puzzle difficulty ramps nicely, and making people the villains is a clever switch. Wiggling the left stick when you’re inside their bodies and watching them swell until they explode in a fountain of comical gore never gets old, but the guards’ F-bombs are jarring, as they don’t jibe with the otherwise cartoony, light-hearted humor.

Furthermore, Warp’s upgrade system isn’t explained or implemented well: you’re never reminded to use your currency at the innocuous upgrade stations, and we still don’t know how we earn skill points. Plus, physics become a greater enemy than the puzzles in the final stage, resulting in a lot of frustration near the end.

Still, you’ll find lots to like in this six-hour adventure, with plenty to build upon for more puzzley installments.

PUBLISHER: EA  •  DEVELOPER: Trapdoor  •  ESRB: Mature  •  MULTIPLAYER: None  •  ACHIEVEMENTS: Ha! Good luck...  •  COST: 800 Microsoft Points ($10)

On Xbox Live Arcade

+ Great core mechanic; fun puzzles.

+ Cute character design; cheeky humor.

– Upgrades aren’t presented and explained very well; lousy last level.

? What’s with the profanity? It seems out-of-place here.

7.5