Maybe it’s the focus on fun this time around rather than innovation. Maybe it’s the humor that forms the backbone of this game. Maybe it’s just the law of averages that meant Microsoft would eventually get it right. Regardless, Voodoo Vince has come out in the end as more than the sum of its burlap parts; it has turned into the definitive platformer to own on Xbox.

A platformer in the traditional sense of the word, Voodoo Vince has a simple story and a lovable main character. Players take on the role of a 10-inch, one-eyed voodoo doll named Vince whose creator has been captured and needs his help. As Vince makes his way through this "save the Princess"-style story, he’ll fight his way through various Bayou-inspired creatures by punching, spin-attacking and head-butting them in classic fashion.

Yet Vince is a voodoo doll, so after collecting enough Mardi-Gras beads from fallen enemies, he can also unleash voodoo-inspired power attacks. These attacks range from self-mutilation (spearing your head with pushpins) to using environmental hazards (hopping into a blender) to "supernatural" happenings (a giant cow falling from the sky to pass gas on your head). Although these attacks are randomly generated, each of them has the same result: dispatching all the enemies within a given radius.

Most platform games would end their ingenuity there; nine times out of 10, Vince would be little more than a cute character who happens to have some neat attacks mashed between puzzles and lever-pulling. Sly Cooper, God bless him, was a raccoon for what purpose? Mario may be a plumber, but have you ever "roto-rooted" a koopa troopa? What’s intriguing about Voodoo Vince is that Beep Industries has actually thought out the "why" of their main character and designed the game around his skills. The voodoo angle is more than a gimmick; it actually affects the gameplay, as well.

No level illustrates this better than one in which you need to blow up four obstacles by catching them on fire. Sure there are levers to pull, and yes there’s a puzzle to solve; this is a platformer, after all. But both involve Vince, whose burlap complexion is both flammable and necessary to ignite the obstacles in question. Defeating the level involves launching yourself across the parlor via a crossbow, aiming your trajectory to go through a candle and running to the incendiary objects before you’ve extinguished. It’s a simple puzzle, to be sure, and it’s one that overly cerebral gamers will say is "beneath" their skills. But it makes creative use of the main character’s inherent attributes, something that too many developers overlook while investigating the marketability and "cute factor" of their character design.

As intelligent as Voodoo Vince is in its gameplay, its humor is equally sharp and promises to keep even "mature" gamers laughing. I liken its humor to the classic "Looney Toons" of old, where jokes were crafted with such wit that they had one meaning for children and another for adults. Likewise, the writers in Voodoo Vince forgo humor for humor’s sake and opt instead for humor for entertainment’s sake. Never is the comedy so over-the-top that you’ll find it superfluous, and it almost always hits its mark. From comments that poke fun at its genre ("I guess it’s time for the obligatory boss fight") to lines that poke fun at itself ("Ooh, more shiny crap"), the writing is top-notch.

As is the overall audio in Voodoo Vince, with voice acting that delivers quite well the game’s comedic lines, and jazzy music that will keep your toes a-tapping. Word on the street is that Microsoft may be releasing the Voodoo Vince soundtrack on CD or DVD, and if you’re a fan of original jazz that’s actually memorable, you’ll be like me and want to get that soundtrack on day one.

Graphically, Voodoo Vince is no slouch, either. As a kid-friendly game, it includes its share of day-glo colors and easily recognizable character designs, but as a game appropriate for older gamers as well, it comes complete with bump-mapped surfaces, high-resolution textures and one of the most stable cameras this side of the Big Easy.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the graphics department is that the game shares its graphical quality among an incredible array of environments, from firefly-filled swamps to haunted mansions to toy train sets to a fully animated three-ring circus. I was expecting Voodoo Vince to be dependent upon bayou décor, but I was pleasantly surprised by the game’s variety once I finished watching its ending movie.

Unfortunately, I was also surprised by Voodoo Vince’s brevity. One trip through the game took me only 10 hours, and I’m generally a bit "pokey" as I meander around to take advantage of everything a game has to offer. Those who poke around like I did will find plenty of things to keep them playing, from extra voodoo spells in underground drainpipes to zombie dust lying secretly in wait, but when all is said and done, the game is a little short, even for the kids it’s targeted to. Still, to be perfectly honest, I’d rather have a well-crafted title that feels a bit short than a boring game that forces me to play through level after level of uninspired tedium.

Voodoo Vince won’t win any awards for innovative gameplay, but it should be recognized for its clever combination of tried-and-true elements. Nor will it go home with a trophy for its RPG-like length, but it should be remembered for its quality-before-quantity approach. Yes, the game’s short. So is its main character. I’ll still be keeping it on my shelf, and I don’t have kids. Voodoo Vince is fun. It’s creative. It’s been thoughtfully developed and artfully crafted. In short, it’s worthy of any Xbox owner’s hard-earned money and the title of "Xbox Platformer Extraordinaire."

See more screens on the Voodoo Vince media page