Writing the introduction for a review can be tough. You've got to find your hook; something to grab the reader's attention, and make them want to keep going. You can use a joke, say something outlandish, or start with an anecdote to ease them into the flow of your review. But how the hell are you supposed to do that for a game about an emotional-eater alien who travels through bizarre 2D worlds filled with pigs who do explosive turds and mechanised marshmallows in search of jigsaw-puzzle pieces!? In the case of Eets: Chowdown, you really just have to let it speak for itself...

Eets: Chowdown has been aptly described as a fusion of Lemmings and The Incredible Machine, two fairly arcane references to describe what is a rather unique experience on the Xbox 360. The truth is, there isn't anything else like Eets at the moment, which is a bit of a double-edged sword; it's fresh and it's different, but it's also a real change of pace from what most Xbox 360 gamers expect. Nevertheless, the description is apt: Eets is a 2D puzzle game, which has you placing objects in the environment to help aid little Eets to his goal: a golden puzzle piece. You can't control him directly, all you can do is affect the environment or change his mood, which impacts on how he handles obstacles he encounters. For example if he's scared, he won't jump off a platform if he comes to the edge, but if he's angry, he will hurl himself as far as possible of that ledge with nary a thought for his safety or what lies beneath.

This is essentially what Eets boils down to: controlling his mood, and modifying the environment to clear a path for him. Your arsenal consists of some truly strange accoutrements: radioactive ginseng launchers, airborne whales who launch objects through their blowhole and a choco pump that milks clouds of chocolate and launches little choc-chips, to name just a few. When you load a puzzle, you have a limited assortment of these weird objects to place as you see fit in the level, and experimentation is key to your success. And make no mistake; expect a lot of trial and error before you solve some of these fiendishly difficult puzzles!

If it sounds a little daunting, well, it is, particularly if you don't have a background in these sort of puzzle games on PC over the years. Thankfully the developers didn't want frustration to ruin your experience, and as such they've included a two-tier tip system. During the object placement you can push the left-bumper for a one-off hint, generally revealing an optimal placement for one or two objects. Most of the time this will allow you to nut out the rest yourself and solve the rest of the puzzle. The second option is tucked away in the start menu, and is a complete solve of the puzzle. It throws down the entire solution and shows you the entire thing in motion, usually the result being you slapping your head wondering why you didn't think of that yourself.

Reading it, you'd think it was a bit of a cop-out if you can solve all of the game's 120+ puzzles without doing any work, but here's the rub: the solution presented is far from optimal. It will use all the objects available, and rarely results in a par or below score or time for the puzzle in question. For some that won't matter, but for anyone who is interested in unlocking Achievements or showing up their mates on the Xbox Live Leaderboards, you're really going to need to puzzle it out for yourself to succeed.

Like an episode of 24, events in Eets do occur in real-time and you will probably shout "DAMMIT!” a lot. Once the puzzle is in place, you still have to get Eets to the target jigsaw piece, and this can require nerves of steel and impeccable timing in the later levels. This makes Eets an odd fusion of grey-matter logical (or illogical!) puzzle solving and precision twitch-gaming responses. It's an unusual combination and it definitely gets a lot harder as you progress through the game's puzzle environments.

Which isn't to say Eets: Chowdown isn't incredibly rewarding. Finally working out the solution to a difficult puzzle or getting the timing just right makes for one of the most satisfying Arcade experiences to date. And knowing you can always do better will actually have you replaying puzzles to alter trajectories, respond faster or just plan better to nail a better score and time.

And if that isn't enough for you, Eets is an absolutely gorgeous looking game. The 2D nature of the title makes it perfect for rich and vibrant cartoon styling, which Klei have taken to with gusto. It's bright, busy and colourful and is a treat to behold in motion despite its comparative simplicity. The sound effects are silly and fun in keeping with the design and the enemies and objects you'll encounter, which fit Eets: Chowdown to a tee.

Plus, if high-scoring puzzles isn't enough to keep you going, the Xbox Live Arcade iteration of the game includes Marsho Madness, a one or two-player button mashing game that sees you fending off the various crazy creations in the game by stringing together the appropriate button combinations. You can defeat multiple enemies at once, but picking whether to nail the easy B,B combo or take out the big 4-5 letter combos is crucial to survival. Honestly, it's just a silly distraction but an apt metaphor for the game itself; it's a helluva lot of fun.