Gaming

Probably the most witty and inventive title I've seen for years, with a delightfully bizarre story and a plot twist so uncanny that it took me completely by surprise... and that doesn't happen very often at all...

When I first cracked open the box for Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, I have to admit to being somewhat sceptical. The games excellent pedigree was never in question, for Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus and Munch's Oddysee were all wonderfully creative and absorbing Action/Puzzle/Platformers. The question was, could this wonderfully strange format be converted into a successful FPS action adventure, and more importantly, would throwing all the things that made the previous titles such a success (great plot, excellent characters, bizarre locations) to one side and adding in a load of new ones destroy the hard earned rapport that we had already built up with the previous Oddworld characters?

Fortunately Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath does not disappoint on any of the above accounts.
Players take on the role of Stranger, a decidedly odd bounty hunting creature that appears to come form nowhere one day and rumbles about the "old west" of Oddworld capturing outlaws and cashing them in as bounty. The game opens with a brilliant cut sequence, which is both exciting and funny, which makes for a great introduction to the game proper and hints at wonderful things to come. However, once the game starts proper things take a little time to warm up as you are slowly introduced to your new weapons (extremely odd, but more on that later) and skills, and you'll be forgiven for thinking that this is all just a little too generic (Jungle scenery, bouncing and hopping about the place)... it was nothing we hadn't seen before. Basically after the initial high of the opening sequence the game opens with more of a whimper than a bang, but if you were to just leave it there you would be missing out in a big way.

Much to my surprise, after the first ten minutes I had already built up a bond with Stranger, which is extremely fast and almost never happens in games such as these. Soon after, you'll begin to enjoy the environment, which is beautifully crafted and in places quite stunning. One of the best bits is the attention to detail on the actual terrain itself, which is nothing short of astounding. Everywhere you look you'll see bushes and trees, shadows and sunlight, ledges and cliffs, dirt and rock, all blended together to create a beautiful and, better yet, believable world. At times the scenery can get a little too "busy", and it can be difficult to concentrate on the task at hand/where you are supposed to be going, but you'll settle in soon enough.
The game world flows in a way that I haven't seen before, so perfect is its construction. You'll be moving from cover to cover, in and out of shadows up ropes and across bridges and you'll be doing it naturally of your own accord. Although linier, the map construction almost never feels as such. High praise indeed then, but well deserved. I take my hat off to the level designers for this one.

Also of note is the excellent interactivity of the environments. You'll find many an interesting way of killing/capturing your prey, from activating rock crushers to luring them across crumbling bridges, electrocuting them, burning them, blowing them up - even making them fall into canyons and rivers. You'll never get tired of looking or inventive new ways of popping your foes, however, it is far from perfect. It would have been nice to have seen a lot more interactivity in certain indoor environments, and even the making them drown partly gets boring after a while. A few more tricks and traps would have certainly prolonged the shelf life of this title.

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I was muchly surprised to find actual stealth elements in this title, and even more so to find that they work perfectly. In order to remain hidden, you'll have to give the enemy a wide berth and stay out of their line of sight. Using terrain is also essential, and occasionally you'll find long grasses, which you can hide in to stalk your enemies. This is all outstandingly executed, and another credit to the map designers. You'll be combining stealth and action elements to find your own playstyle and you'll have a blast doing it. Unfortunately stealth takes a bit of a back seat to action and I would have preferred a bit of a balance, however, what the game does have in stealth elements is so well done that you wont mind being forced into combat occasionally, and this even helps to keep the stealth elements fresh and enjoyable. The stealth elements were never more than a bonus anyway in my book, but I was glad that they were there.

Adding immense enjoyment to the interactivity of the environments are the weapons. You'll only get your crossbow, but with that you are granted access to a plethora of different ammunition types, all of which are upgradeable. Here's the catch though. The ammo is living. True to Oddworld's name your war effort is powered by Fuzzles, Boombats, Sting Bees, Thud Slugs and several other wee beasties. All you gotta do is catch them first.
Each strange creature has a different effect, all of them original and amusing, with exception of the Sting Bees, which basically act as your usual machine gun.
Fuzzles act as living proximity mines and the effect is distinctly satisfying. Drop them on or near an enemy and watch in horror as the fluffy looking Fuzzles turn nasty and basically eat the victim alive. During this time the enemy will be running around screaming, and certainly not paying attention to the terrain. This can lead to some interesting choices when it comes to offing the nasties, like forcing them off cliffs or into water... the nasties cant swim :)

Perhaps the second most amusing ammunition type is that of the Chippunk, which works as a kind of draw for the enemy. Fire them in the immediate proximity of a bad guy and the little sod will hurl insults in his general direction, the enemy will then rush for the Chippunk and try stamping it to death. Use these little blighters to segment the enemy when they're all bunched up, luring them into ambushes and traps.

The most useful of the living ammo types is that of the Bolamite. This ugly little arachnid works as a lasso, tying the enemy up and immobilising them. You will use these often and the upgrade is distinctly satisfying, lassoing several enemies at once. Later you'll come across Boombats, Thud Slugs, Stunks (skunks), and Zapflies, all of which have their uses, all of which are amusing.

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Like I said before, in order to use said ammunition you first have to catch it. This is as simple as finding a nest (usually just off your usual path) and popping the little creatures with a Zapfly. Unfortunately this aspect is a little pointless because there is an overabundance of ammunition and secondly said ammunition doesn't fight back, likewise they don't run either, making catching them a little too simple. Adding ammo hunting into the gamplay might have added another great angle to the proceedings, but in the end it just seems like a bit of a novelty that wares thin all too quickly. I see this as a missed opportunity and although not a real problem, it does feel like a bit of a disappointment.

Music is top-notch stuff and suits the mood perfectly. As the plot evolves the music follows suit, beginning with mock Spaghetti Western acoustic guitar themes and ending in a far more dramatic tone. You don't have to take my word for it though. The official EA website has the entire game soundtrack available for free download, and that is really rare. Just check the link at the top of this here review.
Still on the subject of audio, the sound effects are good enough. The ambient sounds of the game world are stunning and perfectly suited for each individual environment. Weapon sounds vary from good to great. The Fuzzles sound utterly vicious, although the Chippunks tend to be somewhat lacking.
Voice acting is well suited, although the enemy are occasionally difficult to understand due to poor fidelity. Stranger's one-liners are quite frankly shocking, but ignorable. Overall though, the sound quality is good to great and does the job in absorbing the player.
Keep an eye open for Grubbs. They're f*cking hilarious.

The game length is pretty much average, maybe a little above. Unfortunately the difficulty level is lacking thus hardcore gamers will hack their way through in next to no time at all, but casual gamers will probably spend a while on this one as certain sections require long periods of concentration. The end boss is not at all challenging, which is a real shame, but the mid section of the game more than makes up for this.

94/100

Overall a great game with very few faults. Hardcore gamers may appreciate renting this one, as re-playability is not as strong as it could have been. Casual gamers will love it. I'm pretty much smitten with this title, but won't be playing it again now that I've finished it, however, I am still watching the cut sequences and listening to the music, and so it gets an extra point for that.