It’s that time of the year again: the holiday rush is over, all of the big titles have come and gone, and gamers are once again left out in the cold, starving for something new to play. So what is a gamer supposed to do with all of this spare time? Oddworld Inhabitants has an idea for you, and it's called Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath has very little to do with any of the previous Oddworld games other than the world in which it takes place. You assume the role of Stranger, a bounty hunter in the Oddworld equivalent of the wild wild West. While the story starts off slowly, it does pick up after about an hour or two when you start to learn more about why the Stranger is so furiously trying to collect as many bounties as possible. It ends up being an interesting story that will keep your attention right on through to the end of the game. You may even run into a few creatures that you will instantly recognize if you played any of the previous Oddworld games. Of course, it would not be a game worthy of the Oddworld name without the familiar humor that we have all come to expect from Oddworld Inhabitants, and on this front, Stranger’s Wrath delivers as well.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is a 3D platformer and an FPS all wrapped up into one convenient package that is both fresh and easy to use. What I liked the most about it being a platformer/FPS was the fact that I could toggle between the two at absolutely any moment I liked with the simple click of the right analog stick. Most games that try to do multiple gameplay styles would force you to use one or the other in specific areas designed to work exclusively with that control style which tends to make things seem disjointed and unnatural. Strangers Wrath does not suffer from this common problem at all.
The platforming portions play very well for the most part. The occasional camera problems that plague every 3D platforming game out there are present and accounted for (bummer). You will move Stranger with the left analog stick, attack with the right and left triggers, and jump with the A button. To manually adjust the camera, you rotate the right analog stick and press the black button to re-center the camera directly behind Stranger. Pressing the X button will initiate conversations with other non-hostile characters, prompt Stranger to spout off a one-liner usually presenting a clue as to what it is that you should do next, or "suck" up a defeated enemy that can later be cashed in for a bounty.
To go into first-person, you simply click the right analog stick. From here, it controls like any FPS should ala the dual-analog control scheme, and it does so just as comfortably as any Halo I have ever played. In Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath, you don't use an actual gun. Instead, Stranger’s weapon of choice is a crossbow that is capable of firing two different "projectiles" at any moment by using the left and right triggers. To assign different types of ammo to either side of the crossbow, you simply press up on the d-pad and then cycle through your selection of ammo and assign them to either side by highlighting them and pressing left or right on the d-pad. It's very smooth and intuitive. Stranger can also perform a melee attack by clicking the left analog stick. Stranger can still perform any other actions that are available in 3rd person as well such as jumping, double jumping, and sucking up defeated enemies.
Now, possibly the most unique thing of all about Stranger’s Wrath is the manner in which you acquire more ammo, and even more unique: the ammo itself. Although Stranger’s crossbow looks pretty similar to that of a regular crossbow, his is unique in that it is designed to shoot rodents and insects as ammo rather than your standard arrows. There are 8 different critters that can be used as ammo in this game and each one is useful for very specific tasks. Some critters can be used to set traps, others are great for distracting your enemies, while others serve as the Oddworld equivalent of standard real-world weapons such as machine guns or grenade launchers. It’s really hard to do them justice here with words though: you have to see this idea in action to truly appreciate just how entertaining and flat out hilarious it really is. The manner in which you acquire your “ammo” is also unique: you will actually have to hunt the little critters to use them as ammo. This will encourage you to keep an eye out and pay close attention to the world around you at all times in order to keep your ammo supplies stocked.
When in town, Stranger can hit up the General Store to purchase more ammo and upgrades, talk with the locals, or head on over to the Bounty Store and choose one from the list of bounties currently available. Some might have you doing a rescue mission, but most consist of infiltrating an outlaw’s hideout, disposing of all of his/her henchmen, and then going toe-to-toe with the bad guy himself. You are left to deal with each bounty however you choose: if you can manage to be sneaky, you can sneak in and silently take out each henchman one by one, but if you are spotted, things get absolutely insane as you take fire from every direction. Your enemies are surprisingly formidable opponents, capable of flanking you while you are pinned down and flushing you out of cover with mortars... all of this as you take fire from a sniper that you can’t quite pin-point. It gets tough and it really forces you to think on your toes. If you are defeated, the game rubs it in your face as your enemies come up, celebrate, and kick your body to make sure you are really dead. Jerks.
All of the characters in Stranger’s Wrath are masterfully designed and unique, featuring a fairly high level of detail, although the majority of the townsfolk tend to look very similar. Water effects look nice, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that whatever critter you have loaded on your crossbow will sit there looking at you as you walk around in first-person... especially the chippunks (chipmunks with a wise-guy attitude) who look at you and constantly make comments or mock you as they wait to be implemented as a distraction for your enemies. The Fuzzles (mean-spirited little critters that make great traps for unsuspecting baddies) are also quite entertaining when they sit menacingly on your crossbow snarling and baring their teeth at you. The graphics in Stranger’s Wrath do a superb job of placing you in the action with plenty of attention to detail and excellent use of colors and shadows.
Sound on the other hand is not so perfect. The voice acting wasn't really that bad, in fact the majority of the voice-overs were very well done, but the voices themselves become very difficult to listen to, and I think the main reason for this is that it sounds as though all of the audio bits with speech in them are sampled at a very low sample-rate or something. This causes their voices to sound muffled and distant, and when a character is talking in a higher voice, as most of the locals do with their southern accent, it makes for a sound that is simply not pleasing to the ears at all. Strangers voice is much more amusing as he sounds a lot like Clint Eastwood back in his old Western movie days: gravely, tough, and emotionless, with an occasional stab at humor from time to time (listening to what he has to say about bringing in Jo Mamma is a perfect example.) Music is very minimal, which I think both benefits the game and hurts it at times. On one hand, the overall quietness of the game can make you feel rather lonely; on the other hand, when the music does kick in during a particularly suspenseful part, it truly heightens the suspense with good classic twangy Western stuff. Also, when there is no music, you can hear what all of the characters are saying around you which I guess is not such a bad thing as some of the things that these creatures spout off are simply hilarious.
I have to say that Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is the first really great game I have played in quite a long time. I have a soft spot for games that actually bring something new to the table in an otherwise overpopulated market of rehashed ideas and half-assed sequels. It's refreshing to see, and even more enjoyable to play. With great graphics, decent replay value, varied gameplay, a story worth paying attention to, and a uniqueness that could only be successfully pulled off by a developer like Oddworld Inhabitants, Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is a pleasant surprise during a time of the year in which good games are very few and far between.
