Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath
The weirdest first-person shooter you’re ever likely to play. And play it you must.
Tags: Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath Categories: Reviews, Xbox Reviews
Posted by Ludwig on Mar 15th, 2005
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Adventure | No | ||
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When the Xbox brashly barged into our lives in 2001, there were initially three games worth owning for the monstrous Microsoft machine. One involved a well equipped cyborg, one involved well endowed, high-kicking women and the other was Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, a criminally underrated 3rd-person platform/puzzle adventure. Demanding clever manipulation of allies and enemies in order to succeed, the game continued the offbeat series’ tradition of having unlikely heroes triumph over corporate evil. With Stranger’s Wrath, the Oddworld Inhabitants boldly present their unique universe from a new first-person and more action-oriented perspective, a move that not only puts a fresh (and hairy) face on the franchise but proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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The Oddworld games have always managed to effectively use technology in tandem with captivating art and sound design for the purpose of creating a believable and fascinating world. Stranger’s Wrath is no different, though the game is stylistically a bit separated from the dingy industrial and polluted landscapes of the previous games and instead portrays a backwater area of Oddworld that wouldn’t look out of place in a spaghetti Western. Well, provided said Western had giant talking chickens. And really, shouldn’t all Westerns have giant talking chickens? Truly, that particular genre of film could easily be brought back into the limelight if they were to add conversationally proactive poultry to all the pivotal scenes.
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But I digress. Chickens or no, the world created for you to inhabit in Stranger’s Wrath is exceptionally engaging and wonderfully detailed, taking its Wild West inspiration and molding it into something quite original and unashamedly odd. When you first stroll into the worn and wind-swept town of Buzzarton, complete with crooked saloons and creaking swinging doors, you’ll be strangely compelled to have a high-noon showdown with a spittoon. Whether it’s the harsh orange sunlight that filters through a rickety window, exposing dust particles floating in the air or an immense river reflecting a lush canyon filled vegetation, every scene is vast in scale whilst remaining mindful of the little details. Loading times are practically non-existent, making for an uninterrupted journey across a very consistent and coherent world. The graphics are superb, boasting sharp and colorful textures, lighting that is tastefully accented with bloom effects and rickety towns that are rife with well animated denizens going about their daily business, occasionally stopping to chat about the latest events or their considerable expertise at making sandwiches.
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It’s the inhabitants of this place that really make it a living, breathing world and it’s the native wildlife that gives the game its innovative approach to gunplay. Your character, the aptly named Stranger, is a loner, a tough-as-nails, straight-to-the-point bounty hunter and above all else, a furry faced and altogether primal version of Clint Eastwood. From his gruff, monotone voice to his confident strut and rattling boots, he’s an imposing personality brought to digital life with fantastic animation and, after witnessing him dash through the countryside on all-fours, a certain animalistic charm. Moving from town to town, Stranger accepts missions from the Clakkerz (aforementioned giant talking chickens) and goes about capturing or killing ill-mannered outlaws with ridiculous names and ludicrously loyal gangs. The only thing is…Stranger doesn’t like guns much.
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Instead, he uses a rather unique combination of a crossbow and live ammo to do his bounty hunting bidding. We’re talking live ammo in the very literal sense, as in the kind that comfortably sits on your weapon, stares curiously at you and occasionally lets off a discontented growl. You’ll actually need to roam the wilds and hunt for the creatures that comprise your ammunition here, a pastime that not only introduces an interesting gameplay mechanic but reinforces the title’s overarching theme of the hunter and the hunted. It’s possible to equip two different types of ammo simultaneously, with control given to the gamepad’s left and right triggers, and by wisely choosing certain combinations of ammo types, you’ll be able to form different strategies for different foes. That’s where the game’s innovation comes in. Sure, the Riot Slugs (rock-hard flying bugs) and the Stingbees amount to Oddworld’s take on the shotgun and the machine gun respectively, but those weapons are more in line with standard, full-frontal assaults. That approach is not the best way to make money.
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A bounty is worth a lot more alive than dead, a fact which makes Stranger’s gameplay all the more challenging, flexible and exciting. For instance, a very viable strategy when taking on large groups is to remain hidden in some reeds and slowly break apart the group of gun-toting goons. You might lure someone away with a Chippunk, a crafty critter that hurls cheap insults at passersby, and then tie them up in webbing from a well-placed spider shot. As they lie squirming in anger, you’re free to stroll up and suck them up into your bounty can. Each ammo type affords you a different strategy and after some brief experimentation you’ll discover your own personal approaches to problems, whether it’s laying vicious Fuzzle (hairy balls of teeth) mines or unleashing clouds of intoxicating gas amidst enemies. Capturing your bounty alive can be a difficult and risky prospect, but it’s also hugely rewarding, especially when it comes to the wily boss characters.
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To help you in your quest, you’ll eventually receive upgrades to all of your ammunition types, making them stronger and more effective. However, for the more direct weapons, this upgrade comes too late in the game and you’re initially left with certain attacks that are a bit underpowered for direct, guns blazing assaults. I’m not sure about you, but after riddling a guy’s body with about 40 brutal bees, he should be dead. If you’re playing the game like a traditional FPS, you’ll find that it’s much easier to simply beat people unconscious with your melee attacks. Using your fists will automatically initiate the game’s 3rd-person perspective, though it’s possible to switch to it at any time by clicking the right analog stick – definitely a blessing when it comes to the game’s handful of basic platforming segments. The camera is generally very well behaved, but it does occasionally get stuck behind objects and provide views that are unhelpful at best.
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Since this is an Oddworld game, you’ll be viewing some of the finest CG animation sequences the industry has to offer whenever the game decides to further the plot. And what an interesting plot it is. As is standard faire for the series, the locations, characters and events you’ll encounter are all twisted mirror images of what we find in our own world. It might not seem as apparent as in the previous games, but once the final act kicks in and the tone of the story markedly changes, you’ll be back in familiar Oddworld territory. Stranger’s adventure not only raises the question of who is the hunter and who is the hunted, it also deals with the scintillating issue that is…water privatization! Believe me; it’s much more exciting than it sounds.
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Making great use of the Xbox’s 5.1 surround sound capabilities, Stranger’s Wrath is an immersive auditory assault at all times. From the buzzing of airborne insects to the thunderous and truly spectacular explosions, every sound lends more weight to an already credible world. The dynamically altering music which cleverly adapts to whatever is happening on screen also adds immensely to the Sergio Leone-esque shootouts, as do the voices behind the silly cast of characters. Oddworld’s Gamespeak also makes a return, though since there’s never any need to order fellow creatures around, it has been streamlined to a single button press that initiates a conversation relevant to your current quest. Stranger will also mumble to himself if you’re unsure as to what you’re supposed to do next, an action that not only provides a helpful hand but a few cheap laughs as well.
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If there’s one thing that I can truly point out as a legitimate flaw in the game, albeit a minor one, is that it’s a tad too linear. Only when you reach the later areas of the game are you given a decent number of choices as to which bounty you want to go after. Before that, you’re pretty much forced into going after certain outlaws and should you go off exploring the wilds, you’ll often receive an on-screen message warning you that you shouldn’t be heading that way yet. Now, this is not a large problem, as almost all games are inherently linear, but when Stranger’s Wrath has succeeded at constructing such a creative and enveloping world around you, having fewer choices feels a little constricting and works against that particular accomplishment.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath has accomplished something special. It’s a sequel that not only expands upon the world and values of the core franchise, it appeals to a wider range of people without alienating the original fans. With a highly engaging world, an innovative approach to combat and a clever dead or alive system that balances risk with reward, Stranger’s Wrath is an excellent new entry into the Oddworld series and an outright superb game.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+ Superb graphics and sound construct a creative and engaging world + Innovative live ammo system allows for different strategies + Dead or alive system perfectly balances risk with reward + Interesting storyline of a world that reflects our own + Giant talking chickens! |
8.3 |
| What Doesn't | |
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- 3rd-person camera a bit unwieldy at times - Direct assault ammo is initially too weak - Progression is a tad too linear |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| A wickedly weird Western that should be on every Xbox owner’s wanted list. | |
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Tags: Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Posted by Ludwig on Mar 15th, 2005 and is filed under Reviews, Xbox Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
