Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath

Pros • Man, do you play a cool character • Nice balance of stealth and action • Classic Oddworld humour • Rich, unique gameworld • Live ammo is just too funny	Cons • Turn up the volume and the variety on the voicework • Ammo selection could be better
Bottom Line A real change from the rest of the Oddworld games, but a welcome one. Here's hoping the Stranger turns up in future Oddworld games.

Reviewers live for games like Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. Not just because it's a good game, but because it lends itself so well to reviewer puns too. Try these on for size: A Fistful of Fuzzles. How Oddworld was Won. The Odd, the Bad, and the Ugly.

I digress.

Stranger's Wrath is a quite a bit different from Munch's Oddysee, but it's an Oddworld game all right. It has bizarre creatures somewhere between cute and disturbing; offbeat and sometimes grim humour; and a funky distinct style. In fact, your character--a creature that looks part man, part lion and known only as "Stranger"--is one of the coolest videogame characters I’ve seen in many a moon.

Essentially, Stranger's Wrath is a stealth/action game, taking place in an Oddworld version of the Wild West. You are a bounty hunter rounding up gangs of outlaw scum. You can kill them, but you get more moolah if you bring them in alive. You scour canyons, deserts, farms and camps, working through gangs of flunkies, and then taking on the big bad bosses. You can be confrontational and aggressive, or be sneaky and hide in tall grass, luring out foes and taking them down one by one.

To assist in this endeavour, you have a crossbow that fires live ammo. "Live" as in actual living creatures. Your bow can load two types of ammo critters at once, such as Chippunks: noisy little creatures that lure bad guys into places where you can ambush them. Zappflies charge up and deliver an incapacitating shock of electricity. Spider-like Bolamites can web up foes. And so on. There are nine types of ammo, most of which can be upgraded later so that they do more damage, take out groups, etc. You can also whack foes with melee hits, or do a running charge to bring them down. Once they’re knocked dizzy or dead, you vacuum them up so that you can take them to the bounty store in town and claim your moolah.

More ammo can be purchased from a store in town, but it's cheaper (and more fun) to hunt it down yourself. The creatures you require can be found roaming in the wild. Just use your Zappflies on them (you have an unlimited supply) to stock up. It's a cool and clever touch, making you feel self-sufficient. A real live-off-the land type.

Stranger's Wrath gives you lots of controls, but manages them very well. It's easier to move around in third person view, but your crossbow is used in first, so you are constantly switching. Thankfully, clicking the right thumbstick does this smoothly. All of the controls are pretty intuitive, whether you're trying to heal, engaging in close combat, or nailing people at a distance. The only thing about the controls that could be smoother is the selecting of ammo. You use the directional pad to assign ammo to your crossbow, and when you do, it pauses the game. It's not totally awkward, but it does interrupt the action.

I have to reach for complaints about this game, but here's one more area that I think could stand a little improvement. Voices sound a touch muted, and the game needs better voice variety. Too many outlaws and bosses sound the same. Overall though, the quality of the voices is quite high. The Stranger has a deep rumbling voice that I love hearing. I also love the Chippunks, who throw out occasional comments as they’re sitting on your bow. Like how much an incoming shot probably hurt you.

Though sometimes it's a hard game to classify--somewhere between a stealth and a run-and-gun game--Stranger's Wrath is challenging and fun. The game does a far better job of giving you the feeling of being a bounty hunter than a lot of similar games (Star Wars: Bounty Hunter comes to mind). There's exploration, strategy, and action, all balanced pretty well.

Story is a pretty strong element of the game too. It’s well... odd, but compelling. It turns out the Stranger needs the money from his bounties for a very good reason, and of course it wouldn’t be an Oddworld game if the Glukkons weren't up to something sinister. You might miss Munch and Abe, but there are a few familiar Oddworld creatures that put an appearance. In fact, one of your ammo types is Fuzzles. Those fur-covered piranhas are useful for distracting and damaging foes.

Stranger's Wrath looks great. It's full of dusty towns and partially constructed mines, but it also has plains and lush forests full of vegetation that not only look good, you can also use them to hide in. Animation is very good--I love watching the Stranger drop to all fours when he gets into a run. It makes you feel pretty badass too. I also like watching enemies barfing their guts out after you use Stunkz ammo on them. Any doubts that you’re in Oddworld now?

Like all Oddworld games, Stranger’s Wrath is quirky, beautifully exotic, and sometimes pretty funny. As bounty hunters go, give me the Stranger over Boba Fett or Dog any day.

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