Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD Review

By Marcus Jones  |  Posted: December 27, 2011

The Oddworld series has always been, well, odd for lack of a better term. Between Abe’s Exoddus and Munch’s Oddysee, the series has been known for good platforming and storytelling, as well as the extreme quirkiness that many gamers loved. Stranger’s Wrath, the last in the series from Oddworld Inhabitants, followed in its predecessor’s footsteps on its original release and continues to do so now as an HD re-release from Just Add Water.

Stranger’s Wrath is still a bit of an oddity (see that?) within the Oddworld Series. This game has you playing as the very capable Stranger. The Stranger is a very skilled bounty hunter that performs his job very well. Normally one to catch the bounty and walk away with his moolah, the Stranger stumbles into a town full of Grubbs suffering without any water. Their story goes that a demon has stolen all of their water, and that only a Steef (they are extinct, mind you) can possibly save them. Of course the Stranger gets mixed up in the entire mess, and it doesn’t hurt that he is the last Steef in existence.

The gameplay in this game, like I mentioned, is mostly platformer with a neat bonus added in: first person shooter as well. Players will spend most of their time jumping around and maneuvering through the environment in the third person mode, as well as even getting into fights or healing. The first person aspect of the game revolves around the Stranger’s gun, which to use pulls you into the FPS view. Here is where a lot of the pizazz for this game comes from – the Stranger’s gun is capable of shooting two different things at once, and as with the oddness of Oddworld, his ammo are the creatures that roam the world. There are chipmunks that act as lures, spider-like bugs that wrap outlaws in webs, and even little fuzzy balls with piranha teeth. Using his array of abilities and ammunition (keep in mind you’ll have to hunt your ammunition down), you can suck up the outlaws with your gun and earn the moolah you so richly deserve.

I had a blast playing this game years ago, and the HD remake is no different. It is a definite treat to be running around Oddworld once again as the Stranger in a very well done new coat of paint. The high-definition graphics of this game show through, though I will say that with any HD remake there are always going to be the graphics of yesteryear showing through. Honestly though, I don’t see that as a problem on this title. It may look like an HD version of an old Xbox game, but it still looks very nice. The game’s sound and dialogue has also been retouched to match the new graphics and I think they’ve come out very well. Definitely a nice icing on this great piece.

Simply Put

For people looking for a different game that will probably have them laughing a bit, give Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath a try on the PC and PS3. It was a fun game back in 2005, and it’s still a fun game today. Keep an eye out as well – for those that plan on getting the PS Vita, there will be a version of the game for that too. This classic still stands up well against today’s lineup of games, and I think it’ll continue to do so.