The Oddworld series of games has always been a tough bird to pigeon-hole; Oddworld Inhabitants' creations are always part platformer, part action romp, adventure and just plain bizarre, quirky and fun. While Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is a little bit different from its predecessors, the latest title in the series for Xbox retains the Oddworld flavor and quirky fun enough to bring new players into the fold and bring old time fans back to the table for hours of hijinx involving small woodland creatures, criminals and a cast of strange characters set within a semi Wild Western theme.
This latest romp in the Oddworld universe tells the story of the "Stranger", a mysterious bounty hunter on the move for the world's most wanted outlaws - dead or alive. While The Stranger may look like Joe Camel meets Clint Eastwood, this bounty hunter pulls no punches and isn't against bringing in an outlaw or two dead as opposed to alive should the situation call for it.
The Stranger is an interesting creature that prefers to use a crossbow rather than guns (he hates guns) and runs more like a tiger than a humanoid creature that looks like a desert pack animal than he seems to be at first glance. This ruffian for hire may dress like a dusty old beggar complete with beat up leather gear, a worn leather hat, boots as big as gun boats, and leather gloves that ride completely up his massive forearms; but his outward appearance betrays his key motivation earning and banking tons of moolah. While his key motivation may very well be the cash, there's little doubt to anyone that's had the displeasure of being taken down by him that he'd probably do some of the work just for the sake of the doing.
Looks aside, this new character certainly has some different ways of trudging through and interacting with the Oddworld universe. Oddworld Stranger's Wrath is the first game in the series to combine first and third-person perspective gameplay with familiar Oddworld platformer elements and an all-new engine that delivers a unique gameplay experience in a beautiful new and yet familiar world. While other games have tried to offer gameplay that uses both perspectives successfully, Stranger's Wrath seems to do it in a way that actually works well and is affective.
If you have ever tried to transition from one perspective to another and perform an action, then you know why this one simple feature is important. Allowing players to switch to a first-person perspective on the fly means players can move about, pick off enemies and transition back to moving again very simply. This simplicity makes the game easier to play and in turn offers some unique gameplay opportunities.
First-person play isn't just a gimmick in Stranger's Wrath, it's a key element; players will have to use this mode to set traps, fire various types of ammos and take out enemies as the need arises. Movement is primarily handled in third-person mode, and a variety of other activities are important to this perspective, so the balance in using both is paramount to understanding and enjoying the gameplay.
One of the other unique elements of Stranger's Wrath is the crossbow and ammo you'll use to take down the bad guys. There are 8 unique types of "live" ammunition that players can "hunt" for and gather to use against a variety of enemies. Most of these ammos can be upgraded to increase their area of affect radius or their raw unadulterated effectiveness against enemies. The ammo includes such bizarre creatures as Chippunks, Fuzzles, Thudslugs and Boombats. Some of this ammo can be used to distract the bad guys or lure them like bait to specific spots, other kinds are used to stun them or distract them for a short time, while still others can be dropped like mines or used like a rain of machine gun fire. The player can load two different types of ammo at a time and this ammo is surely alive and kicking even when it's loaded up. The ammo was designed in such a way that it lends itself to some interestingly strategic tactics. Players can bait enemies to certain spots, stun them and then bag them for bounties alive, or bait them near hazards and push them into them for ultra gory results.
Latter ammo types and crossbow upgrades lend to different styles of gameplay; stealthy and deadly or loose cannon full frontal assault style action. Whatever your nature this game lets you choose what way you want to play.
Stranger's Wrath does offer a little platforming action and a few melee attacks and special moves to increase your life through stamina, but the platforming isn't quite as heavy as it was in previous games. Players can climb, jump, strafe etc. in the game but the application is lighter than in the past. The environment still is an important aspect of the game and Stranger's Wrath has a lot more environmental interaction than other platformers. Players can use objects in the game to create bridges or melee attack (ramming, punching and head-butting) structures to open doors and other types of entrances, or simply use deadly objects in the environment against enemies by shoving them into them. Stealth is an important element that players can use in stranger's Wrath and there are lots of areas where players can utilize it to evade the bad guys. This element of gameplay gives players a different way of approaching a heavily fortified enemy location; hiding, baiting with your special live ammo and knocking out the bad guys makes it easier to pick off an entire army of outlaws - and because you can capture these guys alive when they are stunned it makes the action more rewarding. If, of course, you'd rather bring them in with a toe tag, then that option is available as well but it is always good to have different ways of tackling difficult situations.
Finally it should be noted that boss battles in this game are more drawn out and ultimately more rewarding than the way they are handled in most shooters. Players will have to be more strategic in taking enemies down, pounding away at their health while keeping themselves unscathed for long periods of time. The fights are reminiscent of the kind of gun battles you'd see in a classic spaghetti western film. Using a little common sense, a bit of maneuvering and the best kind of ammo against a boss outlaw (most are weak to certain types of ammo) proves to be more rewarding than taking on a bad guy in full frontal assault.
