Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee was one of the earlier titles in the history of the very first PlayStation console. It was a fun but challenging 2D platform game and introduced us to a dopey little Mudokon by the name of Abe. Back in 2014, Abe’s Oddysee was remade for the current generation in the form of Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty. Thankfully it did a good job at delivering a kick of nostalgia while fixing some of the issues present in the original game. Fast forward to 2020 and a port has been released on the Switch, but how does it fare on the handheld console?
New ‘n’ Tasty focuses on Abe, a clumsy Mudokon who works at the RuptureFarms, waxing floors for a living. Even though Abe is a slave to the owner of the factory farm, he’s quite content with his life. That is until he discovers that his and the lives of all the other Mudokon slaves are in danger. Abe then decides to flee the factory while attempting to rescue any other slaves along the way. The premise for the game is fairly basic but is told rather well through the various cut scenes throughout the game. Abe certainly grows on you as well; starting off as an underdog but becomes the only Mudokon willing to attempt taking down RuptureFarms.
As mentioned before, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is a 2D platform game. Abe can run, jump, roll and interact with certain objects in the environment. The game offers quite a challenge, however, and timing is incredibly important when navigating some of the more dangerous obstacles. Mines, spinning blades and lightning gates stand in the way of Abe progressing through an area. Aside from the obstacles, there are also enemies that will kill Abe as soon as he enters their line of sight. The most common enemies are Sligs; these ugly guards have robotic legs and carry automatic rifles. Thankfully, Abe can possess these odd-looking fellows by chanting (provided there are no machines to prevent him from doing so) when they’re on the screen. After successfully possessing a Slig, players can kill off other enemies that may pose a problem or even walk straight into a collection of mines to clear a path. This usually results in an explosion of Slig chunks, a disgusting but sometimes necessary course of action.
Avoiding enemies and dodging obstacles are not the only tasks, however, as saving Mudokons provide an additional challenge throughout. Getting through obstacles is ok. Guiding fellow slaves at the same time can prove to be a little tricky. Saving Mudokons also decides which ending the player will see at the end of the game; this is determined by how many slaves are freed, completion time and Mudokon casualties. Of course, it’s a lot easier to speed through the game while only worrying about Abe’s wellbeing but this results in much shorter experience.
Additionally, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty isn’t as brutal as the original game. I remember becoming extremely frustrated when I played the original game. The difficulty can be changed before starting a new game so players can decide what kind of challenge they would prefer. There is one thing that I wasn’t really a fan of and that was the “co-op mode”. This mode essentially has players working together in an attempt to make progress. Once a player dies, the second player will continue from where their partner left off. In all honesty, this doesn’t feel like a co-op mode and ultimately has players waiting for their partner to die in order to have a go.
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty both sounds and looks great. The game is quite the pleasure to look at, even in some of the gloomier areas. Animations look smooth and the various cutscenes look great! It also looks fanastic both in handheld and docked mode with no stuttering at any point during the game.
The game excels too, where audio is concerned. Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty features fantastic voice acting for the various characters and Abe sounds as dopey as ever; this really contributes to the experience as each character is full of personality.
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty really is a great game. The story is truly quirky in its execution and the retelling of it has been handled well. Gameplay is challenging but fun and features tighter controls. My only real issue was the co-op mode, which can be a bit of a waiting game if a player excels at avoiding the various dangers throughout.
The game definitely looks and sounds brilliant. Animations are smooth and the brand-new visuals are a pleasure to look at. Additionally, the sound isn’t terrible either and the great voice acting gives characters so much personality. Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty on the Switch is a must for fans of the series as it delivers a rather nice kick of nostalgia in a slick package while also being less jarring for newcomers who are yet to experience the quirkiness of the Oddworld universe.
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch and can be purchased here for £26.99, Launch discount available for a limited time making the game currently £17.99.
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