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#263

There's never been another game design studio quite like Oddworld Inhabitants, and the developer's eponymous game universe only gets Stranger with this fourth full-console release in the series. Instead of showcasing the puzzle-based adventures of oppressed underdogs such as Abe or Munch, this game puts players in the role of a grizzled, mysterious bounty hunter who has little to lose except his patience. More action-oriented than earlier Oddworld games, Stranger's Wrath features lots of ranged combat and melee fighting in addition to its platform puzzles, and it is designed to allow players to choose their own path across its story arc. In the role of the Stranger, players must take a mercenary approach to the adventure if they hope to survive it. They'll travel from town to town, learning of bounties on various local criminals and deciding which ones they will pursue. Since the Stranger usually has a choice of which missions he'll attempt, the game is more open-ended than the adventures of Abe or Munch, but certain objectives (and payoffs) must be accomplished in each area before moving on to the next. A breathing bounty usually pays better than a dead one, but the hunter's methods of retrieving his quarry are also left up to the player. Though boasting formidable hand-to-hand combat skills and an aversion to traditional ballistic weapons, the Stranger is partial to using "live" ammo -- in the most literal sense. By attacking his adversaries with living creatures, such as annoying "chippunks" or noxious "skunkbombs," the outlaw hero can devise new and creative solutions for the challenges before him. In other words, while Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath strives to create a darker, more action-oriented experience, it also aims to maintain the playful, surreal humor and poignant, underlying social commentary that won so many fans of earlier Oddworld games.