Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty 12+

The cinematic cutscenes, the depth, the gameplay. It’s a master piece. There’s no disputing the effort it takes to make such a great anti-hero / protagonist so like able. Abraham Lure is a great example what it means to be put in a position of power and influence for no particular reason.

Labeled “the savior of the mudokens”, Abe is by far one of the greatest protagonists. He didn’t choose the life of being martyr, he just happened to be pushed in that position.

Personally, I prefer Munches Oddysee, but the story in all these games is what I thrive on

I was a big fan of Abe’s Oddysee and Abe’s Exodus the two decades (really?) ago that they were published. At the time they came out, they joined Rayman as interesting platforms with more depth than Mario or Sonic. The two Abe games featured a fantastically odd world (which should have been expected from Oddworld Inhabitants), a grim but entertaining esthetic, great voice work, and characters you wanted to know more about. What was also true about the Abe games was that they often depended on somewhat twitchy fingers and often you would be off by a frame or two, leading to a strong desire to smash your keyboard into teeny tiny pieces.

This remake of Abe’s Oddysee boasts a true recreation of all of those characteristics. The problem is, like the Sonic CD port before it, what this game highlights is the inadequacy of a touch screen at replicating a keyboard or game pad. Everything that made this game what it was is still here, this is a really redesign port of a really great game, but this is also clearly a port for iOS that was done once the game was already designed for the PlayStation/steam/whatever other modern online gaming marketplace.

I’m glad that I can play this game again. It’s a perennial for me. But when SoulStorm comes out, I’m making sure to purchase it through Steam.

I was thrilled to see New and Tasty be released for iPad but when I got introduced to the Elums early in the game which Abe rides to supposedly jump over canyons to advance, I gave up after 200+ tries to get the timing absolutely perfect or be set back again and again. They took the fun out of the gameplay even in easy mode and made it an exercise in frustration and futility. Graphics are gorgeous. I wish I could see them all.

New day... I tried again until my thumb tips got too sore and my brain was about to explode. Elums either don't jump at all when button is pushed or the timing windows are so incredibly narrow that the long sequence of pillar jumps without an intermediate save is (close to) impossible. I loved this game until I hit this permanent blockade to progressing. Pfui! Maybe I'll try again for a few hours tomorrow. What fun!