Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty recently released for PC, after launching on the PlayStation 4 last year in July. It will also be available for Xbox One and PlayStation 3 next month, although an exact date remains unconfirmed, and work on the Wii U and PlayStation Vita versions continues. Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is a ground-up remake of the original Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee that was released for the PlayStation back in 1997. The game still follows the same story with Abe as the protagonist, but it has been overhauled with all-new graphics, all-new sound, and new controls. I still have my original PlayStation disc of Abe’s Oddysee, although it’s seen better days as I didn’t always look after my discs as a child. It’s a game that I have many fond memories of so I really couldn’t wait to see Abe back in action.

“Follow me.”

Abe’s Oddysee was a brilliant classic platformer back in 1997, I wondered how relative New ‘n’ Tasty would be by today’s standards. I’d forgotten how difficult the game was, some games seem to get easier with age, this is not one of them. However, that’s far from being a bad thing as I love to be challenged by platformers and New ‘n’ Tasty most definitely tests players. One of the great things about New ‘n’ Tasty is that it retains its difficulty whilst still being accessible to a wide range of gamers. Oddworld Inhabitants added a difficulty setting, allowing less skilled players to still enjoy all that Oddworld has to offer. There are three difficulty modes, easy, normal, and hard, with the hard mode being most akin to the original Abe’s Oddysee. Throughout all difficulty options there are more generous checkpoints too, which is definitely a great help if you keep accidentally killing yourself and your fellow Mudokons. Which you will.

Another element that I really love about New ‘n’ Tasty is that there is very little hand holding. While you are guided how to use basic functions, the more you progress, the more you are expected to learn through trial and error. What does that lever do? Oh, it kills that poor Mudokon. As you progress through New ‘n’ Tasty you gain more and more abilities and have a wider variety of objects to interact with and use. While initially you are content with running, jumping, and pulling the odd lever, you’ll eventually have to master perfect timing, remember Mudokon passwords, use yourself as bait, as well as chase sequences where one wrong move results in failure.

New ‘n’ Tasty features a variety of environments, Abe will leave the mechanical RuptureFarms, journey to the outskirts of the factory and to the furthest depths of ancient temples. The game also mixes things up by changing from your standard two-dimensional side-scrolling platform when it adds three-dimensional depth to the later levels. You’ll have to jump between foreground and background to get past obstacles and use certain objects, as well as interacting with NPCs not only above and below you, but also further in the background. This tiered-style of level is perfect for platformers, creating more complex situations than a standard two-dimensional game would.

“I just had to escape, I just had to be free.”

The premise of New ‘n’ Tasty revolves around the Mudokon protagnoist, Abe. Abe used to be a floor waxer at RuptureFarms, the largest meat-processing factory on Oddworld. Run by the Glukkons, the meat factory is quickly using up the natural resources of the world, and profits are at an all time low. Abe discovers that the Glukkons have a plan to raise profits by introducing a new item to the menu - Mudokons. Abe escapes from RuptureFarms and discovers that he is destined to have a greater fate, not only must he bring the factory down but he must rescue his fellow Mudokons in the process.

For most platformers, this storyline would be enough. Essentially all you need is a reason to get from A to B in every level, and this premise fits the bill. However, New ‘n’ Tasty goes beyond that as you follow Abe on his journey of self-discovery. There is deeper meaning and lore behind the creatures of Oddworld, Abe’s not just saving his people, he’s saving the other races of creatures and discovering a past that he never knew existed.

The characters and creatures of New ‘n’ Tasty are utterly unique to Oddworld. Each race has its own individual nature and you’ll discover that there’s more to the creatures you encounter than just cattle. While playing, you definitely get a sense that there is more to this world than you know and see, more than the game will tell you in this one installment. This is fairly understanding considering that Abe’s Oddysee was supposed to be the first of a pentalogy of games. However, only two of the planned Oddworld Quintology were ever released, as Abe’s Exoddus and Stranger’s Wrath didn’t actually count towards the pentalogy. I have a small glimmer of hope within me that with the release of New ‘n’ Tasty, maybe we’ll see Munch’s Oddysee re-made, and after that maybe we’ll finally see those other three games that were planned. Telltale Games has managed to revive the point-and-click genre, awakening slumbering classics such as Grim Fandango and Day of The Tentacle, so could New ‘n’ Tasty be the herald of the revival of the classic platformers? Fingers crossed.

Back on the menu

New ‘n’ Tasty has been completely remade from scratch, meaning that the game hasn’t just been given a face lift and remastered, but has been entirely recreated. As a result, it looks absolutely amazing. The most striking visuals are the levels set at night, the silhouette of Abe set against the beautiful backdrop of the night sky is very stylish and the harsh glow of electronic lights juxtapose against the rural darkened scenery. One big visual change for the game is that the flip-screen format of Abe’s Oddysee has been lost, as New ‘n’ Tasty revels in the new free-flowing camera and larger levels areas. This means the flow of game play is a lot smoother and natural.

It’s not too often that you see platformers that have made such an effort in visual appearance. Genrally the focus of platformers is in perfecting the game play, sometimes when a game is visually stunning, you find that not enough effort was put into the complexity of the game and that it is far too easy. Fortunately, New ‘n’ Tasty manages to achieve looking great whilst still focusing on delivering a brilliantly difficult game. The graphics are fantastic yet have still managed to keep the original feel of Abe’s Oddysee.

There was one difference that I noticed that bugged me, most likely due to me having the original Abe’s Oddysee ingrained in my mind, the Mudokons no longer have ponytails like Abe’s but are bald. I’m not sure why this was changed, maybe it’s to show how Abe is different from the others and destined to change the world. I thought it could be a sign of slavery to RuptureFarms, but then Abe wouldn’t have a ponytail either.

The sound and music within New ‘n’ Tasty has been remastered and reproduced from the original Abe’s Oddysee, in some cases being entirely re-corded, but the whole while staying completely true to the original Oddworld style. The voices have also been re-recorded, with even more speech being added, such as more ambient Mudokon conversation.

The voice acting within the game really adds depth to the many weird and wonderful inhabitants of Oddworld. From the moment you hear Abe narrating his story, you immediately can assess what kind of personality he has and you know that he will be charming in an utterly goofy way. The same can be said of the other characters too, even though your enemies all have stereotypical “bad guy” voices, it’s not overly cliché and works well within the setting.

The use of rhyming couplets within Abe’s narration reminds me of Greek epics, which fits well considering that Abe is on his own heroic journey that will change the fate of those within Oddworld. However, Abe is not your stereotypical hero that you would imagine from Greek epics. This point is rather obvious throughout the game, but is emphasised when Abe comes into his true power and begins to walk away with that action film swagger only to trip and fall.

New ‘n’ Tasty is quite lengthy for a platformer, especially if you’re a completionist who wants to rescue all of the Mudokons. Of course, the challenging nature of the levels lengthens the game time, as you’ll most likely find yourself dying numerous times. Additionally, the game has high replay value as not only are there plenty of secret areas, meaning you can play through multiple times and still discover something new, but you feel compelled to play again to do better. When Mudokons die, especially by your own hand, you feel so guilty that you want to replay the game and save them all. Something I plan on doing, yet kept failing at it.

Verdict

New ‘n’ Tasty has reminded me why I loved the Oddworld series and has not only re-kindled my excitement for platformers but has left me with the desperate hope that we will see more from Oddworld Inhabitants. I’m completely enraptured, or en-Ruptured if you will, with this fictional world and wish to see more of it. New ‘n’ Tasty is a classic platformer that manages to equally challenge players with its puzzles and scenarios, as it does entertain them with its narrative. I can’t recommend it enough to fans of platformers, and even those who generally shy away from this genre should give it a try as the range of difficulty options makes New ‘n’ Tasty enjoyable for all.

Meg Pelliccio

Editor at Geeks Don't Lie

Meg appreciates gaming on all formats, but primarily spends her time achievement hunting to the extreme. Her passion for gaming began as a child, when first introduced to the Amstrad. A collector of gaming consoles past and present, Meg spends as much of her time rediscovering old classics as she does playing the latest releases.