I was very much in love with my XBOX copy and delighted to hear of a high-definition release, not least because I no longer have a functioning XBOX.
Set in the same universe as other Oddworld titles and with an Old West appeal, the game focuses on tough-as-nails Stranger, a tall and mysterious creature of unknown species who has a Lion-like face and can tank through fences and crates at speed on four limbs.
Stranger is a bounty hunter. In his role you must go through towns of chicken-like creatures, seeking missions from their bounty stores. You can bag an outlaw dead or alive, but you get more cash for the latter. And money is important, as Stranger must somehow raise 20,000 Moolah for a mysterious surgical procedure that he needs to survive.
Undeniably, the game's biggest appeal is its live ammunition. But perhaps not live in the sense that you were expecting. You hunt for it. On your journeys you'll see little animals bopping or buzzing from nests. Knock them out and load them onto your crossbow!
You can load two different kinds at a time, and they each do something different. When charged, Zappflies can operate electronic switches and it usually takes just one of them to knock an outlaw unconscious, meaning that you can bag them alive. I tend to always have the Zappflies loaded on one side of the crossbow, as you have infinite numbers of them and they are handy in battles when you've run out of other creatures.
Chippunks are rude little fellows, but this is why they're brilliant. If you're having trouble drawing an enemy into range, you can fire one onto the ground, and their insults will drive a nearby bad guy into running over and squashing it. Before that happens, you can dispatch them.
A little like Chippunks in appearance, Stunkz literally cause a stink, and force outlaws to vomit into submission.
Bolamites are quite like spiders, their beady eyes belie their craftiness. They immobilise enemies in webbing so that you can easily dispose of them.
Fuzzles are my favourites, furry little balls of anger and big teeth. Spray them in battle to plunge your enemies into chaos, or lay them onto the ground before you as a trap!
Thudslugs do as their name implies, plough into enemies with great force. Boombats can be used like bombs or can blow someone up with a direct hit; great for larger and more troublesome bad guys.
Stingbees resemble Earth wasps, fire like a machine gun and are prickly on impact.
All forms of ammunition are later upgraded into much more fierce versions, and you obtain a "breeder bag" which the bodies of enemies can be fed into to quickly generate more ammo!
Something I especially like about Stranger's Wrath, is the health system. There are no pick-ups to run short of, you simply shake yourself free of embedded missiles. However, this does require Stranger's stamina and a quiet place in which to do so, something not easily maintained in the heat of battle. Having said this, I did find it impossible to be killed during the game until a certain chaotic period for which you are on a time limit.
I didn't remember anything beyond the boat ride (and so the ending was a bit of a shock), and I'm not sure how different the graphics are to those of the original version, but it's safe to say that they were updated quite a bit.
There are a couple of issues with the game. When you vacuum-up an outlaw, even when they are dead, the corpse will still struggle to get away from you. The chicken townspeople will start talking when you ask them something, but walk off in the middle of a sentence. There is a strange buzzing sound when you stand in the doorway of a shop; this could be the electrical signs above, but the noise will continue to get louder and more intolerable until you cut it off by entering the store.
Even when shielded by a building, the effects of the sun on Stranger's hat and shadow remain the same.
Stranger's Wrath is absolutely wonderful. The formula of missions presented at the start is incredibly fun and challenging, and there is also Stranger's enigmatic secret to contend with. Definitely not to be missed.
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