14 DAY TRIAL // 
The Oddworld series has been around for quite some time, gaining a cult status in the industry both for its own gameplay and its outlandish mechanics. While the franchise started out with Abe's Oddysee back in 1997, it's since received a variety of new iterations focusing on other characters or mechanics.
Now, original developer Oddworld Inhabitants has teamed up with Just Add Water to bring forth Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty, which is a remake of the original Abe's Oddysee, rebuilt from the ground up for new platforms. The title rolled out for the PS4 back in July of last year and now it's launching on the PC, Mac, and Linux platforms.
Does New 'n' Tasty manage to breathe fresh life into the original or should nostalgia-driven fans and newcomers look elsewhere for their puzzle platforming fix? Let's find out.
Story
New 'n' Tasty doesn't try to tweak the story of the original Abe's Oddysee, which shouldn't be considered a bad thing, as the plot is still quite strong judging by today's standards. It introduces the rich Oddworld universe and starts with the aforementioned Abe, a janitor of the Mudokon race who works in meat processing plant Rupture Farms.
As you can imagine, the factory has a dark plan when it comes to increasing profits, so Abe must escape its confines and try to at least rescue some of his fellow Mudokons along the way. The whole story is quite entertaining and Abe feels like a clunky yet lovable character.
No matter if this is your first time exploring Oddworld or you're already a seasoned veteran, New 'n' Tasty's plot still feels quite good.
Gameplay
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is a rebuilt version of the original Abe's Oddysee and this means that its gameplay is no longer weighed down by mechanics or limitations that were in place back in 1997.
Abe is a bit more agile this time around and there are new control options relating to running. You can use a mouse and keyboard combo but also a controller to guide Abe around the environments.
“However, bear in mind that its myriad of puzzles and challenges haven't been tweaked in any way. As such, you'll find a really hardcore experience that demands perfection and precision in order to progress further.”
There isn't any hand-holding and those who have yet to play a game in the series might find it a bit too challenging or at least confusing at first.
However, if you take the time to examine your surroundings and interact with the enemies or stages, you'll find a fun game that's not exactly like other puzzle platformers out there. From Abe's lack of offensive capabilities to the fact that you can rescue other Mudokons or mimic the patterns of others, there are many mechanics that stand out in the genre.
The actual platforming is pretty well done but there are some situations when it doesn't exactly recognize your jumps, especially when you try to reach a higher platform. There's also a distinct issue with sneaking around, as even if you hold down the required button, sometimes Abe will no longer sneak and just walk around, immediately drawing the attention of enemies.
Speaking of foes, they are pretty varied and quite annoying to deal with. Throw in environmental hazards like death pits, mines, or bombs, and you'll be in for quite a challenge experience when trying to deal with them. Luckily, at least on normal difficulty, there are quite a few checkpoints, and thankfully, there's also the option to quick save and quick load.
You'll often find yourself having to draw in enemies into traps, and while things often work out as intended, sometimes their behavior doesn't go as you predict and you'll end up dead or at least worse for wear.
While you can play the game simply as a single-player experience, there is a rather awkward cooperative option that trusts you to hand over the controls to a friend upon death, but its utility is limited, to say the least.
Visuals and sound
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty may be a remake but it's probably one of the best in the business, as the game reworks from the ground up the original Abe's Oddysee with all-new visuals, animations, and much more. As such, you're in for a stellar experience in terms of graphics, even though the settings menu is filled with some awkward sliders, instead of any actual values for things.
The soundtrack is good enough, complementing the action on the screen rather well, but the audio effects get a bit annoying after a while, starting with Abe's "gamespeak" and continuing with enemy taunts and other such things.
The Good
- Great remastered graphics
- Impressive visual effects
- Improved control scheme
The Bad
- Some control issues
- Annoying sound effects
- Challenging puzzles
- Lackluster co-op mode
