Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath offers one of the coolest reload mechanics in gaming history when it has you rustle up your own ammo. Lack of interesting puzzles make this feel more like an FPS with a good story when compared to previous entries in the series.
Stranger’s Wrath’s HD port feels a little dated despite the performance improvements, but it’s still a blast to play. The charming characters, impressive worldbuilding and unique gameplay design pull through to offer up perhaps the best version of this Oddworld entry.
Players looking for a classic 'Oddworld' game might be disappointed with Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath. The game has its own identity while still remaining part of that unique universe, and that somehow makes it even more appealing – giving players a world to explore that feels much bigger than what you see of it. While the game has aged well for the most part, some imperfections have become more obvious with time. The stealth mechanics are nowhere near as fine-tuned as they should be, and can be ignored completely without compromising the player's experience. A lack of instruction in the latter part of the story could also cause frustration, and the slapstick drop of falling from a height will never be something that fits with the game's overall tone. Despite these rough edges, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is still a joy to play on Switch, and if you didn't experience it the first time around, it's well worth a look now.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD brings to Nintendo Switch a nice story and some interesting ideas, but also all the weaknesses of the original game, that feels very outdated.
After so many years of anticipation, I was ready to love Stranger's Wrath. The world Oddworld Inhabitants created here is worthy of that love but the actual game set in it is a throwback in all the wrong ways. While I wish there were more to it, there's just not much of interest here. With so many great games from the past getting a second chance on the Switch, there's no real need to meet this stranger.