Another month, another fantastic title courtesy of PlayStation Plus’ free games each month for subscribers. For the month of March, PS+ subscribers were treated with the remastered version of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee under the new title Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty.

Your People Need You

Abe, the player-controlled protagonist of New ‘N’ Tasty, used to be a happy and hard working “employee” of Rupture Farms. He even made employee of the year. In reality though, he was a slave as were all the other Mudokons that worked at Rupture Farms, a slaughterhouse that made tasty treats from the indigenous creatures of Oddworld.

Most of the creatures used to make these tasty treats were near extinction due to mass hunting. To make up for a dwindling supply, the executives at Rupture Farms unveil a new tasty treat that will come from a new supply. This new ‘n’ Tasty treat would come to be known as Mudokon Pops. Abe is caught overhearing this revelation and forced into action.

As Abe makes his escape from Rupture Farms, he is able to help his fellow Mudokons escape. How many Mudokons Abe saves along the way also determines the ending to the game. Abe’s travels will take him from Rupture Farms to the natural preserves of Oddworld and then back to Rupture Farms. However, when Abe returns to his former work site, he will be aided with powers granted to him by the indigenous Mudokons of Oddworld.

Will Abe be able to save all of his Mudokon brothers and sisters (and himself) when he returns to Rupture Farms? Only you can determine his fate.

Mudokon Savior

Thinking With Portals

Playing through New ‘n’ Tasty reminded me of Portal. Although New ‘n’ Tasty is a side scrolling platformer, the core gameplay really comes down to planning and timing. Abe is unable to attack his foes and must instead rely on his wits to survive. This usually means sneaking past enemies, setting up traps, or sometimes simply outrunning them. For almost every level, I had to pause and plan out how I was going to tackle each area before I even attempted it and if I failed, I would most likely have to pause again and rethink my strategy. This strategic aspect of the game coupled with Abe’s defenselessness immediately reminded me of playing Portal, which is always a good thing in my opinion.

The controls can be a bit finicky at times and require practice to perfect. There are times when Abe must jump over an obstacle, usually a bomb, and he must be guided over it by moving the left analog stick in one direction or the other and it must be pushed and/or held in the right position. If you simply push the analog stick all the way to the right or left, Abe may run into the bomb before jumping or he may jump too far and landed on another conveniently placed bomb just after the one you were initially trying to clear.

 From The Ground Up

I never played Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey when it originally launched on the first PlayStation console. I had to watch footage of the original game in order to compare the two games after beating New ‘n’ Tasty. I was completely unaware that New ‘n’ Tasty had actually been built from the ground up. Although the game is a side scrolling platformer, the levels and environments are all modeled in 3D textures. From the conveyor belts moving fresh carcasses throughout Rupture Farms to the rich backdrops of mountains and plains beyond the factory, Oddworld felt like a living, breathing world.

As expected from a ground-up remake, the soundtrack and sound effects were also redone. While they are not necessarily memorable in my opinion, they do add to the experience and make the world seem more alive. One of the nice touches in this area is that there is now some variation in the dialogue and voices of Abe’s fellow Mudokons. Instead of saving seemingly carbon-copied Mudokons, it feels like you are saving actual Mudokon lives.

Final Thoughts

New ‘n’ Tasty is an obvious labor of love. It was a challenging but enjoyable experience which offers a reason to replay the game again simply for fun or to save all 299 Mudokon slaves. I believe it is worth the full price at $20 and I would absolutely recommend it to friends both that have played the original game and to those that haven’t.

If you’ve played either of the games for yourself, let us know what you think!

Developed by Just Add Water

Published by Oddworld Inhabitants

Released July 22, 2014

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Wii U, GNU/Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS

Reviewed on PlayStation 4

Genre: Platformer

Modes: Single Player

Distribution: Digital Download

Rating: T

Content Warnings: Violence, Blood, Language, Crude Humor, Use of Tobacco