The GBA version of
Oddworld: Munchs Oddysee is yet another example of a developer crapping
out a quickie game based on a decent franchise just to make a quick
buck. Oddworld is known and loved by so many for its humor and a unique
and interesting look. Munchs Oddysee, on the other hand, isnt funny,
features bland graphics, and just plain isnt fun.
Munchs Oddysee
follows Abe, a Mudokon, and Munch, a Gabbit, as they fight against the
evil slave driving Glukkons. Abe can use his mental abilities to take
control of Glukkons and regrow spooce fruit you have already picked as
well as enlist the help of other Mudokons. Munch can also get help from
friendly creatures as well as control moving platforms and remote
control robots. You have to switch between the two characters quite a
bit throughout each level and this two-character gameplay is one of the
few bright spots in Munchs Oddysee.
The two characters
and their unique abilities are interesting, but the levels are bland and
boring. Most levels are nothing more than a couple of puzzle sequences
mixed with tedious back tracking and mindless wandering around. The
puzzles themselves are simple and consist of little more than climbing a
ladder to a switch or sending the creatures under your control on a
task. You rarely have to fight the enemy Glukkons and there are a
surprisingly few number of platform jumping sequences. In short, the
game is little more than walking from one room to the next and pulling a
couple of levers. The areas where you have to use Munch are a little
more fun, simply because they provide a bit of variety from what Abe is
doing since Munch can swim, but it is still just a lot of lever pulling.
It is just as easy as it sounds and the game can easily be completed in
about three hours.
The best parts of
the gameplay in Munchs Oddysee are only used a couple of times and
these levels make the rest of the game seem even worse in comparison.
Abe has the ability to sneak, but you only have to use stealth in one
level. This is quite a bit of fun, but you dont get to use it nearly
enough. Likewise, there are sections of the game where you use Munch to
pilot a giant robot and blast away whole armies of Glukkons. These
sections are the best part of the game by far, but you only get to do it
a couple of times. The rest of the game is just too easy and repetitive,
so the few bright spots really stand out.
Controlling Abe and
Munch is a lot harder than it should be, and that drags the whole
experience even further down. The controls respond really
inconsistently, so from one moment to the next the game will react just
how you want it to or it will take three or four button presses to get
the job done. Picking up objects or even pulling levers is a difficult
task because most of the time the characters dont act the way you want
them to and you have to approach these areas from several angles before
the game will actually let you pick something up. Jumping is also made
much more difficult due to the inconsistent controls, but you have
unlimited lives at your disposal and, like I said above, there are
surprisingly few bottomless pits to jump over.
The graphics in Munchs Oddysee are pretty plain and unimpressive. There
are really only two environments types - grass and dirt or cement and
steel - so the look of the game gets old fast. The characters arent
very detailed, but they are animated fairly well and it is easy to pick
your character out from a crowd of Mudokons and Glukkons. The graphics
are not impressive in the least, particularly when compared with
Gruntys Revenge, which was released around the same time as Munchs
Oddysee.
When you can actually hear it, the sound in Munchs Oddysee is pretty
good. That is the problem, though. The music is excellent but it cuts in
and out, which becomes annoying very quickly. The sound effects are
pretty standard and dont help or hurt this title. Abe even has a few
sound bytes, but it isnt anything compared to the wealth of dialogue
found in the PSone and Xbox Oddworld games.
In the end, Munchs Oddysee on the GBA is just a throwaway title that
isnt worth messing with. The fun parts are few and far between and the
bland graphics and glitchy controls are enough to drive all but the most
determined players away. The humor found in the rest of the Oddworld
series is missing here, and that only amplifies the sense of boredom and
repetitiveness of moving from one bland looking room to another. The
game is simple and only three or four hours long so kids might like it,
but there are better kids games out there than Munch on the GBA. The
fact that the game uses the archaic password save function rather than
letting you save to the cartridge is the final nail in the coffin for
this game. Do yourself a favor and check out Oddworld on the PSone or
Xbox instead.
Eric Qualls (10/31/2003) |