Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is a meticulously crafted remake of the 1997 classic, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. Developed by Just Add Water, the game successfully reintroduces the industrial, darkly comedic world of Oddworld to a new generation while preserving the core essence of the original's challenging and inventive puzzle-platforming design.

The story centers on Abe, a Mudokon slave working as a floor waxer at the massive meat processing plant, RuptureFarms. Abe stumbles upon a chilling board meeting where the Glukkon executives, led by his boss Molluck, reveal their new product line: Mudokon Pops, made from the very Mudokons they enslave, following the extinction of their other creatures. Horrified, Abe escapes, embarking on a perilous journey to become the savior of his people. His quest involves traversing the industrial hellscape of the factory and venturing into the ancient native lands of the Mudokons to gain the power needed to shut down RuptureFarms for good.

The gameplay is a blend of puzzle-platforming and stealth, where Abe, who is inherently weak and defenseless, must rely on his wits and timing. Unlike typical platform heroes, Abe cannot directly fight most enemies and is often killed by a single hit. Survival hinges on observing enemy patrols, setting off traps, and utilizing the environment to eliminate threats or sneak past them.

The signature mechanic is GameSpeak, a command system that allows Abe to interact with his fellow Mudokons (of which there are 299 to rescue, up from 99 in the original). Players must use commands like "Hello," "Follow Me," and "Wait" to safely guide them through deadly corridors and to magical Bird Portals that whisk them to freedom. This secondary objective of mass rescue adds a layer of complexity and moral weight to every screen.

Abe's other vital ability is Chanting, which enables him to open the portals and, more crucially, to Possess the armed Slig guards. Taking control of a Slig temporarily changes the gameplay, allowing the player to shoot other enemies, trigger mechanisms, and even suicide the Slig into a mine for a cathartic, violent solution to a puzzle.

The key change in New 'n' Tasty from the original is the move from the old flip-screen format to a seamless, scrolling 2.5D presentation. This, along with fully analogue controls and a new quick-save feature, modernizes the experience, making the controls less rigid and the flow of the world more fluid. While purists might miss the precision of the grid-based movement, the remake successfully captures the original's dark atmosphere, bizarre character designs, and challenging, save-every-last-Mudokon mandate. The ending hinges on how many Mudokons the player manages to save—a clear call to the game's central message of industrial exploitation and corporate greed.