Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is a 2005 genre-hybrid action platformer from Oddworld Inhabitants that abandoned the series' previous style in favor of a bold combination of western aesthetics, third-person platforming action, and first-person shootouts. The transition between the two perspectives was seamless and happened with a single button press, so exploring the landscape and a sudden shootout flowed into one another without any delay.

The main character, a mysterious bounty hunter called Stranger, uses a unique crossbow loaded with live, captured creatures instead of conventional ammunition - each animal functions as a specific weapon with its own effects, from stunning hornets through explosive toads to electrifying octopi, which can also be caught alive for a higher reward, tying the game into an economic system of collecting bounties for captured or killed villains. Dusty towns, canyons, and mines were accompanied by music with western motifs and dry, slightly cynical humor in the dialogue, giving the world a surprisingly coherent atmosphere despite its bizarre fauna. The story, told in a manner typical of the series with its environmental and socially critical undertone, gradually reveals a dark secret about Stranger himself and his true identity, pushing the game from a seemingly simple western toward a more emotional drama.

Critics showered the game with praise for its thoroughly original gameplay mechanics, art direction, and narrative depth, which places Stranger's Wrath among the most critically successful entries of the entire series, though despite excellent reviews it did not achieve much commercial success. It became the last original Oddworld entry for a long time before creators revived the brand years later with remakes and the new title Soulstorm. The inventive crossbow loaded with live creatures is still cited today as one of the most original weapon concepts the action genre on consoles has ever offered.