Written by
Anh Pham
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee is a game that was released a long time ago, on the Xbox in 2001. The game features 3D graphics, with a somewhat bizarre visual and auditory design, but I find it quite amusing. You play as Abe of the Mudokon tribe and Munch of the Gabbit tribe, and together you overcome challenges in the Oddworld to free the species from slavery.
Introduce about Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee
Non-linear level design
Unlike other games in the same genre, which have linear levels with only a straight line from start to finish, Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee has a completely different level design. The levels in Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee are very large and have many nooks and crannies. Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee also doesn’t force you to complete any specific tasks or unlock anything beforehand. You are free to choose and follow your own path, as long as that path isn’t locked.
The game also makes full use of the 3D environment, specifically elevation (Z-axis). The terrain and structures in Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee can be placed very high up, or sometimes hidden under extremely low tunnels. At the time Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee was released, when 3D games were still rudimentary, it was one of the games with the most “3D” level designs ever released.
Design the features and mechanics in the level
The features and mechanics associated with the levels in Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee are also very diverse and creative. Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee has many trigger mechanisms, locking and unlocking mechanisms, and traps. These mechanisms and traps are cleverly placed, challenging enough but not so difficult as to be frustrating. Notably, enemies who step on traps will also be punished like you. This is not only a fair design but also creates a new gameplay style. If you don’t want to fight enemies one-on-one, or if the enemies are too numerous and strong, you can lure them into traps.
An unique companionship mechanism
In some levels of Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, the adventure won’t be just you alone. After freeing the prisoners in the world of Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, you’ll gain companions from the Mudokon tribe (in Abe’s game) or the Fuzzle tribe (in Munch’s game). You can have from one to many companions. These friends can fight alongside you and solve puzzles with you. However, companions can also be injured if they take too many attacks from enemies.
Furthermore, Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee has a very cool feature called GameSpeak. This mechanism allows the character you control to communicate with or give commands to your companions. GameSpeak offers many types of communication, from making your companions laugh to serious commands like attack or retreat. GameSpeak in Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee can be considered a groundbreaking feature, adding a lot of depth to the gameplay.
Collect Spooce in the levels
Spooce are green seeds that can be collected from strange, greenish plants called Spooceshrubs, scattered throughout the levels in Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee. Spooce can be considered as objectives you need to collect, similar to gold in series like Mario or Sonic.
However, unlike those series, collecting Spooce in Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee is not just a bonus; it’s extremely important to the gameplay. Spooce acts as a resource, its quantity increasing with collection and decreasing with use.
Unlock Spoocelocks
In Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, Spooce can be used to unlock Spoocelocks – mechanisms often placed next to certain special objects, usually objects that directly block your path to the next area. Spoocelocks also act as locks for those objects. Therefore, collecting enough Spooce is extremely important and is the key to completing the level.
Spoocelocks require a certain amount of Spooce to be loaded. The required amount of Spooce is usually clearly displayed on the Spoocelocks’ screen. You can load a portion of Spooce beforehand, then continue searching for more Spooce and return later. Once you’ve loaded enough Spooce, the object linked to the Spoocelocks will be activated or deactivated depending on the level, allowing you to continue your journey.
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, an old but gold game
With the technical limitations of 2001, the graphics on 3D games at that time had many shortcomings. However, with the bizarre and quirky visual and auditory design of Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee, that wasn’t a problem. Most importantly, Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee had simple gameplay, but featured mechanics and features that were ahead of their time, something very few games of similar scale could achieve.
Download Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee APK for free on Android
The mobile port of Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee is extremely well-optimized in both performance and control mechanics, allowing for an incredibly smooth gaming experience. This may seem simple, but very few games ported from other platforms to mobile devices can achieve this.