With the mobile platform being more popular than ever, it’s pretty common to see a new game popping up pretty much every other day. Although just because there’s a new game to try more often, doesn’t mean it’ll actually be good.
Now, on my search for a game to really sink my teeth into that doesn’t make me say “Well, this feels like another generic game” which I’ll play for a few mins and then delete… I found a game that was “Odd” in terms of its name and gameplay.
Like c’mon how good can a game named Oddmar be? I was bored and thought that I might as well give it a try. I mean it doesn’t look bad in the screenshots that are displayed on the store page. So, why not?
I started the game up and it straight up gave me “Rayman Origins” vibe. You know, the Rayman franchise that Ubisoft actually did well with. Moving on, I see that there’s an actual story with cutscenes and everything and I’m wondering “How did I miss out on this game for so long?”.
The game has been out on both Apple and Play Store for a long while now and I’m baffled that such a polished game exists. Now, without ranting further, In my Oddmar Game Review for Android, I’m going to talk about my experience with the game in terms of gameplay and the initial plot without spoiling it for the players.
Okay… How Good is the Oddmar Story?
As it turns out, pretty good! Let me give you the premise.
The story was brought to life with beautiful narration by voice actor Julian Casey which felt like a father reading a bedtime story to his child before bed.
The plot starts off as showcasing Vikings living an honorable life of battle in order to get the right for a place in Valhalla. Valhalla is a version of heaven for Vikings which they hold as the highest honor where a warrior who died fighting would go.
But our protagonist Oddmar, on the other hand, is a lazy Viking. He doesn’t hunt, kill, or pull his own weight. He mooches off his fellow villagers and they had enough of it. The village chief gave him the task to burn down the forest.
If he doesn’t do the task he’s given, he’ll be cast out from his village like his friend Vaskr. While Oddmar fears the terrors that await him if he gets banished, he’s also never really known battle like other Vikings.
How would he go about burning down an entire forest? More importantly, why would there be a need to burn it? What did the forest do to deserve it? Facing such difficult decisions, Oddmar sleeps troubled with these thoughts.
In his dreams he sees a magical fairy that comes to him with a magical mushroom. Intrigued by it he approaches to take the mushroom but right then he wakes up. To his surprise the mushroom is sitting right on top of his chest.
Afterwards he consumes the mushroom and gains magical abilities to spawn large mushrooms that would help reach great heights and travel longer distances (literally).
At the beginning, this new found power brought him recognition from his village but his chief was very displeased as he thought that power to be of evil in nature. After an argument with the chief about harnessing such a power the village was struck by some kind of magic. The village had disappeared.
Shocked by the turn of events, Oddmar now embarks on a quest not just for his village, but possibly the whole world.
A Unique Yet Familiar Style of Gameplay
Oddmar truly feels like a polished platformer. This is due to the gameplay mechanics that embody the design and playstyle like Rayman games. The Rayman franchise arguably brought one of the best 2D platformers to PC, consoles, and even mobile devices.
The developers of Oddmar did an excellent job with their level design and a natural tempo for the playing style of different players. Bouncing along the environments, finding secrets, and propelling yourself off enemies to reach the next point felt seamlessly fluid.
The game features twenty-four action-packed stages which you can play through. There are collectibles and time trials to be accomplished. There’s your “Re-play value.” I find myself playing through a stage more than twice just because I want all the achievements that come along with it. Here’s an Oddmar Gameplay Image to help you visualize what I’m saying.
Oddmar’s gameplay style truly showcases how other great platformers have played a vital role in its design and gameplay. The well-thought-out distribution of enemy placements throughout each level shows they went with a rather different approach.
Rather than making a game that’s action heavy they went for a game that has a balance of adventuring through different beautiful and vibrant stages with the right number of enemies to not feel overwhelming. This made the gameplay experience that much more enjoyable.
I had the option to take my time slaying every baddie I came across or just run through the entire stage because I wanted to do a fast playthrough.
Fluid Controls That Tie It Together
Amazing level design is nothing if the controls of an Android Game is clunky. This, undoubtedly, would make it unplayable or hard to enjoy. It’s the most crucial part of a game. MobGe (the developers backing this game) did an outstanding job by implementing a touchscreen layout for a standard controller.
On the left part of your Android phone’s screen you can control the movement of Oddmar in terms guide him the direction you want him to go. And on the right, there are three options. One being you have to swipe up to jump, two swiping down for a pound attack, and three tapping to attack.
The controls feel responsive and fluid. They perfectly compliment the game.
Remember, the mushrooms I mentioned before? They work as a great tool in combat. Something you’d be very familiar with from games like Super Mario is jumping on the heads of enemies to take them out. Oddmar can do just that and more with the power of these shrooms.
I also have the ability to use my weapon or shield which are at my disposal to take care of enemies. The cool thing about this is you even have the option to upgrade your sword and shield from a shopkeeper. He’s usually available every few stages.
This makes collecting coins on each stage that much more worth the time and effort.
Oddmar Game Trailer for Android
I guess after my Oddmar Review for Android, you guys actually want to play and get a feel of the game. Without further ado, let’s give you a taste with this Oddmar Trailer.
How Did Oddmar Turn Out for Me?
I honestly couldn’t ask for a better platformer in terms of mobile devices. In this case, “Android Smartphones.” The only complaint I could possibly conjure up is the length of the game could’ve been longer. Oddmar in no way feels like it’s stretched to the point of being dull.
It felt like they could’ve done more in terms of coming closer to the end (final part of the game). Every level aside from bosses is challenging in the sense I want to get all the achievements that stage has to offer.
After I’ve played through each level it to the point of nothing left to gain in terms of achievements, there’s honestly no replay value.
A few clever concepts that really did appeal to me was the unique interactions Oddmar has with animals which you could ride or control for specific stages, along with a balloon ride sequence which is more than halfway through the game.
These unique aspects of the game made me wonder if the developers took a little more time, what more they could’ve done with it.
But apart from all that, Oddmar is a great game that has a unique story with polished gameplay mechanics. Everything about it made me feel that they put time and dedication went into the making this game. Let’s face it… I wouldn’t have bothered with Oddmar Game Review for Android otherwise.
I would recommend anyone who’s looking for a good game on Android phones to try this out. This is available on Android for free and on Apple store for a measly fee of $4.99.
Just a quick note: If you’re interested in reading some of the game reviews that I did, please read my Darksiders: Genesis Review and tell me if it’s good or bad. If you’re interested in a somewhat dated article of mine, you’re welcome to read the one where I discussed DOOM and DOOM II Coming to Android. Let me know what things you liked and disliked about these articles.
Leave a Reply