The Oddworld series has returned to its roots with New ‘n’ Tasty. Original 1997 classic Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee has been fully remade for new platforms, and returns to Abe’s original adventure as he frees his fellow workers. Abe is a janitor at RuptureFarms, a meat processing plant that is responsible for driving the creatures providing the meat for its products into extinction. Having run out of animals to harvest, the company’s newest scheme is to turn Abe’s species into its next product. Abe overhears those plans, and realizes he must escape from RuptureFarms as the game begins.

The game has freed itself from static 2D screens, and offers a full “2.5D” experience. The remake has moved from pre-rendered backgrounds to a fully animated world, though it’s very reminiscent of the original. Most of the environments remain exactly as they were, though with updated art to accommodate the move from static screens to a scrolling environment and the increased resolution. Also returning is Abe’s vocabulary of speech, songs and farts, often used to solve puzzles. The voice samples have all been recreated and sound great, as have the rendered cutscenes. The game looks great in 1080p, and runs well on PS4. It’s clear that the new consoles are more than enough to handle Oddworld Inhabitants’ ambitions.

The gameplay remains true to the original, with the same goal of avoiding capture while rescuing your fellow Mudokons. You still navigate a 2D obstacle course filled with platforming, stealth and puzzles. Abe still climbs over platforms Prince of Persia-style, though the controls have been changed to be more in line with modern standards. One example: the walking and running controls are both done using the analog stick, instead of the original setup’s trigger button-based scheme. It’s more in line with how games work now, though it removes some of the precision that was available in the original, especially when trying to jump a specific distance.

Stealth is on a shoulder button, which means that you use it separately from the two movement speeds. I’ve never been a huge fan of stealth in games, but in Oddworld, it isn’t nearly as awkward as it many games tended to be in that era. One of the reasons for this? An uncommon feature for a console game: quick-saving.  On the PS4, using the touch pad allows you to quick-save and return to any point. This is useful for tricky sections if checkpoints aren’t handy, but also especially useful if you want to try to save as many Mudokons as possible, as often you may want to avoid checkpoint saves, or reload to somewhere earlier than the last checkpoint you passed.

With a price tag of $30, the game’s price may feel a bit steep compared to many other HD remakes. The game also throws tutorials at the player a bit too much, ignoring the player’s sense of direction and often providing hints for rather obvious areas. When it does present these hints, though, it’s usually in a way that fits well with the game world, but they’re still usually a waste of time.

For someone who fondly remembers the original Oddworld, New ‘n’ Tasty is probably the best version you’ll ever be able to play. Even if you’re new to the series, it’s worthwhile, as it’s the best way to experience the franchise’s first adventure. Hopefully it will lead to other games in the series getting a similar treatment, something Oddworld Inhabitants has alluded could happen if the game sells well.

Pros: Modernized mechanics, charm of original left intact
Cons: Tutorials a bit much, price could be steep for some