Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath

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Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is the fourth game released by the Oddworld team. Mostly unrelated to the previous Oddworld games, Stranger's Wrath focuses on the story of the titular Stranger as he makes his living as a Bounty Hunter and struggles to come up with enough money for a mysterious life-saving operation. Stranger's Wrath is also different from the three previous games in gameplay- it's an Action/First Person Shooter.

Originally released for the Xbox in 2005, Stranger's Wrath has seen a re-release as part of the Oddbox on Steam. An updated re-release on the PlayStation Network was done. It also re-releases on GOG.com as an HD Remake.

Tropes used in Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath include:
  • Abnormal Ammo: Stranger only uses small animals and insects as ammo for his crossbow.
  • Exclusively Evil: The Wolvarks certainly show shades of this.
  • Anti-Hero: Stranger might bring in criminals for a living, but that does NOT mean he's a nice guy. His way of getting the Sky Carts in Mongo Valley running? Assaulting then threatening the operator.
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: Without fail, hostile targets will be leaders of their own gang. And without fail, they will all be much, 'much' stronger than their minions. Of course, this could also be a case of Asskicking Equals Authority.
  • Automatic Crossbow: Stranger's crossbow goes full auto when he uses Stingbees.
  • Badass: Stranger. Just Stranger. He has a Healing Factor in the form of shaking away the pain. He's a Steef. Lastly, he's a Bounty Hunter, but he Doesn't Like Guns, so what does he do? He uses a high-powered, double-barreled Automatic Crossbow that shoots small, but deadly, animals. Heck, one of the Klakkerz and Doc Bandam call him a badass.
  • Ax Crazy: Elboze Freeley and some other bosses are described as this. The Outlaw kamikazes are also insane.
  • Bad Powers, Bad People: Sekto's power is controlling others by latching onto them.
  • Bag of Spilling: A rare mid-game example: After Stranger is captured, he is stripped of the upgrades he bought from the Klakkers. He never gets them back, but gets completely new upgrades from the Grubbs.
  • Battle Strip: Stranger, after he gets captured by Outlaws when he goes upriver from Mongo Valley.
  • Bee-Bee Gun: Stingbees are essentially an automatic version of this trope.
  • Big Bad: Sekto.
  • Bounty Hunter: Stranger. Bounty Hunting appears to be a well-recognized and pursued profession- there are specific stores in every town just for turning in bounties.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: The original river guardian Steef.
  • Brought Down to Normal: Sekto, whose true form is a helpless squid, swimming in the river he dammed.
  • Cattle Punk: Most of the early game has a heavy western feel. In fact, every building you can go into in the towns has saloon-style doors.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: In true Oddworld fashion, the final boss, Sekto, is this.
  • Cutscene Boss: Blisterz Booty, who gets captured in the first cutscene of the game. All you have to do is bounty him.
  • Dead Grubbs On Display: The Wolvarks string up some dead Grubbs outside their first facility, possibly as a warning or a threat.
  • Dieselpunk: Some of the later settings in the game have this feel, but it's nowhere near as prevalent as in the other Oddworld games.
  • Doesn't Like Guns: Stranger.
  • Downer Ending: The last boss? It's the other last Steef, who unknown to anyone, was possessed by Sekto, who was Brought Down to Normal but escaped and swims away in the newly freed river.
  • Dual Boss: The two Gloktigi right before Sekto.
  • Everything's Better with Chickens: The Klakkerz are humanoid chickens.
  • Everything Is Trying to Kill You: The Klakkers turn against Stranger after he's revealed as a Steef since they now want to collect on his bounty.
  • Everything's Worse with Bees: Well, the Stingbees don't make it worse for Stranger...
  • Evil Matriarch: Jo' Mamma.
  • Evil Poacher: Lefty Lugnutz.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: Sekto's voice is very deep, and a good number of the Outlaw bosses have pretty deep voices too.
  • Fangs Are Evil: Every single Outlaw's got 'em.
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture: The Grubbs are oppressed Native Americans while the Klakkers are redneck settlers.
  • Fisticuffs Boss: D. Caste Raider (otherwise unnamed in-game) who captures Stranger.
  • Fictional Currency: Moolah. Also counts as a Global Currency.
  • Flunky Boss: Most bosses will call out a few more Mooks at certain points in their fights. At the least, most start out with a small group of enemies backing them up.
  • Foreshadowing: When Stranger enters the Bounty Office for the first time, he says he needs Doc to "fix a problem" as he scratches his leg.
  • For the Evulz: Most of the Outlaws don't seem to have too many reasons for their antics.
  • Green Aesop: The Grubbs' fight against Sekto has this kind of message.
  • The Guards Must Be Crazy: The Outlaws aren't exactly smart. Hide in the reeds for two seconds and they'll lose track of you. AI aside, the Outlaws are pretty stupid as a rule.
  • He Knows Too Much: The first thing that Stranger does when he's revealed as a Steef is to kill D. Caste Raider and his gang with his bare hands.
  • He's Back: Stranger has just been captured, humiliated, revealed to be a Steef and has lost all his gear. After getting away from the outlaws, getting chased out of town and finally finding the Grubbs, what happens? You get your bow back...along with some cool armor and a full bag of every type of upgraded ammo you've seen before. As you continue to help the Grubbs, you keep getting more and more Badass armor and more upgraded ammo types.
  • Large and In Charge: Every boss is always bigger than their minions.
  • Lost Forever: The Binoculars. Hope you bought them back in Gizzard's Gulch because you'll need them to use the Sniper Wasps much later in the game.
  • Mad Bomber: X'plosives McGee.
  • Moolah For Nothing: There isn't nearly enough to buy to make you run out of cash, even if you capture major bounties dead. Especially because once Stranger gets captured and outed as a Steef, you never use Moolah again.
  • Natural Weapon: After Stranger is reveled to be a Steef, he fights off outlaws both with punches and charging attacks he didn't have before.
    • Obviously, Stranger can just punch enemies at any time, but that's a different trope.
  • Nice Hat: Stranger and a lot of the Outlaws.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Stranger, who seems to be called such by the Klakkers only because they don't know what else to call him. His real name is never revealed.
  • Outlaws: Oh yeah.
  • The Password Is Always Swordfish: To get access to the Black Market, Stranger has to ask around town for the password, which turns out to be Molasses. When he actually finds the shop, Stranger ends up mangling the password "Um, a mole's ass?", but the owner decides that it's close enough and lets him in.
  • Personal Space Invader: Several ammo types. Then there's Sekto...
  • Power Fist: Stranger can buy sets of increasingly deadly brass knuckles at certain points in the game.
  • Prison Rape: Looten Duke fears being in a jail cell with Blisterz Booty again.
  • Punched Across the Room: This happens a lot when you get the upgraded knuckles.
  • Puzzle Boss: Many of the major Outlaws are this. Packrat Palooka requires you to shut off his shield and somehow knock him off his stage. Elboze Freely has an obvious weak point on his back, and only shows it if you're above him out of his range.
  • Recurring Boss: You fight a total of four Gloktigi inside Sekto's dam.
  • Running on All Fours: Stranger will drop to all fours if he runs for long enough. Particularly amazing considering that his actual legs, or more accurately hooves are tied together.
  • Selectively-Lethal Weapon: The difference between killing someone with Thudslugs, punches or Zappflies and knocking them out is that a KO takes less damage. Stingbees and Fuzzles are always deadly, however.
  • Shake It Off: Stranger's method of regaining health is to literally shake off the pain and injury.
  • Shirtless Scene: Stranger gets one when he is revealed as the Steef.
  • Short-Range Shotgun: Don't expect Bola Blasts or Riotslugs to do much beyond short range.
  • Sorting Algorithm of Evil: The Outlaws you fight get tougher over time, but this actually does make sense when you think about it. When you move from town to town, you're always going somewhere bigger, ending in a major port and city. Naturally, the Outlaws that could threaten a larger town would be stronger and have bigger power bases.
  • Spikes Of Villany: Some Outlaws wear metal armor covered in spikes.
  • Spread Shot: The Bola Blast and Riotslug both do this, one with webs that disable enemies and one with slugs that function like shotgun pellets.
  • Super Drowning Skills: Mooks have them. Stranger does not.
  • Throwing the Distraction: Thanks to Chippunks and Howler Punks, this trope has never been easier.
  • Tomato in the Mirror: The Stranger, who is revealed to be The Last of His Kind as a Steef.
    • He's not necessarily the last of his own kind.
  • Too Awesome to Use: Generally averted- sure, you've only got about ten Boombats max most of the time, but there'll be more up ahead somewhere. Also averted near the end of the game when the Grubbs modify Stranger's bounty device and make it generate ammo when you bounty enemies. They're used as food for the ammo. If you do avoid using some of the weapons, it's because you're trying not to kill your bounties.
  • Updated Rerelease: The upcoming Play Station 3 version.
  • Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can beat up and/or shoot the Klakkerz in town for Moolah. You can also do the same to Grubbs later in the game...but they don't give you anything. You monster.
  • Weapon of Choice: A crossbow and his fists for Stranger. Most of the outlaw bosses have their own as well- Packrat Palooka uses missiles and Lefty Lugnutz uses a hunting rifle, just to name a few.