Oddmar munching a mushroom. What is it about platformer games and mushrooms?
Oddmar is a fun little game about a viking who just doesn’t seem to fit in. Oddmar, the titular hero, loses his mother and father at a young age. He’s close with his best friend, and they play games and laugh together. But they grow up. Or, Oddmar’s friend grows up. Oddmar stays a bit like a kid inside. Innocent, kind, and joyful, despite all he’s lost. His best friend disappeared. The chief of the village is a greedy man, never content with his village’s size or riches. He gives Oddmar an ultimatum: destroy the forest or leave home forever.
A fairy of the forest delivers a magic mushroom to Oddmar. He gets an incredible ability to leap high in the sky. Which, incidentally, is perfect for a platformer game.
Oddmar is hand-drawn, beautiful, and fun. It’s a perfect platformer for a modern era.
The Platformer
What, you don’t ride a boar through the forest on occasion?
I’ve played plenty of video games over my life. However, my first full console game was Super Mario Bros for the NES. As such, I’m a bit of a platformer snob. The gravity has to be just right, the controls need to feel like you’re in complete control of your character. It’s a delicate balance. But each platformer needs to feel a little different. They can’t all feel exactly like the first Super Mario Bros. A unique feel is part of its charm.
Oddmar definitely has a unique feel. It’s a little flighty and bouncy. It gives it a silly feel. That feel perfectly compliments the artwork. There are weapons, which you can upgrade, shields, and abilities you learn and unlock as you play. The gameplay is unique between levels as well. It’s not all running and jumping. Well, a lot of it is, but the obstacles you’ll have to dodge, enemies you’ll fight, and those you’ll run away from, are unique.
Does it Work?
Oddmar is full of whimsy. But platformers rely on a sort of nervous twitchy gameplay. You need to feel like you’re constantly in danger. Platformers are often frustrating because of this. When you just can’t get past a specific part, you can’t help but get angry. That buildup of emotions, nervousness, and twitchiness sees to that. But Oddmar’s whimsy helps with those moments. Yes, the game is still tense, but the whimsical elements make the difficult moments fun.
Epic boss battles punctuate the 4 worlds Oddmar travels
The game is just $4.99 on the App Store. It’s a universal app too, so, if you get it for your iPhone, you can also play it on your iPad. It’s a game that plays well on the touch screen, but I prefer to use my Moga controller. You can see more of the screen like this, and it’s a more natural way to play a platformer. You can play on the touch screen just as well. The controls are responsive and intuitive either way. In fact, to prove this, I beat the boss in the screenshots above using only the touch screen controls.
For $5, it’s a steal. I’m often perplexed by these mobile games. Oddmar is worth at least $15, and would sell for as much on any other platform. Unfortunately, due to the distribution platform and customers’ low expectations for mobile games, the Oddmar developers had to price the game below it’s value. Though this game is a little on the short side, the quality of the levels, gameplay, artwork, and even the often humorous and touching story definitely make the game worth more than they’re charging for it. That makes buying the game a no-brainer for any iOS user who likes old school platformers.