Parent's Guide: Oddworld New 'n' Tasty - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is a 2D platform adventure game, and a remake of 1997's Abe's Oddysee, which puts players in control of Abe, a Mudokon (think smiley blue and green humanoid aliens) who has to escape the industrial meat packing plant Rupture Farms, and save his fellow Mudokons in the process.

The game, like it's '90s predecessor, is known for its difficulty and 'trial and death' play-style. Part puzzle game, part platformer, you have to figure out how to make it through each level, and avoid the traps that lie in your way. Some of the later puzzles require both nimble thumb work and quick reactions, and some sections can leave you feeling stuck for a while. The Quiksave system does alleviate the tedium of repeated deaths though, allowing players to instantly load up a recent save after a death, but there are some areas in which it's a bit too easy to get stuck on a single frustrating puzzle, making this one for players at the older end of the spectrum.

Generally though, the gameplay is intuitive and easy to pick up for most players, and the ability to choose your difficulty means that even those players new to the Oddworld series should be able to evade those Sligs and Slogs without too much trouble.

As a game that you'll die a lot while playing, Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty has its fair share of violence, although it's handled in a comedic way.

The violence isn't dwelt on, and isn't a major focus, but when it happens, it can come thick and fast. From being squashed by doors, to a level with a meat grinder, where a mistimed jump will result in Abe being torn to pieces by a meat grinder, and effectively explode into short lasting chunks of meat. The ragdoll physics and dopey yet dark humour do paint the violence in a rather slapstick light, but never the less, it is there.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Playstation 3