Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 73 | 8 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 87% | 81 | 909 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 83 | 1 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 79% | 74 | 3 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 9 reviews sampled · 6 total reviews in window · weighted 4.2 up / 1.1 down · computed 18m ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (24)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 75
“Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath offers one of the coolest reload mechanics in gaming history when it has you rustle up your own ammo. Lack of interesting puzzles make this feel more like an FPS with a good story when compared to previous entries in the series.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Despite these rough edges, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is still a joy to play on Switch, and if you didn't experience it the first time around, it's well worth a look now. ”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Oddworld series has finally managed to come to Switch! Well, sort of, since this FPS-like offshoot from the main series is quite a different animal...”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Although some elements have aged well, large swaths of the game design serve more as a look back at 2005 than a modern piece of entertainment. That being said, if like me you have a penchant for the strangeness of the sixth generation of gaming, you'll likely be able to see Stranger's Wrath for what it represents. Like many remasters from this era, it is best played with its original release era in mind.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is a very unique title for the Nintendo Switch, the experience holds up while some mechanics have aged a bit too much.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Overall, there isn't much that one can fault in Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD on the Switch. It runs and looks improved on all fronts, and it features a game that is interesting and fun to play. It's quite dated in some respects, such as the audio, controls, and overall design. While this is unlikely to scare away fans of the series, newcomers should probably be aware that this is a diamond in the rough with more than a few sharp edges. Just like 15 years ago, though, this is still a trip worth taking.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“WORTH CONSIDERING - Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is a high definition remake of a game that was originally released in 2005 and plays like it. Third person games from that era had camera issues that were really frustrating to work with so expect that going in. The story is cool and the character design is very good. If you can forgive the controls being very touchy then you can have a lot of fun with this game.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Stranger's Wrath was indeed a pure gem when it released in 2005, was very welcome on other systems and you can have the fondest memories of it. But the stranger looks and feels very old as it comes back on Nintendo Switch. It still has a good heart but doesn't really shine anymore in terms of graphics or gameplay. Still, it has this fantastic western atmosphere. And it is a part of video games history that has to be known. But mostly that makes us hope for some kind of makeover, Abe style.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is still a good game, thanks to its unique style and a compelling, slow, fascinating wierd-western narration. The charming adventure of the Stranger it's a manifesto of the most ambitious visions of early 2000s and, despite some technical flaws and some naive choices, it's still surprisingly fresh and elegant. The Switch porting could have been slicker and better, because framerate issues and clumsy controls in a remastered in 2020 are not acceptable anymore.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Ultimately, this Switch port of Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is seriously worth considering if you’ve never played the game before.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is a fun little game. Some bosses are much harder to capture alive than others, but most are fairly easy when you know how. It should also be noted that there is a harder difficulty mode for those that seek to test their mettle against tougher foes. I’ve spent 20 hours chasing outlaws and kicking butt. Sometimes your butt is the one that gets kicked, though! You’ll need to be careful when an area has numerous enemies in it or clusters of them. Otherwise, you’ll die super-fast. Against smaller numbers, the bounty hunter is a force to be reckoned with. Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD is available digitally on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $29.99, and it looks like a physical release is coming later this year. The HD version of the game can also be found on a few other platforms. Do you have what it takes to catch nasty outlaws alive, or will you be the one bagged?”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD on Switch is a great game, sporting some huge improvements over the original release and offering up a classic game in a highly playable package. The game play itself still feels mostly great, even if it is a little dated, and the improvements to the game’s visuals are not just noticeable, but well-executed and highly polished. The end result is a well-preserved artifact; a crystal clear look into a highly-regarded classic of the mid-2000’s era of gaming. While this isn’t the first time Stranger’s Wrath HD has been re-released, it is arguably one of the best options for playing the game, purely given the ability to take the game with you, and in many ways it feels very well suited to the Nintendo Switch and is sure to please both long-time fans and newcomers alike.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
NintendoWorldReport
Gamerheadquarters
Worth Playing
Nintendo Times
Gameblog
IGN
GameSpew
oprainfall
Saving Content…and 12 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.