"Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee" is a popular and highly rated game for the Xbox, but it has failed to make a graceful transition to the Game Boy Advance. In "Munch's Oddysee" for the GBA, Abe (our Mudokon hero from past games) is joined by Munch, an amphibious, monopedal creature called a Gabbit. Abe and Munch set out to stop the evil Glukkon factory (the Evenwurst Weenerz Co.) and bank (Fort Glokz), and to liberate the enslaved Mudokons.

Team work and mental control

Each hero has his own distinct skills to help the pair tag-team through the levels. Abe, with the help of collectable SpooceShrubs, can take mental control of enemies and send them to attack their own kind. He's fast on land but quickly drowns in water. Munch, being amphibious, is a champion in the water and can quickly swim through channels to flip switches and reach areas Abe can't. He can zap enemies if he's recently drunk from the occasional "Zap" vending machine, or he can send his rabid Fuzzles after a foe. Munch can also take mental control of some robotic enemies and parts of the environment. In most levels you can freely switch between the heroes to use Abe's and Munch's unique skills to make it through the environments and solve the spatial puzzles.

Who let the fun out?
The fun of the Oddworld series came from the personable characters, great voice-acting, cinematic cut scenes, and imaginative graphic detail. Oddworld was indeed a world, with a distinct style and characters that developed throughout the game. All this is gone on the Game Boy Advance. Abe speaks only a few phrases, and the environments are plain and lack detail.

Gray-scale blues

The monochromatic palate of "Munch's Oddysee" gives it a gritty, industrial look on the Xbox, but on the tiny GBA screen an itty-bitty gray character on a gray background doesn't make for good gameplay. You'll find yourself retreating to a dark room in order to see enough contrast to make it through the levels. If you don't have a dark room handy, you're looking at some wicked eyestrain.

Put the thingamagig in the whatchamacallit

Unfortunately, the game not only lacks the essential charm that made "Oddworld" so popular in the first place, it's also frustrating to play. To progress, you need to pick things up, throw things around, and switch levers. It may take four or five adjustments around the object to successfully interact with it. If an enemy is nipping at your heels while you're trying (and failing) to pick up and rescue an enslaved Mudokon (the fellow members of Abe's species refuse to jump up or down themselves -- they must be thrown), the glitch quickly goes from annoying to deadly.

Short and not so sweet

The game is also short. It shouldn't take you more than a day to complete the 13 levels. Though after tediously walking through gray room after gray room it could feel more like a year. "Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee" for the GBA is unfortunately a dud, even for fans of the series. We'll just have to wait for the next installment of "Oddworld" for the Xbox.

"Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee" (GBA)