Oddmar

Visually, Oddmar is stunning and gorgeous, but that's to be expected from the team who created Leo's Fortune. Even though this is a side-scrolling platformer, everything appears to be rendered in 3D with the beautifully blurred and scenic landscapes in the background, with contrasting sharpness for the stage in the foreground. These layers give off the illusion of 3D, and it works incredibly well. Oddmar's depiction of Valhalla is ravishing, as the world looks lush and even whimsical. The colors are bold and vibrant, with some more muted, earthy tones mixed in along the way.

Oddmar is a distinctive looking Viking who seems to be bursting with a jolly personality, and the various animals and enemies you'll encounter are just as lively. Animations are smooth and fluid, so there's no issues of lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. The game also features an epic and delightful soundtrack to go along with the epic adventure, complete with what sounds like bagpipes and all. Of course, Oddmar is quite a special Viking, so there are some fun sound effects to go along with everything.

There's a unique story behind Oddmar, and it's revealed to players through a series of motion comics. These are hand-drawn and look fantastic, as they convey emotions and other tones well. Essentially, Oddmar is a rather odd Viking. His village has deemed him not worthy of being in Valhalla since he seems to have squandered all of his potential. However, one day he gets an opportunity to prove himself once more, but at a price. It's kind of amazing that the story of a Viking could be relatable for many of us, right?

Since Oddmar is a platformer, it goes along with the level-based formula. At the moment, there are 24 hand-crafted stages to get through. While that does not sound like much, the levels are pretty lengthy and full of challenging physics-based puzzles. So if you want to finish the game, that means spending some quality sit-down time with it, as there are also a lot of hidden secrets to discover too. The goal in each stage is to make it to the end where the ritual stone is. However, there will be many obstacles and new enemies along the way that try to prevent you from proving your worth as a Viking. Fortunately, you're armed and ready to take on all that stand in your way. Plus, there are checkpoints, so if you die, you'll just pick up from the last checkpoint you reached.

Controls in Oddmar are simple and intuitive. To move left or right, just slide your finger around in the bottom left corner. In order to jump, you'll swipe upwards from the bottom right corner. Though you can't double jump, you're able to jump off of walls, so take advantage of that. To attack, just tap the bottom right corner - if you do it fast enough, Oddmar goes into a slashing combo. You can do a shield slam by swiping down while you're in the air. This can let you reach higher spots if done on a bouncy surface, or you can break weak floors to get to hidden areas. For the most part, the controls are responsive so there isn't too much of an issue with that.

However, I'm not sure I like the swiping controls that are on by default. Fortunately, you can toggle on-screen controls in the settings, which puts buttons on the screen. This works out for me much better, and I'm sure for many others.

As you explore the various lands, Oddmar will find gold triangles to collect along the way. These are the game's currency, and they're plentiful. Every now and then, you'll encounter a shop on the stage, and you can "enter" it by hitting the bell with an attack. This opens up the shop, and you can check out new weapons and shields that you can purchase with your gold. These new additions can increase your attack power and speed, and protect you from more damage, so it's important to upgrade when you can.

Oddmar is a fantastic action-adventure platformer that is full of content and challenging at the same time. The game looks beautiful with the hand-crafted artwork and motion comic cutscenes. The music is fun to listen to, and the sound effects give everything a dash of personality. While 24 levels doesn't seem like a lot, the length of each stage is pretty good, and the puzzles can be fairly challenging even for skilled veterans. The checkpoint system is nice since they're pretty frequent, so the game is forgiving and not frustrating. It's an overall great addition to anyone's platformer collection.

While there is a lot of good stuff about Oddmar, I did find the swiping controls to be a bit odd to be the default option. At least you can change it to on-screen button controls, so I'm thankful for that. The only other negative is the fact that there are only 24 levels - I hope to see more added in the future, as it would extend the lifespan of the game.

As a platformer fan, I love Oddmar. The game is visually amazing, and the music is top notch. Controls are nice once you find your preferred setting, and the gameplay is challenging. It's all rather humorous too, which makes it even more charming. And while there are only 24 levels right now, it will take some time to get through them all considering the length, as well as the hidden secrets to collect. Oh, and there are Dream levels to finish too, so the replay value is high.

Oddmar is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $4.99. There are no in-app purchases.