O.D.T.: Escape... Or Die Trying

"I did die trying - but in a fun sort of way."

I usually balk at all 3D 3rd person games being compared to Tomb Raider. Games like Soul Reaver and Deathtrap Dungeon don't play much like Tomb Raider at all, and yet are compared to that game because they look similar. O.D.T is often compared to Tomb Raider, and in this case the comparison holds water – there is plenty of hanging from precarious spots, and a hefty dose of “Now how can I get over there?” gameplay.

O.D.T is not as good as Tomb Raider, but still has much to offer. Specifically, the setting (a huge fantastical tower decked out in steampunk fittings) is a bit different to the average game environment, and often presents a real feeling of vertigo. The controls are even more intensive than those of TR, but the range of options they allow the player is very impressive – right down to climbing on the enemies. And the puzzles are more varied as well, with some levels being built around very pleasing brain teasers.

The prospective O.D.T player should be warned, however – this game is tough. Levels are large and save points are few. Unlike Deathtrap Dungeon but like the original Tomb Raider, save points can only be used once, which means that the player has very few safety nets as they play. It’s easy to be killed by enemies until you work out the best way to beat them (the tree guys in the forest level are best avoided, really – fighting them is very non-productive unless you’ve excess flamethrower ammo to burn). This game requires patience in re-playing sections again and again, and anyone who hates that style of play should avoid it.

Another interesting feature is the choice of four (plus two unlockable) characters. In actual fact the difference between the personas isn’t that great, with each favouring a different weapon, and a different balance of shooting skill, armour and spell casting ability). But the characters are nicely designed, charmingly animated and fun to play as. An experience point system is a nice addition, but tops out far too quickly to truly satisfy.

Aesthetically, the game is a mixed bag. Each level presents a different theme, and all the designs are very nicely done – but execution is limited. The polys are rather grainily textured, for instance. Lighting effects are nicely done, with the array of arms and spells available providing some sweet eye candy. A mixed bag, graphically.

The sound is also average. The tunes are nice, the sound effects functionally useful – but there’s nothing here to make your ears sob with pleasure.

One interesting aesthetic choice was to make walls intangible to the camera. Most games using the 3rd person 3D format keep the walls solid to camera and player, meaning that the camera never goes behind the walls. This has led to much disgust from the gamer community as they are left without a solid view of the proceedings – check Blue Stinger, for instance. O.D.T’s camera is a strange beast. Because it can sit behind a wall to view the action, its position is never required to change, and so the player always has the same view of the environments. But this also means that, if the player character is positioned close to a wall, the player is able to see through it as if it were not there. This lends the game a fairly unstable feel, as walls blink and flicker in and out of existence.

I liked this camera system. I enjoyed being able to search for secrets using its quirks to view through walls. The fact that it viewed the game with an unblinking eye was a definite asset. But I can see the system causing confusion for the majority of players, who would put the unstable nature of the environment down to poor programming (which is simply not the case). Certainly, I don’t remember any other game using this compromise to stabilise its camera view.

From the point of view of the average gamer, the high challenge level coupled with the quirky graphical style and the vaguely ‘unfinished’ feel of the game mean that O.D.T will not be a favourite. But for the keen 3rd person gamer, or patient lovers of steampunk, this game is something of a minor gem. Once the control system is mastered, the feeling of traversing dangerous environments in interesting ways is unparalleled by any game I have played. Level design is always solid (though more save points would have been nice), and some areas (especially those on the wall of the tower, where rain, wind and lightning provide atmospheric vertigo) are spectacular both in terms of the variety of activity they present and in terms of imaginative visuals.

The game’s full name (Or Die Trying) is very apt – the challenge is stiff (though persistence is rewarded by higher level healing spells eventually eliminating the danger of death by attrition, with only death-drops threatening players on later levels). Had I managed to complete the game on my first, non-cheating runthrough, I would have felt great satisfaction at beating its challenge. Sadly, by missing one single vital object I was denied the eighth and last level, and was forced to play again (something that left me fuming). My second play, accompanied by a handy infinite lives cheat, was naturally far quicker and slightly less satisfying. Still, the final game bonus was fun and defeating the game left me feeling happy.

And the least I can do for a game which left me feeling happy is to give it a positive review.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/07/01, Updated 11/07/01