App Army Assemble: Oddmar - A colourful platformer which plays as good as it looks

Over the past couple of weeks we've had some wonderful games to get our hands on, but Oddmar was one that really caught our eye.

This action platformer certainly won us over as we gave it a Gold Award in its review, saying: "Oddmar isn't the most original game in the world. But taken as a package, as the collection of images, mechanics, and ideas you're going to be wrestling with once you've installed the app on your phone, it's still something pretty special."

So, with all of that said, what does our App Army have to say on it? Let's find out.

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This is perhaps the first puzzling platformer since Rayman Jungle Run and Leo's Fortune that gave me as much pleasure and fun. To keep the review within character limit would certainly be a 'mission impossible' considering Oddmar’s Disney-like cut-scenes, dramatic/comedic story, stunning artwork, epic boss fights, and what not.

The game is so vibrant and colorful that I often found myself stopping mid-level just to marvel at its beauty and explore a plethora of details in Oddmar's environment, but this is far from being a mere eye candy. The gameplay idea and its execution are truly one-of-a-kind.

Each level objectives are similar to those found in Leo's Fortune, but unlike it here you get side missions as well. Going there involves an evil mushroom that belches out a hallucinogenic gas, sending Oddmar into the dream-like places. It's noticeable right away that controls are very fluid and responsive, however, there are instances when instead of jumping our valiant viking-to-be opted for axe-swinging.

I am at my wit's end as to what else I should say to persuade you to go to the App Store and buy this pearl of a game right now.

So I have a serious problem with this game... I have to write a review, but I cannot put this game down. Can't do it at work, can't do it at home.

It is visually beautiful and you can really feel the love the team had for this game.

The game reveals the story of Oddmar - a clumsy Viking, who didn't want to become a warrior. The graphics in the game are really colorful and bright. After a while, you start to doubt whether this is a cartoon or not because everything is worked out to the last detail.

If you stop and look at the surrounding world, you can see that everything is alive: flying birds, running animals, and so on. The feeling is heightened by the cutscenes after each level, but then you remember that you are still in the game and continue the campaign through the lands of the Vikings.

The gameplay in the first two worlds is typical for a platformer. You have to run, jump, and destroy everything in your path to reach the end of the level. Once you hit the third world, everything becomes more exciting - there are physics-based puzzles, the levels get longer, and much more.

All the action takes place with a pleasant soundtrack, which is very fitting for this setting. Overall, Oddmar is a very high-quality platformer with pleasant cartoon graphics, an interesting and unusual plot, fascinating gameplay and provocative music. The only drawback of Oddmar is that it's almost impossible to tear away from it.

One of the greatest Russian authors to ever live once said: "Everything should be first-rate in a person - his face, clothes, soul and thoughts", and this is certainly the case with Oddmar. From visuals bursting with colour and an animated story, to stellar gameplay, sound design, and overall experience, everything lives, breathes, and moves in it.

The meticulous approach to production is other-worldly: every level scene is jam-packed with tiny nuances that constantly vie for your attention. Though I can almost hear someone say that the game is way too colorful, childish, sugar-y, and fails to provide much of a challenge, for me it turned out to be a MARvelous distraction. It managed to turn back the clock and allowed me once again to get that feeling of being a carefree 12-year old with an unlimited supply of MARshmallows and MARmalade (and perhaps of MARmite if I'd been born a British bloke) and no ODD choices in life to his name yet.

If I asked to showcase the "Best of platformers/auto-runners" to ever grace the App Store, I would definitely include this game into my short list. Skol!

I'm not the biggest fan of virtual of touch screen controls for games requiring precision, but Oddmar handles it much better than other mobile platformers. Though, I still had the occasionally untimely demise due to sweaty big thumbs swiping on the screen.

The game itself is very much in the style of Rayman games, which isn't a bad thing, and it's thankfully not just a cheap copy. The graphics look great and everything runs silky smooth. Along with plenty of content you have hidden collectibles to keep you interested and the levels get progressively more challenging.

The one pain was having to download the levels once you booted up the app. This didn't work for me and required three re-installs! The game is only 270 MB, so I'm not sure why they took this approach.

Once you get past that hurdle it's a top quality game which is brimming with colourful and charming entertainment.

If I ever get chosen to do this again I'm going to write my review much more quickly, everyone has already described really well how much fun this game is!

Oddmar is beautiful, charming, and a delight to play. You know almost immediately that you are in safe hands with this game. It just all works so nicely, from the cutscenes, to the scenery, to the controls, to the baddies, it fills you with confidence that your time spent on this app will be rewarded with satisfying gameplay, well thought-out levels, and a sensible progression of difficulty. Great fun. Buy it.

At first I was seriously underwhelmed by the game. It just seemed like another side-scrolling arcade game. Fun, but ultimately a clone of a million other games.

Then I found my little hero being chased by a huge boulder, a la Indiana Jones, and I knew I was a fan. Then I took a harder look at the visuals and the impressive background and details, and I'm more of a fan.

This game doesn't try to do a lot, but what it does, it does very well, with intricate objects and obstacles and a great sense of humor. It's fun and not so challenging that you'll get frustrated easily. I enthusiastically recommend it for fans of the genre.

I've never been a big fan of touch screen platformers, mainly due to the fine controls that are generally needed. However, Oddmar has integrated them very well. They are simple yet effective.

The opening movie has been well thought out and I feel does a good job of hooking you into the game. The cartoony style graphics are well matched to the style and add a nice charm to it. The game runs brilliantly on my iPhone 7 and the whole experience felt smooth and well-polished.

Let me say right off the bat, Oddmar is a great game. It shines with charm on every level. From the progression in complexity to the storyboard, attention to detail permeates the world of Oddmar. Every review available reads like a love letter to a worthy game. I'll take this space to fill in what most of the reviews have left out.

The issue I have with Oddmar is my issue with Apple and the wheel of mandatory upgrades. I have been holding back on upgrading to iOS 11 because I have a good many games that will not work on it, so the message that met me that Oddmar requires iOS 11 was a little disheartening.

Which features provided exclusively by iOS 11 have been integrated into the design? I'm not sure, but if it has anything to do with having to connect to a server to download the second half of a game after purchasing it from the App Store in what is possibly some obscure form of DRM, then I have concerns.

In any case Oddmar is one sweet carrot. If you're still on the fence about upgrading your system's iOS compatibility and you enjoy lovingly crafted platformers then giddy'up, because the stick is coming for you anyway.

Oddmar is a console-quality platformer you can put in your pocket. The game looks lush, handles handsomely, and has a sense of fun flowing through every fibre of it.

If I'm going to be critical at all, and it's a bit of a struggle, I suppose the difficultly level was a little low. The generous placement of save points in each level made it even easier, though, to be honest, I was enjoying myself so much with Oddmar the lack of challenge never crossed my mind while playing.

Buy it. Buy it now.

There's no getting away from it, Oddmar is going to be compared to modern iterations of Rayman. That's not a bad thing as Rayman is one of those games that has evolved well over time on mobile and consoles, and it's now a great platforming experience on both.

The difference with Oddmar is that it's closer to the console versions of Rayman, the ones where you can change direction and explore the levels. The mobile versions of Rayman force you to run either left or right, and because of this it feels like you're getting a proper game not a watered down for mobile.

The game itself is gorgeous, from the menus, the superb lengthy cut scenes, the animations, and the in-level designs. I haven't seen such attention to detail since the Metal Slug Games. Its controls are spot on, and the audio and voices used in the game couldn't be any better.

Oddmar oozes quality from every pore and brings a smile to your face as you play it. I would struggle to find fault with it. This is a game I could happily play for hours. If you are looking for a console-quality platformer with no IAP shenanigans, look no further. This is it.

This game is a typical platformer done really well. From the beautiful graphics to the cutscenes that move the story forward, it was thoroughly enjoyable. There were plenty of objects to jump up and down on, enemies to avoid or kill, objects to collect, and the gameplay was difficult enough to keep you wanting to move forward while giving you an achievable challenge.

The only small gripe I had was that the controls could be a little tricky if I needed to move quickly, but except for a few untimely deaths it didn't really spoil my fun. This is a great game and definitely one to be recommended.

Oddmar is a beautiful game. I love the little details everywhere you look and it handles pretty well for touchscreen controls.

I honestly didn't find anything I hated about this game. It's solid with wonderful levels, music, and even the story was interesting enough to keep me wanting to see what happened next.

This is definitely a highly recommended game in my opinion.

I bought it over the weekend. The cloud saving is a bit glitchy as I've been switching between iPad and iPhone and progress sometimes doesn't cross over.

The controls can be a bit floaty as well when you're trying to make a quick succession of jumps.

Good game though.