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Get on itch.io Store"ODIA is a single-player shooter game with a slow, deliberate pace, inspired by early first-person shooters. As a demonic force, wield a bone-rifle and shield to fight your way through the Gottheim army and ascend the citadel. Grinding is required to unlock your march forward, as you scour the land and slaughter enemies for keys to victory."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and interesting concept of playing as expendable soldiers in a war, providing a fresh take on the typical power fantasy in video games.
- The atmosphere and aesthetics are praised, with many players appreciating the retro graphics and the immersive feeling of being part of a large invasion force.
- Despite its flaws, the game can be rewarding for those who enjoy challenging gameplay and are willing to invest time to learn its mechanics.
- The game suffers from poor AI pathfinding, leading to frustrating moments where allies get stuck or fail to assist effectively.
- Many players find the combat mechanics clunky and unrefined, with issues such as a lack of crosshairs, slow movement speed, and inconsistent shield functionality making gameplay tedious.
- Bugs and progression issues, including disappearing items and game-breaking glitches, detract from the overall experience and can lead to significant frustration.
- gameplay27 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Odia is a polarizing aspect, characterized by its slow, methodical approach reminiscent of retro FPS games, which some players find tedious while others appreciate its unique mechanics and strategic depth. While the combat system introduces intriguing elements like shield blocking and overpowered enemies, the lack of aiming functions and exploration rewards can lead to frustration and a sense of stagnation. Overall, the game offers a distinct experience that may resonate with players seeking a challenging and atmospheric journey, but its flaws may deter those expecting a more traditional fast-paced shooter.
“Odia deliberately eschews all of that, instead opting for slow-paced strategic gameplay (some might say 'ponderous trial-and-error') as you slow-walk through a reasonably-sized open map to a central cathedral that's implied to be your goal.”
“Yet the unique gameplay and atmosphere make this a very interesting title to play.”
“I love the shield mechanic; it's intuitive and really makes the combat feel unique.”
“Gameplay: this is the main draw of Odia and also somehow its biggest negative; some parts of this page and the developer page describe it like a retro FPS game with lots of powerful weapons.”
“While there are some easter eggs to find for achievements, there are no health pickups, secrets, or anything gameplay-changing to find across the various sections - exploration is often underwhelming, boring, and useless.”
“The lack of any aiming mechanic is crippling and makes any ranged fight a 'toss the coin' game.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have garnered mixed reviews, with many praising its retro aesthetic and unique art style that evokes nostalgia for old-school shooters. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and visual design, others find the graphics to be crude and marred by occasional errors. Overall, the game's visuals successfully capture a distinct vibe that appeals to fans of classic first-person shooters, despite some players feeling that the gameplay does not live up to the graphical promise.
“Loved the art style; it made me wonder what could be coming up next.”
“I enjoyed the retro-looking aesthetic and the novelty of playing as one of the grunts in an endless legion of invaders.”
“I applaud the decision to appeal to old-school fans of first-person shooters while also presenting something fresh for players who haven’t experienced this graphical transition as it occurred naturally in the late ‘90s.”
“I hate saying that because I love the atmosphere, the graphics, and the enemy concepts.”
“I expect most people to look at its weird graphics, controls, and gameplay and simply move on.”
“My only problem is there are a few graphical errors in parts if you look really close.”
- story10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story of "Odia" presents players as soldiers in a fascist nation, engaging in a conquest shrouded in ambiguity, which serves as a backdrop for themes of freedom, diversity, and the senselessness of war. While the narrative is minimalistic and open-ended, encouraging personal interpretation, it lacks depth, leaving players to fill in the gaps with their imagination. Overall, the unique storytelling approach, combined with gameplay mechanics like infinite respawns, creates a memorable experience that invites reflection on historical conquests and cultural superiority.
“All in all, an interesting and unique 1-2 hour short story about freedom, diversity, and the senselessness of war.”
“Odia might turn out to be one of the more memorable gaming experiences for you, as its strong themes combined with minimalistic storytelling and gameplay entice you to come up with your own interpretation of what exactly is going on here.”
“The story is non-existent but it leaves everything to your imagination, with a very good style that leaves you wanting to know more about the world where Odia is an actual army.”
“The story is non-existent but it leaves all at your imagination, with very good style and leaves you wanting to know more about the world where Odia is an actual army.”
“In the absence of a story, the gameplay is forced to compensate.”
“What matters is your mission.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its striking aesthetics and ability to convey a sense of desperation and conflict, particularly in the depiction of a besieged city. While some players find the political themes forced and the gameplay slow, many agree that the unique atmosphere enhances the overall experience and serves as a strong foundation for future development.
“Fantastic atmosphere but probably a little too slow and suffers from progression issues.”
“For me it was completely adequate to the themes and atmosphere built and did not detract from the experience in any way.”
“However, I think the political/worldview statements are very forced and don't fit in the game's overall atmosphere.”
“If there's one thing Odia does really well, it's conveying the atmosphere of a besieged city, desperately defending itself against an overwhelming force.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is characterized by a slow and tedious experience, with players feeling fragile and overwhelmed by bullet sponge enemies. The inconsistent enemy respawns and lengthy backtracking to retrieve lost items further exacerbate the frustration, while the lack of effective aiming mechanics adds to the overall tedium of combat. Overall, the game seems designed to discourage players through its challenging movement and combat systems.
“Even with a shield, it feels like you're too fragile to make meaningful progress without repeatedly tossing yourself into the meat grinder, and it's made so tedious by the inconsistent enemy respawns and long walk times back to your body to collect your keys again.”
“Super slow to traverse with incredibly tedious combat.”
“Enemies are extremely simple and very tedious to fight, all of them bullet sponges that offer no meaningful challenge to the game.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with users noting that it lasts only a few hours and offers little incentive to play again. Suggestions for improvement include allowing AI companions to be more interactive or usable, which could enhance the gameplay experience.
“The variety of choices and outcomes in the game makes each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
“With multiple story paths and character builds, I find myself coming back to explore new strategies and experiences.”
“The dynamic world and evolving challenges ensure that no two playthroughs are ever the same.”
“The game lasts only a couple of hours, with no replay value, if you manage to finish it without getting bugged, as I have.”
“No replay value.”
“If you could get the AI companions to follow you and use them as fodder, or even take them over when you died, that would make this infinitely more playable.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its optimization, running smoothly on a wide range of systems and effectively scaling to match the player's native resolution.
“As far as its performance is concerned, it will run smoothly on almost any system as well as properly scaling to your native resolution.”
“The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
“I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, which ruined the immersion.”
“The lack of optimization is evident, as loading times are excessively long and the game often crashes.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been criticized for being lackluster, with some reviewers suggesting it is inferior even to basic elevator music, while the absence of voice acting further detracts from the overall audio experience.
“No voice acting, and the soundtrack makes even looped elevator music seem like a masterpiece by comparison.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks any real depth or variety.”
“The soundtrack feels uninspired and fails to enhance the overall gaming experience.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, including bugs that can lead to game-breaking progression problems, such as missing items. However, many users found that these issues could often be resolved by restarting or reinstalling the game.
“It's pretty buggy; I thought I encountered a game-breaking progression bug because certain items just didn't show up in the game world. However, that should be fixable just by exiting and rebooting the game (or in my case, reinstalling it).”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of feeling that their exploration efforts were unrewarded, leading to a sense of wasted time. This sentiment is compounded by the game's pricing, suggesting that if it were more affordable, the lack of emotional fulfillment might be more easily overlooked.
