ODIA

About

ODIA is a single player shooter game. It was developed by Captain Bear Games and was released on July 10, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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67%

Audience ScoreBased on 36 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

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 for their retro style and immersive environment, creating a compelling backdrop for the gameplay.
Despite its flaws, the game can be rewarding for players who enjoy challenging mechanics and are willing to invest time to master its unique combat system.

The gameplay is marred by poor AI pathfinding, slow movement speed, and a lack of a crosshair, making combat frustrating and tedious.
There are numerous bugs and progression issues, including disappearing items and game-breaking glitches that can hinder the experience.
The game lacks variety in weapons and enemies, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of stagnation as players progress through the short experience.

gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The gameplay of "Odia" is a polarizing aspect, characterized by its slow, methodical combat and exploration that some players find tedious while others appreciate its unique mechanics and atmospheric design. The game features a retro FPS style with overpowered enemies and a lack of traditional aiming, leading to a trial-and-error experience that can be frustrating yet intriguing for those who enjoy strategic gameplay. While it offers a memorable experience for some, the absence of character progression and engaging exploration elements may deter others from fully enjoying it.
- “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.”
- “Many of the negative reviews are somewhat correct in the description of Odia's core mechanics but assume that the very slow and deliberate combat, movement, and instant death are an accident.”
- “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.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
53%
20%
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 intriguing visuals, others note that the minimalistic and sometimes crude graphics may deter those unfamiliar with the genre. Overall, the game's visuals are seen as a bold homage to classic gaming, though they come with some graphical errors.
- “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 expect most people to look at its weird graphics, controls, and gameplay and simply move on.”
- “Yes, it's got minimalistic, maybe even downright crude graphics – but old-school shooters used to be fast-paced, offered many different weapons for any given combat situation and typically had a more tongue-in-cheek tone.”
- “My only problem is there are a few graphical errors in parts if you look really close.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
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 absurdity of war. While the narrative is minimalistic and open-ended, encouraging personal interpretation, it is complemented by a unique gameplay mechanic of infinite respawns for players, contrasting with the enemy's inability to regenerate. Overall, the game offers a thought-provoking experience that invites players to explore its deeper meanings despite a lack of a traditional storyline.
- “All in all, an interesting and unique 1-2 hour short story about freedom, diversity, and the senselessness of war.”
- “So if you're not hoping for a fast-paced old-school shooter and you find the gameplay concept I've outlined above interesting, 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.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its striking graphics and immersive world, effectively conveying themes of desperation and conflict. While some players find the political elements forced, others feel they enhance the overall experience. Despite some gameplay issues, the unique atmosphere is seen 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.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, with frustratingly long walk times to retrieve lost items and inconsistent enemy respawns. Combat is described as unchallenging yet laborious, with enemies acting as bullet sponges and movement mechanics that hinder progress, ultimately making the experience feel discouraging. While the environment and unique mechanics may appeal to some, the overall grind is seen as a significant drawback.
- “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.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game has limited replayability, primarily due to its short duration of only a few hours and the lack of engaging mechanics to encourage multiple playthroughs. Players express a desire for features like AI companions that could enhance gameplay, but currently, the experience feels stagnant and bug-prone.
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more; every playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
- “With multiple paths and endings, I find myself replaying the game just to see how different decisions affect the story.”
- “The dynamic AI companions add a layer of strategy that makes each run unique and engaging.”
- “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.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
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 means long loading times and crashes, making it nearly unplayable.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The music in the game has been criticized for being lackluster, with some reviewers suggesting it is inferior even to generic elevator music, and there is no voice acting to enhance the experience.
- “The soundtrack is so captivating that it makes even looped elevator music seem like a masterpiece by comparison.”
- “No voice acting, and the soundtrack makes even looped elevator music seem like a masterpiece by comparison.”
- “The music is forgettable and fails to enhance the gaming experience.”
- “The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety, making it a chore to listen to.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has notable stability issues, with players experiencing bugs that can disrupt progression, such as missing items. While some of these problems can be resolved by rebooting or reinstalling the game, they still detract from the overall experience.
- “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).”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of feeling that their exploration was unrewarded, leading to a sense of wasted time. This sentiment is compounded by the game's pricing, suggesting that if it were more affordable, such disappointments might be more easily overlooked.