Wolvarks are a race of vaguely reptilian creatures, that act as trained militia, first seen in Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath.
Background[]
The Wolvarks are a race of vaguely reptilian creatures first seen in Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. Very little is known about the Wolvarks but what is known is their role in industrial society. Wolvarks act as Mercenaries, often working as soldiers on behalf of industrialists, to assist them in their colonialist efforts. While it is unknown where the Wolvark species originate from, to date, they have only ever appeared in the Mongo River Valley of Western Mudos. Like the Clakkerz and Outlaws, who also reside in the western parts of Mudos, Wolvarks have adopted both southern accents and an overall demeanor comparable to the non-native inhabitants of the region.
Within Stranger's Wrath the Wolvarks appear in the final hours of the games story, working alongside the Oktigi robber-baron, Sekto, in order to survey the Mongo River, secure the Sekto Springs Dam, and lead an assault on the ancient Grubb city of Last Legs, as a last stitch effort to secure industrialist rule over the River. Eventually Grubb freedom fighters, with the assistance of Stranger, are able to combat the Wolvark armies, destroy Sektos Dam, and restore the River to its former glory.
In Oddworld: Soulstorm a Wolvarks voice can be heard speaking to the Brewmaster over the phone during one of the games cutscenes. Initially Wolvarks where intended to have a much larger role in the final game, storyboards showing that Wolvarks would have acted as guards protecting Soulstorm Brewery in the games climax, but they where ultimately cut from the final game due to time.
Anatomy and physiology[]
In terms of physical appearance Wolvarks are vaguely reptilian, possessing green, scaly skin, and short pointed tails. Wolvarks also have bowling pin-shaped bodies and a slouched, bowlegged posture, often walking with a wide gait. Finally, Wolvarks are shown to have large eyes, lobed ears, protruding overbites, short legs, and long arms ending in clawed, five-fingered hands.
Personality[]
Wolvarks are brutal and unintelligent beings, often securing militaristic victory through destructive and overly violent means. Their object cruelty and overt hatred for the Grubb natives, is shown through the dozens of desecrated Grubb corpses, impaled on wooden spikes along the Mongo River, slaughtered for fishing in waters owned by Sekto Springs. The Wolvarks act as highly disciplined soldiers, enacting the will of their superiors without question and going as far as to put their own lives on the line for the sake of completing their objective. Wolvarks are immensely slow witted and lazy, usually spending their time watching idiotic television shows or practicing the art of taxidermy. Wolvarks notably enjoy the smell of roadkill and it is their often life-threatening jobs that give any sense of meaning and purpose to their lives.
Ranks[]
Wolvarks are trained to specialize in various forms of weaponized combat and their are six known Wolvark infantry types that are shown in the games.
Shooters[]
Shooters are one of the more common varieties of Wolvark, firing weapons almost identical to the Outlaw Minion Shooter. In terms of physical appearance, these Wolvarks wear blue army caps and suspenders, looking more like janitors than trained soldiers.
Semi-Autos[]
Semi-Autos are the second most common variety of Wolvark featured within the game, equipped with assault riffles capable of rapid fire. These mercenaries appear to be of higher rank than their shooter counterparts, wearing coats (possibly to combat the colder, elevated climates), gas masks, bright orange vests with shoulder pads and large, helmets.
Slog-Handlers[]
Slog-Handlers specialize in handling live Slogs, wearing large backpacks that contain a seemingly infinite number of Slogs that they toss at the player. Notably, in the original release of Strangers Wrath this rank of Wolvark is shown throwing Slegs instead of Slogs. This discrepancy is later corrected in the HD release the game. The uniforms of the Slog-Handlers appear to be more padded then their counterparts and they wear dough-boy styled helmets.
Grenadiers[]
Grenadiers are specialized in the usage of explosives and grenades, making them some of the most difficult common enemies in the game. They are equipped with a riot shield, and grenades which can stick to the player, though they can be shaken off. They seem to deflect all ammo inflicted upon them while their shield is up. To combat this, aim for their sides with a Fuzzle or a Boombat. These ammo types distract them as they try to shoot sticky grenades towards you. The Grenadier wears a uniform with small blue soldier pads and a helmet with orange goggles on the front.
Snipers[]
These types of Wolvarks specialize in sniping the player from a distance. These mercenaries wear small helmets, infra-red goggles and wield sniper rifles, capable of depleting large portions of health with each shot. A Snipers sight-lines can is indicated by a pink colored beam that tracks the movement of the player. The best way to deal with Snipers is by beating them at their own game, using the scope attachment on your crossbow to fire Bolamites and Fuzzles at them from a far, temporarily distracting them so you can get close.
Shock Sphere []
A shock sphere is a mechanical hovering tank operated by Wolvarks in the line of battle. The Shock Sphere is capable of dealing close and medium range damage, producing streams of electricity that charge up within the sphere. Even though Shock Spheres are slow and can be easily outran by the player, if unaccounted for they can deal a lot of damage. The best way to quickly destroy these tanks is by firing upgraded Thudslugs or Boombats at them until they blow up. Once destroyed the Wolvark inside can be taken out with a Zappfly.
Gallery[]
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Trivia[]
- Wolvarks where originally going to be called ''Wolfarks" according to notes on concept art.
- An unseen Wolvark Security Cheif can be heard speaking to the Brewmaster in a cutscene in Oddworld: Soulstorm.
- A Wolvark corpse can be seen in the ending for Strangers Wrath.
- Unlike Clakkerz, Outlaws, and Grubbs, their are no known female Wolvarks.
- Wolvarks have a unique insignia reassembling a W that can be seen throughout the game.
- All of the Wolvarks featured in Strangers Wrath are voiced by the games composer Micheal Bross.
Appearances[]
- Stranger's Wrath (First Appearance)
- Stranger's Wrath HD
- Oddworld: Soulstorm (Brew Master’s Security Chief [Cameo])
References[]
- https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/xbox/915256-oddworld-strangers-wrath/faqs/35667
- http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/togg/index.php?/search/135
- https://oddworldlibrary.net/wiki/Wolvarks
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