I agree that Stranger's Wrath is the most serious of the four games. Sekto is a villain who's cruel, ruthless, and organized, unlike the bumbling enemies in the previous games. Stranger's plight is also the most dramatic; I was really affected when Stranger's secret is first revealed, especially when the Clakkers screamed "He's a stupid beast, he can't understand us!" He was good enough to save them from Outlaws and be a hero when he had two legs, but make him a quadroped and suddenly he's a monster; very heavy commentary on racism there.
To be honest, though, the game has its fair share of goofball moments. All the Outlaws' names are ridiculous puns, Stranger taunts the Lootin' Duke about "smackin' it up" with Boilz booty in the cell, and I needn't go into the Clakkerz conversations.
Personally, I feel that Abe's Oddysee is quite serious as well. The poetry narrative gives the story an epic quality, and the backdrop social issues are slavery and extinction. The realistically threatened world setting that mirrors our own situation so well was set up perfectly in the first game.
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