Republished on Sunday, twenty fifth June, 2022: We’re bringing this evaluation again from the archives following Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee’s inclusion in All PS Plus Video games. The unique textual content follows.
Initially revealed on Tuesday, sixth November, 2018: True to its identify, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is likely one of the oddest video games ever created, with a singular appear and feel, weird visuals, and an enjoyably darkish wit. Now often called the primary of a franchise, the unique basic wowed gamers again in 1997 with spectacular graphics and full voice appearing. This was a recreation that reminded gamers why the CD-based {hardware} of the PlayStation was superior to the cartridge video games provided by Nintendo. Whereas he by no means fairly reached family identify standing like Crash or Spyro, Abe has his place in gaming historical past, and it began right here.
Abe’s Oddysee is a 2.5D platformer that duties you with navigating the damaging alien underworld, manipulating and persuading NPCs, and, in some locations, stealthing your well beyond sleeping foes. Abe can obtain this by way of quite a lot of strategies, often unique to fixing a puzzle on every display. He has the flexibility to thoughts management Slings, the commonest grunt enemy, in addition to the charisma wanted to persuade his fellow Mudokons to assist him out after rescuing them. As one of many earliest examples of an ideal ending reward, amassing all of those chaps alongside the best way awards you a secret full movement cutscene to your bother. Gathering half of them additionally entitles you to the nice ending.
Plot-wise, it’s bizarre, fantastic, and extremely inventive. Oddworld Inhabitants injected ardour and real effort in crafting a world that feels so desolate and grim that its musky air pollution might nearly be smelled via your TV display. With a palette of greens and browns, this appears like a lived in, natural extra-terrestrial world and is very realised in each the cutscenes in addition to the eye to element in every stage. You play as Abe, a Mudokon employee with a giant mouth and likeable sass who breaks the fourth wall everytime you give him a command he doesn’t perceive. Discovering that your company employer has turned to cannibalism for the creation of its “New ‘n’ Tasty” product, you’re hunted down by the Sling safety and thrust straight into platforming motion. The voiceover from Abe is nicely finished, with appropriately otherworldly inflections that impressively handle to maintain him endearing and sympathetic.
The utilisation of a 2.5D type can also be a intelligent alternative. The place a 3D Abe in 1997 would possible look ugly and pixelated, this Abe appears to be like ugly for the correct causes and the delightfully dystopian stage design appears to be like all the higher for not struggling to render 3D environments. That stated, the moments the place Abe travels into the background can typically make him very small.
Sadly, nevertheless, the platforming components haven’t aged very nicely. Regardless of a deal with puzzle fixing, there are occasions, as one would anticipate, the place jumps have to be landed and mines prevented. With Abe’s run cycle persevering with for a number of steps after you let go of the d-pad, it may be irritating to not have the clear, intuitive responses of, say, Crash Bandicoot, which might result in some annoying, unfair deaths.
The ultimate factor to notice are the quantity of secrets and techniques out there. The very first display, for instance, has a hidden entrance taking you to an entire new location. If you wish to obtain that holy grail of 100 per cent, you’ll want both a walkthrough – or loads of time to go exploring.
Conclusion
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is a basic and one of many defining video games of the PlayStation period. From its grim, dystopian setting to its quirky sense of humour, it exudes character and attraction. Although on the floor it could seem like aimed toward youngsters, its surprisingly darkish tone, plot, and problem make it extra applicable for an older viewers. As a result of intelligent alternative utilizing a 2.5D perspective, it’s aged fairly nicely graphically. Although the platforming controls are somewhat sloppy, the puzzle fixing remains to be nice enjoyable and the ambiance and world are established so nicely that you simply’ll be too invested in its odd story to note.
