Is it genius or just odd? Alan finds out… 

 

I have always had a soft spot for the odd and quirky, while at the same time being a big fan of platform games. So Oddworld - Abe’s Oddysee is right up my street, a somewhat left-field puzzle-platform game released for the Sony PlayStation by GT Interactive in 1997, with quirkiness and cleverness by the bucket load. I loved this game at the time, but how has it aged? Let’s find out…

 

Don’t be a chicken…

You play as Abe, a Mudokon enslaved to work at the Rupture Farms meat processing factory. Upon finding out that the meat being processed is that of your slaughtered fellow Mudokons and it is only a matter of time before you will become pie filling with them, you set out upon a mission to escape from the factory, taking as many of your co-workers as possible with you. 

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The gameplay is platform based, but with a significant dollop of strategy and puzzling built in. You have to negotiate a series of two dimensional static screens, having to make your way from one side to the other to reach the next screen, periodically reaching save points. Abe can walk, run, crouch, roll and jump, and can creep and hide in shadowy areas. He can also climb or jump up and down to reach different levels (these can often be cunningly hidden behind objects in the foreground). 

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It isn’t that straightforward though. You have to avoid a multitude of enemy guards, each type behaving in different ways. You also need to talk to your co-workers using button combinations, first saying “hello” to get their attention and then directing them to activate a switch, to wait where they are, or to follow you. You can also call out to the guards, but as soon as they become aware of your presence they will pursue you, and more often than not will fire without hesitation. 

 

Free as a bird

Your co-workers can be released by you leading them to an escape screen and then chanting at bird portals which are scattered throughout the levels, by holding L1 and L2. Once the portals are enabled, your fellow Mudokons will automatically run through them to safety. 

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An added dimension is that chanting can also see you taking control of some guards, using them to reach inaccessible areas or to kill other guards, clearing your route through a screen. When possessing a guard you can also talk to the other guards and instruct them with a new set of commands. 

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As you progress you can collect and throw items such as rocks, meat or grenades to either divert or kill the enemy guards. There are lifts to operate, bombs to detonate and alien creatures to ride; the gameplay options really are many and varied. This does mean that there are a lot of control and button combinations to wrap your head (and fingers) around, and while the more basic ones are easily worked out and remembered, others may require return visits to the manual.

 

Let’s not mince words… 

The first thing that strikes you is that the game looks absolutely fantastic. I remembered this as being a particularly good looking game and even today it doesn’t disappoint. It is beautifully drawn with some lovely animation, fantastic presentation and the colour palette used to create the dark atmosphere is spot on. Abe is somewhat scrawny and awkward, but he has real character and you immediately warm to him and want to protect him. There are also some excellent cut scenes between levels that flesh out the story. 

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The sound is fairly minimalist but what there is works perfectly and adds to the dark and oppressive mood that is always present. The game simply wouldn’t work with a lot of background noise or a heavy soundtrack, as Abe’s communication with the other participants is a central gameplay element. 

 

As tough as a cut of shank 

The gameplay is the one area that may divide players. There is no getting around it, this is one tough game. Progressing isn’t too hard, but progressing and saving sufficient numbers of co-workers is hugely tricky. There is a delay between asking them to follow you and their setting off, which, when you have to make precisely timed movements (for example through one of the many meat guillotines that have to be negotiated) can make life very difficult indeed. 

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There are also a myriad of hidden areas that you can easily overlook. When I watched a YouTube play through I realised that despite having played this game countless times, even on the very first level I was missing hidden areas and therefore failing to rescue large numbers of co-workers. And this matters, as the ending - i.e. whether you ultimately live or die (assuming you make it to the end of a very long and an exceptionally tough game) depends on your success in rescuing sufficient numbers of your co-workers.

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So this isn’t a platform game that you can just charge through at high speed. Or at any speed at all to be honest. Staying alive is the name of the game and to this end you have to tread very carefully indeed. The stealth aspect of creeping from shadow to shadow is very often the successful route across a screen, perhaps with a little guard misdirection thrown in. Although a platformer in essence, I would venture that this title perhaps shares more common ground with Metal Gear Solid than Sonic. 

 

Mis-steaks are costly (Ed. – “Please – no more butcher puns!”)

The game also suffers from some screens being a matter of trial and error. You get so far and die. You return to the last save point, battle through to reach that troublesome screen again, get a bit further and die. And so on. The distance between the save points coupled with the (at times) quite brutal difficulty level means that you often have to replay a series of screens repeatedly before finally cracking that annoying last one before the next save point and progressing. The game is so delightful, for the most part you don’t mind, but players that are easily frustrated or have low boredom thresholds may struggle a little.

 

Verdict

If on the other hand you like a challenge and are looking for something a little different that will tax the old grey matter, then this is an absolutely wonderful game. It is beautiful (in its own way), utterly charming and totally bewitching. Abe is a brilliant central character and is unlike anything we had seen before. He is not in any way a traditional hero-type figure, displaying instead a cute awkwardness and vulnerability that really makes you want to try and protect him.  

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It is also tremendously clever. Having to work out the correct method to clear a screen and then execute that perfectly is enormously satisfying. 

There are certainly slicker platform games available for the PlayStation. There are perhaps better looking ones too. But I am not sure that there are many that are quite this clever or quirky. And that is easily enough to put it firmly in the highly recommended category from me.

 

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Graphics - 89%

The game is absolutely beautiful, generates a fantastic atmosphere and is complemented by some excellent cut-scenes too.

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​Sounds - 82%

Fairly minimalistic, but this is essential as Abe’s communication with his co-workers and the enemy guards is a central plank of the gameplay.

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​Grab-factor - 88%

The game is pretty easy to pick up and play. To play well however can be enormously frustrating and takes far more practice.

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​Playability - 92%

Beautiful, clever and with real depth, the brilliant design and smart puzzles will keep you coming back for months. It might be 26 years old but it is still just as much fun to play. 

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​Verdict - 88%​

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AG November 2023

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Featured in Pixel Addict magazine, issue 16.

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