Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus

The Good
Just like the first, only better.

The story is pretty simple (building off the first game: rescue Mudokon friends from the Glukkons), but captivating. Of course, there are elements that successfully contribute to the theme of the Mudokons needing to be rescued, such as addiction to brew; but overall, the story is simple. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not.

The setting is fantastic/ science-fiction-like, but only on the surface. As soon as the story begins, it comes across as surprisingly modern. Issues of industrialization and environmentalism are obvious, but also have ingeniously subtle qualities.

The game play is awesome: platforming adventure ho! There are many instances where Abe'll be running back and forth across four or five screens (up and down as well) trying to solve one puzzle. Some of the puzzles are difficult; some require a lot of careful attention to get through; nothing's clean-cut. This intensity, however, adds to the atmosphere that is oddworld. No difficulty leaves the player throwing their controller at the screen, but instead compels said player to keep at the puzzle/ adventure and see it through.

The gamespeak is awesome. Just as in the first game, it contributes to the puzzle fun; following the sequences is a necessary skill. But following the sequences, and concentrating on getting them right, is just another difficulty that compels the player to push on. It's fun; it's the oddworld version of simon.

The most awesome thing about this game, though is the expansion of Abe's abilities. Abe can summon more things than in the first game, such as certain robots (the smiling one in particular). The world is also expanded upon a lot. Abe travels through many places, each place very unique. This heavily contributes to immersion: as a player, it feels like you're Abe, and it feels like you're part of Oddworld.

The Bad
There's not much I didn't like about this game. It's hard for me to say if there's anything bad about it; anything negative escaped my notice. However, I will say that one down-side is that the game seams simply like an expansion of the first at times rather than a game that stands well on its own. Everything, fundamentally, is the same; what you're playing is Abe's Odysee with more enemies and more options to kill them. This isn't a bad thing, in my opinion, but I point it out to show that every great game has flaws.

The Bottom Line
A very strange, but very fun experience. A trip to Oddworld often guarantees immersion in Oddworld. This game is for anyone who likes: platformers, adventures, puzzles, gore, an interesting story, and farting. If you like Abe's Odysee, you'll love Abe's Exodus.