Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus

The Good
More platforming/puzzle action comes your way in the form of the first sequel to the original Oddworld hit. Once again you get to play the mudokon hero Abe, as he tries to foil a sinister plot that involves the desecration of ancient mudokon corpses to be used as the main ingredient for "Soul-Brew" the hot new beverage preferred by all Sligs.

There's no point in doing a full re-cap of the original's storyline but just so you know there are two main races at work in Oddworld: the Glukkons, evil corporate moguls that rule most of the planet and the Mudokons, poor wretched souls that live in tune with nature and thus are often abused and enslaved by the Glukkons. Most Mudokons fall easy prey to the machinations of their evil counterparts, but the shaman-like Abe won't stand for that and sets out to put a serious wedge in the Glukkon's plans. As far as gameworlds go Oddworld's alien universe was one of the most original ones ever conceived and the sequel continues the tradition providing a bigger look into the ritualistic lives of the Mudokons and the industrial world of the Glukkons, as the game takes you from an initial Abe 1-sequence, to the Mudokon burial grounds and finally the Soul-Brew refinery itself.

The gameplay is exactly as you remember it: you have to get to the next area, which is locked and requires you to complete a series of sub-areas in any order to move on. These areas are completed in standard platformer action, with you jumping around and sorting out traps like bombs, rotating blades, electrical wires, etc. Along the way you'll also find groups of enslaved Mudokons which Abe can release by leading them to the bird-portals he can create with his powers, the Mudokons often have the key to completing each area and thus the game incorporates that good 'ol Lemmings gameplay style in which you have to lead to safety a ground of dimwitted creatures that lack all anything that even remotely resembles a sense of self-preservation.

New to the series are the inclusion of Mudokon spirits which are just trapped and must be freed, as well as blind Mudokons which are even more suicidal than the regular kind. Abe can also rip explosive farts now, yeah you heard that right: explosive farts! And he can also possess them and use them as guided bombs in addition to his regular possessing skills that allow him to control other creatures and use them to help him complete the levels. How can you not love that, uh? All in all a great addition to Abe's arsenal of weapondry which to that point included solely the ability to throw rocks and sneak around. As far as the levels go, each one of them are carefully crafted masterpieces that belong to the best examples of the genre, while allowing you to perfectly exercise each gameplay feature and explore their limitations, hidden areas provide even bigger challenges and are much easier to find than in the original.

Graphics are exactly the same as in the original, which is a good thing. The same quality of lovely animated, pre-rendered sprites is used to display Oddworld and it's inhabitants, and to move the storyline along, the game comes loaded with even more gloriously animated cgi cutscenes that to this day remain milestones of cg animation and have been showcased several times in cg expos and demos. These cutscenes provide most of the comedy in the game and help move the action along, blending seamlessly with the main game (in fact they are often used as transitions between screens).

The Bad
I experienced some unexplainable graphical slowdowns when playing, and I do mean unexplainable since I was way above the recommended configuration and the graphics are not that impressive as they were done originally to be displayed on a tv, which as we all know is much more forgiving resolution-wise than a computer monitor.

The Bottom Line
A great game that combines two great gameplay styles into a fantastically original whole with perfectly designed levels and a unique sense of humor that combines cartoonish touches with dark satiric undertones and an excellent graphic front to complement things. Not exactly for the timing-challenged but still simple enough as to be accessible and enjoyable for everyone.