Game Description

Odd alien Abe has worked for years as a slave at a futuristic meat packing plant called Rupture Farms. Though the plant prides itself on producing Paramite Pies and Scarab Cakes, the species the food is made from is on the verge of extinction. Using a full-fledged alien race as ingredients, the owners have come up with a new product called Mudokon Pops.

While eavesdropping on a meeting of the higher-ups, Abe discovers the horrific news; he and his people are of Mudokon ethnicity. Disgusted and terrified by this revolting development, the alien embarks on a journey to escape the vast plant and rescue his fellow co-workers. Unfortunately, the plant owners know of the revolt and are looking for Abe's head on a stick -- or in this case, a Mudokon Popsicle.

As homage to the days of Flashback -- The Quest for Identity and Out of this World, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is a side-scrolling platformer heavily rooted with puzzle solving and according to the manual, inexplicably challenging gameplay. Your job is to maneuver Abe through the dangerous confines of Rupture Farms and its bordering territories (Monsaic Lines, Scarabania) while sneaking, jumping, climbing and running for your life! The adventure will also have you solving puzzles by pulling levers to unlock doors, defusing bombs to avoid being blown to bits, sneaking past sleeping guards, speed rolling across the screen to evade gunfire and other situations that challenge the reflexes and the mind.

While Abe's primary goal is to stay alive, rescuing fellow Mudokon aliens is a top priority. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee allows you to communicate with fellow friends and bitter enemies with an exclusive GameSpeak system. By pressing the L1 or L2 buttons, you can say hello to fellow Mudokons and have them follow your or hold their position; Abe can also be rude and funny by laughing at the inhabitants or breaking wind in front of a guard! ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee single handedly brought side-scrolling puzzle/adventure games back into mainstream popularity. With gameplay directly from the pages of Flashback -- The Quest for Identity and Out of this World, Oddworld Inhabitants were able to create a character named Abe that appealed to a very broad range of gamers. It was hailed as critics and gaming magazines alike with some awarding it Game of the Year. ~ Matthew House, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

Although this is a difficult game, the frustration level is kept to a minimum because of the unlimited continues. While it may be darker and intelligent, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee isn't as fun as the even wackier platformer Earthworm Jim. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Executive Producer: Sherry Mckenna

Director/Creator: Lorne Lanning

Production Design: Steven Olds, Farzad Varahramyan

Producer: Frank Simon

Art Coordinator/Associate Producer: Geri Wilhelm

Game Design: Paul O'Connor, Jeff Brown

Lead Tech Directors: Scott Easley, Eric Antanavich, Jane Mullaney

Lead Programmer: Eric Yiskis

Programming: Craig Ewert, Todd Johnson Tinman, Mike Waltman

Audio Producer: Josh Gabriel

Sound Design and Music: Ellen Meijers

Character Voices: Lorne Lanning

Digital Artists: Cathy Johnson, Leonardo Palang

Associate Art Director: Rob Brown

Character Sculptures: The Shiflett Studio

Sculptors: Brandon Shiflett, Jarod Shiflett

Character Modeling: Viewpoint Datalabs

Chief Operating Officer: Maurice Konkle

Director of Technology: Andrew Fruin

Director of Human Services: Ava Arsaga

Support Staff: Jenny Shaheen, Jim Fajardo, Michelle Davis, David Rothman, David A. Vergara, Teresa Tam, Ainslee Lange

Assistant Producer: Heidi Ewart

Manual Design: SVS Graphic Design, Vera Stoeber

GT NEW YORK

Chairman of the Board: Joe Cayre

President/CEO: Ron Chaimowitz

Executive VP/GM International Division/Business Affairs: Harry Rubin

Product Manager: Shari Bernstein

Producer: Kurt Busch

VP of Marketing: Holly Newman

VP of Corporate Communications: Allyne Mills

Senior Communication Manager: Dan Harnett

Manager of Investor Relations: Dawn Berrie

Director of Creative Services: Leslie Mills

VP Enterprise Group: Murray Froikin

Art Traffic Coordinator: Liz Fierro

Assistant Communications Manager: Christina Kerzner

Executive VP of Publishing: Richard Burns

GT EUROPE

Marketing Director: Marc Swallow

PR Manager (UK): Pete Hawley

Producer: Jason Perkins

Assistant Producer: Ben Walker

Localization Manager: Cara McMullan

Product Manager: Nichola Bentley

QA Manager: Liam DelaHunty

Assistant QA Manager: Graham Axford

Quality Assurance Team: Mark Smikle, Scott Burfitt, Mark Dearsly, Kolin Tregaskes, Tim Wileman, Tim Mawson

SONY

Senior Account Executive: Tina Kowalewski

Senior Development Support Engineer: Mike Fulton

Development Support Engineer: Peter Alau

President of Sony Interactive Studios: Kelly Flock

Development Support Manager

SPECIAL THANKS

Thanks to: BUF Company for their technical support, Katie from Kinkos, Brian from Audio Ecstacy, Café Roma, Benvenuti, Big Sky, Entrée Express, Mother's Tavern, Marion at Casablanka Travel, Leslie at Open Air, Bug Police, Cal Poly Abatoir, Custom Meat Cutting by Vince, Joan Parreant, Sparks Exhibits, Vera Stoeber SVS Graphic Design, Scott Adair, San Luis Obispo, Wyndham Hannaway & Associates, Alana at Random, RDA International Inc., Raymond Swanland, Tommy Tallarico, Bill Skrzyniarz and David Wexler.

GT USA: Andre Garcia (Quality Assurance), Richard Davis (PD Pitbull), Michael Marrs, Vic Merritt, Jill Pomper, Jennifer Scheerer and Lesley Zinn (Graphics Artists), Gary Barth, Will Busch, Lynn Dammers-Lupo, Robert Dorsett, Kirby Fong, Nic Lavroff, Theresa Lopez, Hiromi Nobata, Rachel Olhava, Rick Raymo, and Max Taylor

A Very Special Thanks to: Our families and friends. We could not have done this without their unconditional love and support. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Before you begin playing Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, you'll need to have at least some idea of what the game is all about. At the very least, you'll want to understand it's attitude and where it comes from. After you're introduced to a dark, yet humorous storyline, the game informs you in big colorful letters that "Abe's Oddysee is loading. Get over it!"

What you may not know until the game actually begins is that it requires spatial problem solving skills and deductive reasoning with a healthy dose of trial and error on the player's behalf. This game constantly challenges and thoroughly keeps you on your mental and physical toes. Almost every screen features at least one action/strategy puzzle that you'll have to figure out. If you get in a big hurry on any particular level or screen, you're sure to die by bullets, electricity, a long fall or a number of other cleverly laid out obstacles and traps.

The environment of Rupture Farms is one of cold steel, darkness, isolation, misery, torture and horror; the darkly realistic, yet humorous graphics portray this H.G. Wells meets Alan Dean Foster meets George Orwell future very effectively. There are also surrounding territories such as the strange alien world of Monsaic Lines, the desert wasteland of Scarabania and the lush forest of Paramonia that drive the graphical premise home.

The soundtrack, although suitably foreboding and sinister, is remarkably and surprisingly restrained. It must've been tempting to fill this game with all kinds of distracting, over-the-top music that would ultimately have harmed its air of mystery, fright and intrigue. On the other hand, the sound effects are average at best. Some of the frequently recurring sounds are grating on the nerves, such as Abe reentering the game after being killed. Additionally, of the many noises the Mudokon can make, such as whistling, laughing and farting, most are unrealistic and not particularly funny. But these bodily noises do play a strategic role in the game as you can use them (among other things) to distract evil creatures bent on your destruction.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee handles quite well and that's especially important as many of the puzzles require split-second timing and instant controller response. Most of the screens provide a running commentary across the top of the playing field, giving you pointers and hints on how to get past a certain obstacle or solve a particular puzzle. Some of the commentary is meant solely for laughs. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

The 2D sprite-based graphics do a good job of depicting an oppressive alien society. The character animation is also top notch. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

The music is a near-perfect fit with the dark themes and action of this game. While the sound effects aren't awful, they could have used an overhaul. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

An infinite number of clever action puzzles will keep veteran gamers busy for a while. Also, a two-player mode helps keep things interesting. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The instruction manual gets the job done. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide