Oddworld Inhabitants
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

Clamorous, epic, damn fun. These are just a few adjectives that come to mind when I think of "Oddworld Abe’s Oddysee," by far the video game I've loved the most in my entire life, possibly along with its sequel. Equipped with excellent technical prowess and, above all, an original, innovative, and very engaging concept, this title has garnered widespread acclaim from both critics and the public, reaffirming itself the following year with the second installment, "Oddworld Abe's Exoddus," and then wrapping up its journey with two episodes on Xbox, which I cannot comment on as I haven't played them.

Returning to the title in question, the story revolves around the character of Abe, an alien belonging to the Mudokon race, forced to work under slave-like conditions in a snack factory, the Ernia Slaughterhouse (Rapture Farms in the original language); overseeing their work are the Sligs, guards equipped with rifles and robotic legs, who respond to orders given by their boss, Mullock the Glukkon.

The story is told through a flashback: in the opening cutscene, Abe has already been captured by the Sligs, and as we play, we will relive the adventures he undertook from his escape to his downfall. Our likable alien decides to escape when he discovers that two species of animals, the Scrubs and the Paramites, raw materials for the Ernia Slaughterhouse's snack production, are becoming extinct, and the Glukkon council decides to use the meat of the Mudokons, and therefore of Abe's people, as a new product to revive the company's fortunes. We will have to not only save ourselves but also liberate our companions before they meet a grim fate.

The gameplay mechanics are those of a classic 2D platformer with fixed screens (the background remains the same until you reach the edge of the screen, at which point you move to the next display), with our character able to perform actions such as walking, running, jumping, and rolling, not to mention interacting with numerous objects like levers, pulleys, and various informational panels. What strikes the player at first glance, however, is the graphics, which at the time were something truly prodigious; the screen backgrounds were the closest one could demand in the distant 1998 in terms of photorealism, immersing the player in scenarios ranging from the Slaughterhouse departments to the splendid settings of Paramonia and Scrabania, habitats of the two aforementioned species.

The game also features atypical elements for its genre, as well as various much-appreciated innovations. To begin with, throughout the game, you won't have any kind of on-screen HUD: no health bars, no collectible items, nothing at all, just the game screen. Another important factor is Abe's status: it takes very little to be taken out... a misstep onto a mine or a meat grinder, a jump that's too short, or even a single shot from a gun; but compensating for this constant danger is the total absence of Game Over, as you will have infinite lives at your disposal, with the only cost being having to restart from the nearest checkpoint.

Another very important factor to consider is the game difficulty; this will depend not only on the variety of situations but on your conduct towards your companions; in fact, the 99 Mudokons present in the various game areas can be rescued or left to their fate at your discretion. Needless to say, trying to free them will make your journey more difficult but will make the gaming experience longer and more rewarding, not to mention that the ending will be heavily affected: the epilogue will be "happy" or "sad" depending on how many Mudokons you've freed during your adventure. Specifically, saving your companions will require more or less the same procedure, obviously diversified each time by countless variants: locate the Mudokons, eliminate every obstacle (where possible), and lead them, through a basic but effective order system, to the portals you must open through meditation, whose explanation I will defer to the following lines.

The game difficulty is also measured in two other factors. First of all, the enemies present: Sligs can take you out with a single shot of their gun, just as other animals can kill you with a single attack. Secondly, there are the scenario elements: chasms, mines, meat grinders, and other obstacles that will keep you constantly alert, making running and jumping timing fundamental. In your sole defense, you will have meditation, the true core of the gameplay and an ingenious move by the developers; through it, Abe can open portals to save the other Mudokons and take control of his enemies, taking advantage of their abilities to clear the way and facilitate his own path. Noteworthy are some basic stealth maneuvers, such as the ability to walk tiptoe, useful for not waking up sleeping Sligs or for approaching certain points without attracting enemy attention or hiding in dark corners simply by stopping at their edge, making Abe practically invisible to enemies' eyes.

I could go on for much longer regarding various other secondary aspects, but the truth is I would probably end up writing an even more verbose and likely boring review. I'll limit myself to telling you that what I've described is the very skeleton of this game, that is, what awaits you if you decide to purchase this title in case you haven't played it (for this purpose, the complete version in the original language is available on the PlayStation 3 Store for €9.90).

What else can I say, a game where originality and pure simple fun reign supreme; the only flaw, if it can be called that, that I feel like highlighting is the difficulty level proposed by the developers, which might bore the typical casual gamer, but it is precisely this that makes such titles really enjoyable and worthy of being played. An indispensable masterpiece for retro gamers who missed it or, in general, for any video game enthusiast.

Let yourself be captured by Abe’s adventure; you will be satisfied.