EPT
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/Abes_Oddysee_Cover-1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/Oddworld_-_Abes_Exoddus_Coverart-1.png)
Developer: Oddworld Inhabitants
Platform: PSX / PC
Release: Sept 1997. | Nov 1998.
Genre: Platformer
Disks: 1 (453Mb) | 2 (748Mb)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_R6hzBxzAs
The opening scene can explain the story in less time and make it more entertaining than me. The Oddworld series (at least the two titles released for PSX) are probably the best platform games I have ever played, and if they are not, well, they come close.
With fixed scenes, we travel around different frames of the installations of rupture farms (and many other places), helping our clumsy friend Abe to escape. But nothing is easy here! Abe has nothing but his (your) wits to do so: he doesn't have weapons like the guards and the place is filled with bombs, lasers and all sorts of stuff that will kill our hero in the most dramatic ways.
Abe can jump, roll, sneak, throw rocks (if he finds any), release homing farts and all kinds of crazy stuff, but more important is that he can use voice commands to speak with NPCs.
These NPCs are nothing but your fellow Mudokon friends, who like you, are slaves in the meat grinding factory, and as they were born in slavery, they will do whatever you tell them to.
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/AbesExoddusScreen1.jpg)
The game is incredibly simple, but very fun to play. By combining simple things as some levers and some traps we can dispose of guards and hopefully get our friends alive to an escape point.
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/SSAO0024.jpg)
FREEEEEEEDOM
Abe can for example blend with the shadows some objects produce to hide from guards and he can posses their bodies and use them at his will (At least when no enemy machinery is preventing us from doing so).
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/SSAO0009.jpg)
This game has no lives, no continues, no user interface, nothing. the instructions are within the game presented as flashing signs, TV ads and that sort of stuff.
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/SSAE0008.jpg)
Mudokons are fragile, and as a result (and the lack of health bars) you die on contact with anything hazardous between you and the next screen, be it a very long fall, a meat grinder, one bullet, a wild animal or a mine. You can hard save only at certain points of the game, though in Abe's Exoddus you can use a quicksave command that overwrites itself each time you use it, and acts as a check point while the power on the console is on.
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/SSAE0012.jpg)
There's two ways to play this game:
You can just go from one screen to the next and try to escape all alone or you can save your (very dumb) friends while saving yourself. The number of mudokons saved in each area is displayed on signs in the background like every piece of information in the game. Depending on the number of Mudokons we save, we get a different ending.
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/SSAE0029.jpg)
Both games are hard at some points but not impossible. The skills and movements Abe has at his disposal are very simple to use, but extremely versatile at the same time. Sometimes when a new screen is shown you sit for some seconds and wonder how the hell are you supposed to save the mudokons if they are surrounded by guards, mines, meat grinders and there's a flying guy shooting grenades at you, but there lies the beauty of the game. Simple to play, but very hard if we choose to save all the Mudokons.
The sequel has a number of differences besides the quicksave feature. In the second part fellow Mudokons have emotional states and status ailments that affect how they respond to our voice commands. They can be angry, wired, depressed, sick, or blind. If a mudokon is angry we have to say sorry to them or they won't follow our orders. If he's wired we need to calm them before they attract the guards or step on a mine, and so on.
![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/emot.png)
Other changes include new voice commands, new traps and obstacles such as motion detectors and guard dogs, new enemies and the ability to control not only guards but wild beast and some other thing I won't spoil for you
.![[image loading]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/IntoTheWow/GWP/oddworld.jpg)
The scenes are filled with black humor as comedic relief, or the story would be depressing :p. There's plenty of details on the screen at all times: from characters behaviors to animated backgrounds. The voice acting is pretty good to tell you how each enemy is. Music changes according to situations and there's always new things to do with the same abilities you start with. And I guess I could write two or three more paragraphs about good things the game has, but it will be faster telling you the bad things it has: nothing.
"delivers innovative, strategy-filled gameplay" said GamePro.
"balances its action and puzzle elements perfectly" GameSpot had to say.
"If you never played it, get a copy and do so right now" I'm telling all of you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckQSFcKMJ9k#t=5m1s
Gameplay of the first few screens of the first game
Gameplay of the first few screens of the first game
Poll: You should play this game...
(Vote): right now!
(Vote): only if you like the genre.
(Vote): never.
