It doesn't really break any new ground, but it's very compulsive playing (it's got bags of that 'just one more go' syndrome) and it's just good fun to play.
Abe's Oddysee epitomises the phrase "every frame a painting" and deserves a spot among the most gorgeous cinematic platforming games ever made, challenged only by its direct sequel, Abe's Exoddus. Tight controls fitted alongside unique possession and gamespeak mechanics make for an incredibly captivating gameplay experience that will have you scrupulously searching every area for the 99 Mudokons you have been tasked to save. Pairing this with a world positively dripping with grim but fantastical lore crafted as a metaphor for real-world worker exploitation cements this introduction to the appropriately-named Oddworld series as an instant classic that not only stands up today, but begs a revisit!
Despite its flaws, Abe’s delivers a combo of innovative, strategy-filled gameplay and eye-popping graphics that makes tolerating these problems worthwhile.
No spoilers, because this game is super underrated, I'll just make this quick. Abe's Oddysee is the most underrated "made for PS" game I have played so far. It's very challenging, but also extremely smart with its wise use of puzzles and obstacle courses, but it never drags! Abe's Oddysee is one of the greatest video games I have ever played.
The puzzles can get extremely difficult at times, I did rage every now and then. The PS1 is an extremely nostalgic gaming console for me, and Abe's Oddysee is one of my favourite games for that console and that's exactly why it gets a 10/10.
Quirky and challenging platform-based puzzler marked by its amusingly wicked sense of humour. The trial and error format and insistence on pixel and micro-second perfect jumps makes it occasionally infuriating, but it's an amusingly oddball and rather unique puzzler.
I apologize, but I just don't understand how this game is dubbed a "classic".
I was turned onto this game by a friend of mine, who referred to it as "Nintendo Hard". Great! I thought, because I tend to really enjoy games to challenge me.
However, after playing this game for around 30 minutes, I wanted to shove my fist through my screen.
Before I get to that, I just want to praise this game's presentation. It is GORGEOUS. The game is just oozing gorgeous little details, the sense of humor is dark and spot-on, and Abe, as a character, is just such a sweetie that you just want to give him a big hug.
However, for me, the major breakdown is in the gameplay. First off, as mentioned before, this game is HARD, and I do not say that lightly. This game is unreasonably difficult with absolutely nothing to make it less frustrating. Abe can only take a single hit from any source before dying, checkpoints are extremely far apart at times, and there is nothing worse than dying, being impatient, then sprinting back onto the screen that killed you, only to trip and fall onto a landmine or into the path of a hungry Slog. This particular aspect is made 10 times worse by the lack of an autosave.
Another aspect of this game is its abuse of secrets. Now, I love secrets, but these ones are more or less mandatory for getting the game's "Good" ending, and are even more difficult than the rest of the game. Once again, this problem is compounded by the irritatingly unclear checkpoint system. Also, these secret areas are not just off the beaten path and hidden just offscreen. They are hidden in places that literally nobody in their right mind would ever attempt to look, and some require extremely complex commands to access, such as killing an enemy with an object in a strange way to destroy an anti-chant device to possess another enemy to crouch behind a barrel,which opens the door somewhere else. At times, they are literally that complicated, and due to the uncontrollably awkward checkpoints, if you accidentally kill the enemy to possess, you will never get another chance, because the game has autosaved.
Anyway, back to the massive difficulty. Abe's control doesn't feel tight; in fact, it feels like Abe is just a bit hungover as he walks. Bump into a wall while sprinting? Likely just caused instant death by whatever monster is chasing you. Forget to manually uncrouch before moving? Abe will roll extremely quickly, likely into the enemy you were attempting to avoid. Deaths like this account for much of my frustration with the game, because I never felt like they were my fault. I felt like Abe was ignoring what I said, or that I couldn't see the edge of a platform clearly, while I was running from instant death enemies, and had exactly 0.4 seconds of reaction time for Abe to jump.
I know it sounds like I'm complaining a lot, and I really am, but this game is one of the most unreasonably frustrating games I have ever played. I adore Abe's Exodus and Munch's Oddysee, but this game is just too difficult to recommend for anything other than someone who doesn't mind grinding their teeth to splinters or just playing trial-and-error until the game is finished.
Trust me, if you can help yourself, just look up the cutscenes online and go straight to Abe's Exodus, and you might save yourself a few gray hairs.
SummarySelected by the fickle finger of fate, Abe™, floor-waxer first class for RuptureFarms, was catapulted into a life of adventure when he overheard plans by his boss, Molluck the Glukkon™, to turn Abe and his fellow Mudokons into Tasty Treats as part of a last-ditch effort to rescue Molluck's failing meat-packing empire.
During...