Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

 PlayStation
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Image
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 175 Ratings

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  • Summary: In a lush of diabolical danger where everyone wants to eat you, you're the skinny guy with no weapons. Run, jump, hide, scramble and talk your way past the ugliest bunch of carnivorous crustaceans ever created. Unlock Abe's special powers then figure out your foes, and you might save yourIn a lush of diabolical danger where everyone wants to eat you, you're the skinny guy with no weapons. Run, jump, hide, scramble and talk your way past the ugliest bunch of carnivorous crustaceans ever created. Unlock Abe's special powers then figure out your foes, and you might save your race. Don't, and you're dinner! Enter Oddworld's surreal, sensory overload of pure gaming and claim your destiny.… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Gaming Age
    100
    Abe also manages to remain challenging while never becoming irritating. Words cannot express how important this is. [Overall Score = 97]
  2. PSX Nation
    95
    If not for "Final Fantasy 7" this would probably be my pick for game of the year.
  3. Absolute Playstation
    90
    The game is just designed and presented so damn well, that it hooks you in and keeps you coming back for more. It's one of those rare games that require players to think before they react.
  4. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    85
    "Out of this World"-style gameplay never looked so good. [Jan 2004, p.188]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. GameSpot
    84
    Abe's really is the ideal platformer, balancing its action and puzzle elements perfectly to make the game intelligent, engaging, and, best yet, fun.
  6. Gamezilla!
    82
    A very difficult game that was frustrating almost as much as it was fun.
  7. All Game Guide
    70
    Handles quite well and that's especially important as many of the puzzles require split-second timing and instant controller response.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 31
  3. Negative: 2 out of 31
  1. Shrykull
    May 13, 2012
    10
    The art is amazing, the voice acting was top notch for it's time, and the creatures are genius.
    It's the best platform game I've ever played    The art is amazing, the voice acting was top notch for it's time, and the creatures are genius.
    It's the best platform game I've ever played and it's difficulty is may put off a more casual audience but there will never be a time when it is unfair on you, when you make a mistake and die you always think to your self "Ok, that didn't work but now i know where I went wrong". It's a masterpiece and you should pick it up seeing it's quite cheap on certain services.    … Expand
  2. AndreasL
    Dec 2, 2008
    10
    Why look elsewhere when perfection is right here?
  4. GregoryGoblin
    Nov 11, 2011
    10
    Truly stunning 2D platformer, from the game mechanics, to the graphics and of course the music/sound effects.

    This title even has a main    Truly stunning 2D platformer, from the game mechanics, to the graphics and of course the music/sound effects.

    This title even has a main potagonist you really do care about, along with his 99 workmates who you should try your best to save!

    Epic, beautiful, gorgeous!    … Expand
  5. Rox22
    Mar 29, 2013
    9
    This game was pretty much the reason I bought a PS1 in the first place. Graphic were fantastic, and it is still one of my all time favoriteThis game was pretty much the reason I bought a PS1 in the first place. Graphic were fantastic, and it is still one of my all time favorite platformers. Overall: A brilliant platformer that holds well, even 15 years after it's initial release.… Expand
  6. gigagamer
    Jun 15, 2021
    9
    Great game! And very unique. Oddworld is an adventure game and a puzzle game wrapped into one. Oddworld is fun, funny, and takes you toGreat game! And very unique. Oddworld is an adventure game and a puzzle game wrapped into one. Oddworld is fun, funny, and takes you to another world. This bizarre and captivating adventure plays differently than most other games. Oddworld character movement takes some practice to learn, but once you get the hang of it you'll have plenty of more game to play.… Expand
  7. Barnes1987
    Mar 6, 2017
    9
    This game is a true Playstation one classic. Very fun game with a lot of trail and error. It recently received a modern reboot on the PS4 andThis game is a true Playstation one classic. Very fun game with a lot of trail and error. It recently received a modern reboot on the PS4 and is highly recommended.… Expand
  8. ImJTHM
    Jan 15, 2014
    3
    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    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.    … Expand

See all 31 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PS1 Game of 1997
3
#3 Most Discussed PS1 Game of 1997
8
#8 Most Shared PS1 Game of 1997