Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

"An amazing game that remains addictive even to this day"

Although it was a while ago, Abe's Oddysee still stands as the best game I've ever played on the PS. In its day, it managed to stand out hugely from most of the other PS games released and it still stands as a very addictive, solid game.

Story: 9/10
The story of Abe's Oddysee was quite complex for its time; it involved a Mudokon (one of many species from Oddworld) called Abe who set out on a quest to save all of his fellow Mudokons from an evil company called Rupturefarms.

Rupturefarms was recently running low on stock on its product supply, so its new idea to save itself was to use their worker Mudokons as their next supply for their products.

Abe sees them announcing this, so he runs out of the room and down a corridor.

Although this isn't the deepest story, it gets the job done and starts a reasonable storyline for the rest of the game.

Gameplay: 10/10
The gameplay of Abe's Oddysee is not far from flawless. It operates on a simple system of a side-scroller, where you have to avoid being killed.

The main point is to save the Mudokons- although it can be tedious to save all of them, it is not compulsory (luckily…). Saving the Mudokons usually consists of either a simple puzzle to help them pass through obstacles (such as cutters, bombs or other enemies), or having to pass through obstacles yourself while the Mudokons are relatively safe (although this isn't always the case).

I find the gameplay to be very addictive sometimes slightly frustrating (especially near the end of the game!). Trying to save all of the Mudokons is something of a challenge and the completely addictive and fun gameplay will keep you hooked until you finally get 100% completion.

The main unique thing in Abe's Oddysee is also Abe's weapon: the power to possess Sligs (basically the common ‘bodyguard' enemy of the game) and do whatever you please with them- kill other Sligs, pull levers that are required, and even make them explode! This helps to add to the already near-flawless gameplay, and adds that extra thing that makes Abe's Oddysee what it is.

Controls: 10/10
The controls in Abe's Oddysee are very simple; use the directional pad to walk, hold R1 while walking to run, and use Triangle to jump. Pretty simple really. It's this simple control scheme that makes it relatively easy to get used to and master. There are no problems here.

Graphics: 7.5/10
The graphics here aren't very impressive at all by today's standards, but the graphics were when it first came out and they still don't really have any problems- the cutscene graphics are pretty amazing for its time. There isn't really any frame lag and, although basic, the backgrounds are still decent.

Sound: 7/10
Although the sound is not one of the strong points of the game, the short sounds that play when entering a new area help to build up tension. Abe's voice in particular has no problems, and there are simple, suitable sounds when needed.

Replayability: 9/10
The replayability of this game is huge. Even after many years of playing this game, I still find joy in sitting down to play this great game. The replayability only loses a bit when you have completed it, but even after that the game is still reasonably fun to play.

Basically, it will definitely keep you hooked on the first play, and won't lose very much replayability on the 2nd, 3rd, or 10th plays through.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/08

Game Release: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (EU, September 1997)