Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
A spin-off platformer continuing Abe's quest to save Mudokons.
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus is a platform game from Oddworld Inhabitants, published by GT Interactive. It hit PlayStation in November 1998 and Windows the following month. It is a direct sequel and interquel within the main Oddworld Quintology, not a spin-off. A Game Boy Color version called Oddworld Adventures 2 came out in 2000, and the PlayStation version got a digital re-release on the PlayStation Network in October 2009.
The story picks up with Abe trying to rescue his fellow Mudokons again. This time, the Glukkons are forcing them to make a drink called SoulStorm Brew, which uses Mudokon bones and souls as ingredients. Players control Abe as he works to shut down the brew's production.
Critics liked the game about as much as the first one. They especially praised the quick save feature, which was missing from Abe's Oddysee, though they noted the two games are very similar. It won several awards after launch.
On March 14, 2016, Oddworld Inhabitants announced they were making a follow-up to Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! (the 2014 remake of Abe's Oddysee). That game, Oddworld: Soulstorm, was described as a re-imagining inspired by Abe's Exoddus and came out in 2021.
Gameplay is two-dimensional and screen-based, much like the first game. Moving to the edge of a screen swaps the environment. Puzzles rely on Abe's abilities: GameSpeak, possession, mine cart control, activating or deactivating mines and levers, and using rocks, grenades, or bones. Basic moves include creeping, walking, running, rolling, hoisting, jumping, and crouching.
There is no heads-up display. Information comes from instructive screens Abe can trigger or from scrolling background messages. Characters have no hit points; being shot, mauled, touching hazards like bone drills or exploding mines, or falling from heights or into pits usually kills instantly. Lives are unlimited, and death sends the player back to the last checkpoint. Quick save lets players set their own checkpoints, a feature absent from Abe's Oddysee due to programming issues.
Rescuing enslaved Mudokons is a secondary goal. GameSpeak lets Abe use button combos to say short phrases that control allied NPCs—telling them to pull levers, follow, or wait.
Unlike the first game, Mudokons here have emotional states and ailments.
- Developer
- Oddworld Inhabitants
- Publisher
- GT Interactive
- Release date
- November 1998 (PlayStation), December 1998 (Microsoft Windows)
- Platforms
- PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color (as Oddworld Adventures 2, 2000)
- Genre
- Two-dimensional platform game
- Series
- Oddworld (direct sequel and interquel within the Quintology)
Lore & Background
The game continues the story of Abe, charting his efforts to save his fellow Mudokons from another plot by the Glukkons to exploit them. Abe discovers that the Glukkons are enslaving Mudokons to produce a drink called SoulStorm Brew, which uses Mudokon bones and souls as its ingredients. The player assumes the role of Abe, embarking on a quest to halt production of SoulStorm Brew. The game features no user interface or heads-up display; information is conveyed through instructive screens or scrolling messages in the background. Characters do not have hit points; being attacked or touching a hazard generally causes instant death, but the player has unlimited lives and respawns at the last checkpoint.
Reader's Guide
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus was released to similar critical acclaim as the first game. Reviews praised the ability to quick save at any point, a feature not present in Abe's Oddysee, while noting that it was very similar to that title. The game won multiple awards upon release. Its significance lies in expanding the gameplay of the original with new Mudokon emotional states and status ailments—angry, wired, depressed, sick, or blind—each requiring different player responses. The game also introduced the ability to possess one's own fart after drinking Soulstorm Brew, which could be used as a flying explosive. On March 14, 2016, it was announced that Oddworld Inhabitants were developing Oddworld: Soulstorm, a re-imagining of Abe's Exoddus, which was released in 2021. The PlayStation version was re-released on the PlayStation Network in October 2009.
Did You Know?
- The Game Boy Color version was titled Oddworld Adventures 2 and released in 2000.
- Mudokons in this game can be angry, wired, depressed, sick, or blind, each requiring different player actions.
- If the player kills all 278 Mudokons, they are awarded invincibility in the 'Maximum Casualties' ending.
- The player can possess their own fart after drinking Soulstorm Brew, using it as a flying explosive.
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