Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (1997 Video Game) User Reviews

Great concept, pretty good playing

[nsexton · 8/10 · 10 August 2001]

This was almost a 10/10 game. The only problem being far too much to do between save points.

I loved this game, but then I loved Abe's Exoddus more - because of QUICKSAVE - didn't have to repeat so much stuff when I goofed...

But still I'm replaying Abe's Oddysee after playing it and Exoddus twice each, and I still really like it.

Hey, can anyone give me a clue of other games that so nicely combine action and puzzles in this way?

Very fun game

[Xophianic · 8/10 · 21 January 2000]

I played this game over a friend's house, just a little skeptical. I mean, an odd-looking blue guy who has to fart and chant in order to free his friends? And the characters look like a mixture between Satan and the Tele-Tubbies. But I gave it a chance and I enjoyed it very much. The gameplay and graphics are very good. The storyline and cutscenes are funny and enjoyable. This game mixes action and puzzles, which proves to be a great combination. Oddworld: Abe's Oddyssey is a few years old now, so pretty cheap so I recommend just going out and buying it. You won't regret it.

(Note - I enjoyed the sequel, Oddworld: Abe's Exxodus a bit more because of additional commands, special features and abilities.)

Wonderfully creative concept

[gelziabar · 10/10 · 17 November 2006]

This game is an utter classic. It takes 2D side scrollers to another level with some fantastic graphics and fantastic gameplay. The guys who have designed oddworld, the environments, creatures and characters have been extremely creative in their effort and even greater in their effort to make all these things come alive. The gameplay is reasonably difficult but rewarding. The level design is fantastic and there is actually a good story driving all that. The one single weakness in this game is that your character, whos generally a sad looking chap becomes not-so-sad in the end but thats only a weakness because the game is so good that you bother to care for the character.

Every Frame a Painting

[conorbebe · 10/10 · 22 November 2022]

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!

One of the best platform games ever made

[NuclearNinja · 10/10 · 9 April 2023]

What I liked:

• Writing

This game has a great sense of humour and is so imaginative. It is rare to see such original concepts and ideas in a game, even at the time. The entire game satires the modern world and the exploitation of the natural environment.

• Game Mechanics

As you progress through the game there are various mechanics introduced to the player when needed. The difficulty slowly ramps up the further you get. Unless you know about a few secrets early on. Each puzzle requires at least some trial and error as well as perfect execution in some cases. This keeps the game fun and interesting as you do not just breeze through. Some sequences will leave you sighing with relief once you've made it through. None will leave you so frustrated that you want to quit... well not in my case!

• Artwork

The artwork of the game i.e. The scenery / character and animal design is all unique and fun to look at. Really impressive stuff. The game is nearly as old as me but I can still appreciate the world building.

The worst M rated Playstation 1 platform game ever with hardly any fighting.

[crosswalkx · 1/10 · 9 March 2019]

I have played many 2D platform games in my life, usually I like platform games, but this plays much like the first 2 Prince of Persia games except that your green goblin character is much like Pac Man and is a pacifist.

This game starts off as Abe the green goblin creature who's a slave in the meat factory, the greedy monster boss and his meat factory is struggling and decides to kill the Mudokons the green goblin slaves for food, Abe sets off to make his escape and free the Mudokons from slavery using the bird portal doors much like Portal 1 and 2. the only time he ever kills enemies is when he uses grenades or kills the alien guards with his mind control power.

The good stuff about this game.

• You have infinite lives so if you get caught or shot or blown up or decapitated, or eaten or stung you'll start over at certain save spots.
• Abe can fight if he has grenades in hand and can kill certain guards by having the possessed guard shoot his machine gun at the monster dogs, or at the monster alien guards or trick them into stepping into landmines or crushed by the giant wheel. Abe can also use the heat ring blaster to blow up those annoying bombs and landmines.
• The sound effects are very eerie and spooky but very interesting, there's some music but not as much.
• The animation and backgrounds is very amazing, I like the shadow effects that are put into this game, the night sky, the detailed background.
• The 3D animated CGI cutscenes are interesting to watch especially the good ending or bad ending. But that's where the good stuff ends at, now on to the bad stuff about this game.

The bad stuff about this game.

• Oh man, where to begin, first of all Abe does not fight at all he's a pacifist like Pac Man and doesn't jump on enemies, he doesn't punch or kick or shoot enemies, he only uses grenades as a weapon which is hard to aim as they're the worst weapon to use in the game. Good luck getting through this super hard game alive because you'll need to survive.
• There's too many traps, landmines, detonators, meat grinders, pits, floating bombs, bees that attack you, you can get electrocuted, fall to your death and you don't have a rock, or grenade with you at all times which makes this game very hard to play.
• You get to hold very limited uses for grenades and after that you're defenseless until you get more.
• You have to avoid detection throughout the entire game, and if you get caught you get shot or eaten.
• All your hard work of freeing Mudokons is wasted if you get killed, thank god the Playstation Classic mini has a save state feature.
• It's hard to lead the Mudokons to safety as they can get killed by machine gun, eaten or get caught in the meat grinder or electrocuted which will cause a causality.
• You can only communicate with one Mudokon at a time which gets very annoying and time consuming.
• You have to play the annoying memory game in order to progress in the game.
• It's also hard to even take time to mind control a Slig guard since they react so quickly and you can possess them if they escape your grasp.
• This game is damn hard to play the entire time and isn't fun at all.
• Abe is the worst character since he can't fight or use a machine gun, seriously GT Interactive, you made a weak fighter much weaker than Bubsy Bobcat.
• One of the levels has a game breaking bug near the end of the game at 11-4 if you don't kill a Slig guard before you enter the door, he will be waiting to kill you and you can't avoid him and you start at that room with the guard alien dogs seriously didn't GT check for bugs that can make this game unwinnable?
• Abe will die in one kill hits including those annoying floating bombs, killer bees, and killer bats, Slig guards, alien dogs, predator aliens will kill Abe and Abe can't defend himself.
• The run and jump button doesn't respond like I want it do so Abe easily falls to his death.
• You have to go through tedious puzzle rooms in 2 main levels of the game.
• You have to go back to get that heat ring power which gets to be very annoying.
• This game takes too long to beat, I may as well just played an RPG game and level grind instead or work on my drawings or play piano or write a story or make a cartoon video or even a video game.

Overall, this is the worst 2D platform game I've ever played. This game is much worse than Bubsy 3D. I'm much rather play Bubsy 3D than this awful platform game. At least in Bubsy 3D you can jump on enemies and fire atoms at them and have more freedom to dodge enemies. Unfortunately this game had to be on the Playstation Classic Mini, why couldn't they include Castlevania Symphony of the Night instead? That's a better game to play. Or Mega Man X4 or X5 or X6, I have fun playing those games.

I don't understand why this is considered the best game. There are much better PS1 games to play don't listen to the high rated reviews this game is torture and hell to play through.

Thanks a lot GT Interactive, I never want another Oddworld game. If you want to play other GT games then play Twisted Metal or Streak Hoverboard Racing, those games are much more fun than this piece of junk this PS1 game is.

Also a word of warning this game has mature themes like a horror video game including gory violence, decapitated body parts, bloody violence, mild profanity including one use of the word "Pissed", this is Alien vs Predator type game. This game isn't rated T like the ESRB rating says, I think it should've been rated M for blood, gore, violence, mild language, intense gameplay.

Skip this game, don't bother playing it on your Playstation Mini and if you do, use the cheat codes to skip to the final level or watch the ending cutscenes which is the only good thing about this game and then move on to a better Playstation game like Final Fantasy 7, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon.