Back in 1997, a quirky puzzle platformer was released onto the Playstation. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee was a 2D game that revolved around your character Abe, a Mudokon who worked in a meat-processing plant called Rupture Farms, finding out that Mudokons would be the next product up for sale. It was up to you and your wits to roll, jump, sneak, possess and blow up anything that got in your way, while simultaneously saving 99 of your Mudokon friends from the meat grinders.
Or not. Collateral damage with the Sligs wielding machine guns and whatnot.
It was a well-made, immersive puzzle game that had everything in the right amounts. It added new mechanics at set intervals throughout the game, incorporating the older elements to keep the challenges fresh and engaging. It was naturally a bit of a hit, so a sequel came out in 1999, Abe's Exoddus.
With the remake of this game coming up soon, I figure its a good time to analyze what the trailer implies in comparison to its older PSX version. The issue of game mechanics also applies to the sequel... so lets cover Exoddus first.
Not helping is the game wants you to get drunk before playing.
I don't like Exoddus as much as Oddysee. The reason being is that Exoddus strains the fun of the mechanics, and doesn't do as much to change the dynamics. It does add a few new tricks, but some are pointless. However, the biggest flaw of the game is the change to the mudokon count: over triple the number to save. 300 mudokons to save increases the amount of secrets to find, and it also increases the tedious nature of the game.
Imagine playing this game without a guide, trying to go for a perfect run of all 300 mudokons. Even though the factory areas give you signs that indicate how many you've saved, killed, or have yet to find. it is an extremely tedious game to hunt out 300, let alone 99. Miss just one and you have to start all over. 98 may be a heartbreak, but Oddysee is much shorter in this regard. Imagine getting 299 and losing out at the end, and not having the slightest clue which one you missed amid the areas you've been to.
At best, its tedium, using a guide to figure out the when where and how. At worst, its utter frustration, even more directionless than you would've been in the previous game; you would've saved 28 of the 100 in the first area alone.
The game also tells you that it'll kill them off, incentive for exploring the first area thoroughly.
You would've saved 40 before you even got to the first two temples. Rupture Farms 1,
The Stockyard, nothing in the hub for Paramonia and Scrabania...or even
in the two outer areas. A few in the temples themselves, and the bigger
bulk in all the Zulags at the end when you've mastered the majority of obstacles. It was the right size and the right amount of
areas. Not too long, but not too short or easy. Stretching the same
level of difficulty over a longer length with semi-pointless mechanics
is just draining.
Some of the mudokon "moods" and conditions are redundant, if not pointless. Blind mudokons were interesting at least, forcing you to keep track of their positioning and commanding them more to avoid hazards. Angry and Sad mudokons are virtually the same (except for one difference, more on that in a second), requiring Abe to just pat them on the shoulder to cooperate. Cooperate. With the guy trying to rescue them. From torture and death.
Oh...he was trying to free me from a lifetime of hardship. Whoops.
Mudokons are kind of bizarre like that. Its not like they shouldn't know him, since the game makes it well known that Abe is a wanted "terrorist", freeing all the employees. This is on top of the fact that he's been blessed with the sacred powers of the Shrykull. Which is nothing terribly important...except being kind of a deity to them. But I digress.
UNLIMITED POWER!!!!
At least the laughing gas had the excuse of drugging them, and making their actions as risky as blind mudokons, but at the same time, it was only an issue sometimes. Sick was just an extension of the mechanic which required Abe to find a shaman to give him a song from the previous game. Not terribly necessary, but at least sensible hindrances to a guy trying to save you. Lets face it, a hangover makes everyone a touch cranky.
The biggest kicker is that most if not all of these conditions do not prevent mudokons from jumping into bird portals to escape. They only force you to slow down and apologize/slap them, which makes the game LONGER. Its an artificial mechanic, all fluff and mostly pointless. Angry and blind were some of the only necessary ones, adding sick just for the sake of plot. I do remember one puzzle where angry mudokons puts you on a time limit, since they are shown to manipulate levers (which operate obstacles) and hit other mudokons when mad (to the point where they will kill each other eventually). But had the "emotions" been kept more focused, or made more unique, the puzzles could've followed suit, such as creating time limits that weren't always slow-moving bone saws.
Its not like all the mechanics are bad. New forms of motion sensors, a new variant on the guards that fly, the ability to possess more wildlife (and more wildlife in general)...the best additions were a quicksave and the ability to command all the mudokons at once. Had they not done so, moving 300 individuals one at a time would've been absolutely dull.
Its not a bad game, and it kept building upon the Oddworld universe (which, thankfully, isn't entirely dead). It had more cut scenes, and it innovated just enough to keep it good. It just lacked the tight design that the original had.
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