Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Sony Playstation and Nintendo Game Boy
1997
Abe was a simple and content Mudokon janitor and “Employee of the Year” for the biggest meat-processing plant on Oddworld. That was, until he accidently stumbled upon a disturbing revelation while waxing the plant floor late one night. He overheard that company profits were down due to a supply shortage necessary to produce their line of consumer goods. “Meech Munchies” were forced to be discontinued after all the Meech’s became extinct. The population resources for “Paramite Pies” and “Scrab Cakes” were also dwindling. Rupture Farms needed a new flagship product and President Molluck revealed to the board that their new ‘n tasty treat was to be “Mudokon Pops!”
In fear, Abe escapes the factory. Once outside, he glances up and realizes that the craters on the face of the moon match the palm of his hand. Flabbergasted, Abe loses his footing and falls deep into the valley where he bumps his head rather hard. Abe awakens to find a masked shaman reviving him. The shaman informs Abe that the land is changing and imbalanced and that he, Abe, is destined to restore the land to its natural order. The shaman reveals to Abe that in order to prove his worth, he will be tested in the intricately confusing labyrinths and forsaken temples of the sacred Paramites and Scrabs. If he passes their trials, fate dictates the he will become the fabled and exalted demigod known as Shrykull. Only then will he have the power to stop Molluck and the company executives, halt the food production line, and rescue his enslaved factory working peers.
This two-dimensional platform puzzler is intelligent and engaging. However, it ultimately comes up short for not including a cameo of Charlton Heston trying share a delicious plate brimming with Solylent Green!
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Michael Thomasson is one of the most widely respected videogame historians in the field today. He currently teaches college level videogame history, design, and graphics courses. For television, Michael conducted research for MTV's videogame related program Video MODS. In print, he authored Downright Bizarre Games, and has contributed to nearly a dozen gaming texts. Michael’s historical columns have been distributed in newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written business plans for several vendors and managed a dozen game-related retail stores spanning three decades. Michael consults for multiple video game and computer museums and has worked on nearly a hundred game titles on Atari, Coleco, Sega and other console platforms. In 2014, The Guinness Book of World Records declared that Thomasson had “The Largest Videogame Collection” in the world. His businesses sponsor gaming tradeshows and expos across the US and Canada. Visit www.GoodDealGames.com.
