Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is being brought to current gen consoles with an HD release. The game, originally released in 1997, will be coming to XBLA, Playstation Network, Playstation Vita, with a PC version coming out later. Apologies to PC gamers for this kind of thing happening once again, but at least you have Steam. As a lowly console player I get to see advertisements on my dashboard, which is understandable because it’s not like I paid an exorbitant price for the console, and the game, and the online membership. And hey, now I can Bing on my console, and who doesn’t love Bing.
The full title of the remake of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is “Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee – New ‘n’ Tasty,” a title they apparently settled on after a fan competition. It’s surprisingly tame for a naming competition on the internet. The remake will have 3D environments with “2.5D gameplay;” a quote that probably sent Geometrists and Mathematicians in a tizzy. From what I understand, 2.5D is what you revert to when you can’t quite afford the full 3D experience. I watch most of my movies in 2.5D, because I refuse to wear those ridiculous 3D glasses. Things look blurry, but gosh darn it they won’t take an extra 5 bucks from me for those glasses. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee will also feature redesigned levels due to the new engine, as well as re-recorded sounds and voices.
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee features a story about alien slavery and genocide. The titular character, Abe, is a Mudokon slave who works at a meat factory. He finds out his species is being butchered and turned into the latest product from this factory, so he goes on a journey to save his fellow Mudokons. The game was also very, very difficult. These are surprisingly dark themes for a game, even by today’s standards, but it is nice to see a game try to address something like this. I played it when I was a young lass, and I remember it being both difficult and disturbing.
The difficulty makes sense when you pair it with the story, since you play as a lone, unarmed slave trying to rescue his people. I hope more games aspire to be as thought-provoking with their stories and their mechanics as Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. I’m looking forward to seeing this remake.
More about Oddworld.
