Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus®

About

In Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, play as Abe, a lovable Mudokon on a mission to save his fellow slaves. This puzzle-platformer tasks you with guiding Abe through dangerous environments, using stealth and wit to outsmart enemies and rescue your kin. With its unique art style and engaging story, Abe's Exoddus offers a satisfying and challenging adventure.

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,608 reviews

gameplay84 positive mentions

stability18 negative mentions

A fantastic sequel that improves upon the original with new mechanics, a quicksave feature, and a more engaging story.
The game offers a unique blend of humor, challenging puzzles, and beautiful 2D art that has aged remarkably well.
Abe's Exoddus is a nostalgic trip for many players, providing hours of fun and memorable gameplay.

The game can be frustratingly difficult at times, with some players experiencing unfair deaths and bugs.
Controller support is lacking, making it difficult for some players to enjoy the game without using a keyboard.
The PC port has some technical issues, including resolution problems and occasional crashes.

gameplay
242 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
64%
2%
The gameplay of "Abe's Exoddus" is widely praised for its creative platforming, engaging mechanics, and improved features over its predecessor, "Abe's Oddysee." Players appreciate the introduction of a quicksave system, a wider variety of locales, and enhanced gamespeak mechanics that allow for more strategic interactions with the environment and characters. While some note that the game can feel repetitive in certain sections, the overall experience is described as challenging, fun, and filled with unique puzzles that keep players invested for 20-30 hours.
- “The platforming and level design is creative and interesting, even for today's standards, and there are tons of mechanics that keep the 20-30 hour game interesting.”
- “Exoddus is incredibly fun, pushing the player into solving increasingly more challenging problems that are built on top of simple to understand concepts and mechanics, making one feel very smart for overcoming said challenges.”
- “The addition of possessing enemies and using them to your advantage adds an extra layer of strategy that keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting.”
- “About that, the first half of the game almost entirely takes place in same-looking cold-colored caverns, and the gameplay is too slow and too repetitive to make up for it.”
- “While Exoddus is more than eager to introduce a wide variety of new challenges, obstacles, enemies, and puzzles, it isn't able to build on the strengths of Oddysee that made it a landmark of cinematic platformers, deciding instead to center its focus on providing a selection of new levels and ideas for the gameplay loop established previously.”
- “Could have been as good as Oddysee but it gets dragged out for a bit too long; overall the gameplay is better though it just leaves a sour taste since the last few hours of the game are so monotonous.”
story
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
42%
2%
The story of "Abe's Exoddus" is generally praised for its dark humor, engaging narrative, and rich world-building, serving as a direct sequel to "Abe's Oddysee." While some reviewers note that it may lack the depth of its predecessor, many appreciate its quirky characters and satirical elements, making it an enjoyable experience overall. The game effectively combines a simple yet intriguing plot with unique gameplay mechanics, resulting in a memorable and immersive adventure.
- “Abe, an escaped slave become savior of his people, is set on a quest to take down a massive brewing conglomerate who have concocted a hyper-addictive brew made of the bones of his ancestors.”
- “It combines a captivating story, unique gameplay mechanics, stunning visuals, and excellent replay value into an unforgettable gaming experience.”
- “The story is much more fleshed out, characters are more interesting and the locations are more diverse.”
- “Story-wise, this game has perhaps the least to say out of all the series.”
- “The game is an upgrade to the Oddysee, gameplay-wise, but it's obvious that the story was made in a hurry.”
- “Exoddus is very much a 'level pack' disguised as a sequel, moving the player from room to room in order to solve the next platforming puzzle, without the level of detail and thought that was put into the first game's presentation and storytelling.”
graphics
152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
47%
9%
The graphics of the game are a mix of nostalgia and dated visuals, with many players praising the stunning art style and pre-rendered backgrounds that still hold up well despite their age. While some criticize the graphics as outdated, others appreciate the unique atmosphere and detail, noting that the visuals were revolutionary for their time and continue to evoke a strong sense of immersion. Overall, the game's artistic design and character animations are highlighted as standout features, making it a beloved classic despite its graphical limitations.
- “The art style in this game and the way the industrial environments clash with the caverns and more natural environments is something the Oddworld series has always nailed, and this game is no exception.”
- “For nostalgia players, this will be great in your library. I even think for newer players it will draw you in; the graphics still look amazing, so realistic, each panel/screen you see has great detail, depth, and emotion. You would think they took a photograph, but each screen was hand-done and had layers put on them to give off the intended effects of realism, ahead of its time and still holds up to this day!”
- “The animations are smooth, and the graphics have held up remarkably well even after all these years.”
- “If you didn't play this or Oddysee back in the day, this may seem like a weird game, and looking at the graphics, most new people to this would turn away immediately.”
- “Older title and you will see the graphics suffer because of this.”
- “The graphics are dated but don't let that ruin the experience of this 10/10 game.”
humor
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus" is widely praised for its dark, quirky, and satirical elements, enhancing the game's narrative and gameplay experience. Players appreciate the increased comedic moments, including funny cutscenes and clever interactions with characters affected by laughing gas, which contribute to a lighthearted yet engaging atmosphere. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with challenging puzzles and a compelling story, making it a memorable and entertaining experience.
- “Abe's Exoddus is an improvement on the formula that made Oddworld already successful, with new problems adding to new challenges that make it a thrilling and humorous experience overall.”
- “It's humoristic without being obnoxious and breaking the fourth wall all the time.”
- “Dark, witty and humorous to a fault - Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus is a must own.”
music
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
49%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its fitting atmosphere, originality, and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers noting its cinematic quality and dynamic changes during gameplay. While some minor criticisms exist regarding specific tracks being off-key or overly loud, the soundtrack is generally considered a standout feature that complements the quirky art and humor of the game. Overall, players find the music to be a significant part of the game's charm and immersive qualities.
- “The atmosphere, the music, the characters, there is nothing about this game I don't love.”
- “Innovative platforming, combined with great music, amazing hand-drawn backgrounds, and fun and sometimes even terrifying characters, this is a game fit for almost anyone willing to give it a chance.”
- “The beautiful, ambient soundtrack will calm you down from the rage-inducing trial-and-error!”
- “The secret discovery noise is kinda loud and in-your-face, the mudomo vaults music is definitely off-key, etc. but for the most part, the soundtrack retains its PlayStation qualities.”
- “Improvements would be the quicksave option, soundtrack having a bit more life overall, new mechanics being fun additions and length of the game being surprisingly quite a bit longer, despite you being able to reset from any point.”
- “The cutscenes are better, the music is more complex (if not a tad generic), there are more places and environments to see, and there are more types of puzzles based on the emotion system with the mudokons.”
atmosphere
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
41%
5%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its darkly comedic tone, immersive environments, and stunning art design, creating a unique blend of humor and sinister undertones. Players appreciate the atmospheric music and detailed graphics, which enhance the overall experience, making it both challenging and rewarding. While some feel that the sequel, Abe's Exoddus, offers more varied gameplay, it doesn't quite capture the original's atmospheric depth, yet still maintains a captivating world that draws players in.
- “An atmospheric adventure through a truly alien environment.”
- “The atmosphere and world are great, a dark story with just the right amount of humour.”
- “The atmosphere is incredible and the artwork is outstanding.”
- “The game itself is a classic, growing on what made Abe's Oddysee so great, and while I think Exoddus lacks the atmosphere that made the original so enjoyable, the gameplay itself is much more varied (though I still prefer Oddysee).”
- “A lot more variety in terms of gameplay but the atmosphere is a little less dark.”
- “If only the newer Oddworld games and remakes would return to this dark, cinematic and often creepy atmosphere.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability varies significantly between platforms, with PC users reporting numerous glitches and bugs, particularly when alt-tabbing, while the PS1 version appears to run smoothly without these issues. Some players have found the game to be unresponsive and challenging, but others note that it runs flawlessly on modern systems when patched. Overall, while there are stability concerns, many still enjoy the game despite these technical drawbacks.
- “Aged poorly, way more difficult than I remember, unresponsive and buggy.”
- “I should mention that this particular version for PC appears to have a few glitches in certain areas, but on PS1 these issues are not apparent.”
- “A word to the wise though, try not to alt-tab, it causes graphical glitches.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
44%
22%
Overall, the games are praised for their high replayability, with many players enjoying the challenge of saving numerous mudokons and exploring secret areas. While some reviews note a lack of replay value due to minimal achievements, the captivating story, unique gameplay mechanics, and beautiful settings contribute to a memorable experience that encourages repeated playthroughs.
- “Incredible game with amazing replay value.”
- “With over 300 mudokons to save across various levels, there is plenty of replay value.”
- “It combines a captivating story, unique gameplay mechanics, stunning visuals, and excellent replay value into an unforgettable gaming experience.”
- “Sadly there's little replay value (except maybe for saving them all / killing them all), but I enjoy playing it over again from time to time.”
- “Replayability - 1/10 (no achievements)”
- “Both games have a beautiful setting, a small, but powerful story and lore, and lots of replay value (for us veterans at least).”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to sparse save points, which leads to repetitive deaths. However, the inclusion of a quicksave feature and new mechanics for managing followers alleviates some of this frustration, making the experience less monotonous. Despite these improvements, the need to memorize command numbers remains a point of annoyance.
- “As with the other Oddworld games, save points are few and far between, making dying a tedious, repetitive grind.”
- “Having to remember which number corresponds to which command is tedious.”
- “The grinding aspect of the game can feel overly repetitive and frustrating.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game has faced criticism for its lack of optimization for mouse and keyboard controls, which is particularly concerning for a title sold on Steam. Despite some performance issues that can be resolved, the overall recommendation remains positive.
- “A game sold on Steam should be optimized for mouse and keyboard as well. I don't care how old it is; I don't care that you are a Dark Souls player playing with a brick on PC because the devs won't optimize for PC either.”
- “Besides the questionable performance issues in getting the game going, the majority of which are easily fixed, I recommend this game and recommend it hard.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a strong emotional engagement with the game, driven by the compelling voice of the character they control, which fosters a sense of responsibility and ownership. The narrative is described as a deep and dark journey that captivates players from the outset, creating an emotional rollercoaster experience.
- “The game takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, with a deep and dark narrative that hooks you from the beginning.”
- “You could tell that people were emotionally getting hooked in it, and because the character you were controlling was engaging them through voice, they would obey and do. You had a different sense of responsibility and ownership over them.”
- “The game takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, with a deep and dark narrative that hooks you from the beginning.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Character development is highlighted through detailed environments and unique, twisted character designs that contribute to a distinctive atmosphere. The incorporation of dark humor further enhances the depth and appeal of the characters, making them memorable and engaging.
- “The detailed environments, twisted character designs, and dark humor really make it special.”
- “Art style, atmosphere, character design, you name it!”
- “The character development is rich and engaging, making each character feel unique and memorable.”