Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus is a platform video game developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and published by GT Interactive. Although the game is a sequel to the video game Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, it is considered a spin-off title in the Oddworld series, and not part of the Oddworld Quintology. It was released in November 1998 for the PlayStation video game console and in December 1998 for Microsoft Windows. A Game Boy Color version, titled Oddworld Adventures 2, was released in 2000. The PlayStation version was re-released on the PlayStation Network in October 2009.
The game continues the story of Abe, charting his efforts to save his fellow Mudokons from another plot by the Glukkons to exploit them. Abe discovers that the Glukkons are enslaving Mudokons, this time to produce a drink called Soulstorm Brew, which uses Mudokon bones and tears as its ingredients. The player assumes the role of Abe, embarking on a quest to halt production of SoulStorm Brew.
The game was released to similar critical acclaim as the first game. Reviews praised the ability to quick save<!-- a quick save is a common thing, no need for the game's own QuikSave spelling --> at any point, a feature not present in Abe's Oddysee, while noting that it was very similar to that title. The game won multiple awards upon release.
On March 14, 2016, it was announced that Oddworld Inhabitants were developing a follow-up to Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! (a 2014 remake of Abe's Oddysee), titled Oddworld: Soulstorm. The game page confirmed that it is inspired by Abe's Exoddus and would serve as a re-imagining of that title. Oddworld: Soulstorm was released in 2021.
Gameplay
Abe's Exoddus is a two-dimensional platform game, with many of its elements taken from the previous title, Abe's Oddysee. The game is split into screens; when the player moves into the edge of the screen, the environment is replaced, just like in the previous title. Most screens include various puzzles that must be solved through the use of Abe's unique abilities: "GameSpeak", possession, controlling mine cars, activation or deactivation of mines or levers, and rocks, grenades, or bones that can be picked up and used for different purposes. Normal abilities include creeping, walking, running, rolling, hoisting, jumping, and crouching, all of which have specific application and make up a necessary arsenal of moves.
The game features no user interface or heads-up display. Information is conveyed to the player through instructive screens that can be activated by the player character, or through scrolling messages in the background. Characters do not have hit points; instead, being attacked (such as being shot or mauled) or touching a hazard (such as a bone drill or an exploding mine) or falling either from high places or into a pit generally causes instant death. However, the player has unlimited lives, and upon death will re-spawn at the last checkpoint they reached. Abe's Exoddus includes an option to quick save<!-- a quick save is a common thing, no need for the game's own QuikSave spelling --> which allows the player to designate their own checkpoints, a feature which was not present in Abe's Oddysee due to programming conflicts and which attracted criticism of that title.
While the focus of the gameplay is surmounting screens, there is a secondary focus on rescuing enslaved Mudokons. GameSpeak is a pivotal ability in this respect; by pressing combinations of buttons, the player character will utter short phrases that can be used to control allied non-player characters—to pull extra levers, to follow the player character, or simply to wait.
thumb|left|Abe and two Mudokons sneak past a sleeping Slig.
Unlike the first game, Mudokons have emotional states and status ailments that affect how they respond to Abe; Mudokons may be angry, wired, depressed, sick, or blind, and each state must be dealt with differently by the player. Angry, wired or depressed characters can be consoled through specific GameSpeak commands. An "angry" Mudokon (who flash red whenever they speak) will either repeatedly slap nearby Mudokons or work dangerous traps and can be told to "stop it", though Abe must tell them he is "sorry" to calm them down. If a "depressed" Mudokon (blue) witnesses too many deaths of other Mudokons or if he is slapped, he will start to hit himself in the head and eventually commit suicide. Abe again can prevent this by saying "stop it" and remove the ailment by telling them he's "sorry". Both angry and depressed Mudokons will not follow Abe if he tells them to. Clouds of laughing gas will turn Mudokons "wired" (lime), causing them to hyperactively run in Abe's direction and in some cases make it more difficult to get past enemies and obstacles. They will only calm down when slapped but the slap will have no effect if done within the gas cloud. "Sick" Mudokons will not respond to any GameSpeak command whatsoever (aside from being slapped) and can only be cured with a special chant, obtained when Abe finds a helper character. Blind Mudokons (distinguished by pale skin and, story-wise, with their eyes sewn shut to keep them from knowing what they were digging up in the Necrum Mines) will keep walking in the direction of Abe's voice, and must be told to "wait" before they walk into a hazard.
Possession is the player character's ability to take control of certain characters in the same screen by chanting. When a character is possessed, the player can use their abilities and weapons to find otherwise unreachable areas or levers, kill enemies, or as part of solving puzzles. However, when possessing a character, the player character remains immobile and vulnerable to attack. Possessing a Slig in particular sometimes has to use voice commands to solve puzzles. This is done with an "Ackack!" which the game refers to as 'BS' "Ay!" which is referred to in the game as 'S'BS' and a laugh. The whistling passwords have been removed from the previous game.
The player can abandon possession of a creature at any time. Scrabs or Paramites will be released without harm when abandoned, while Industrialists (Sligs and Glukkons) will burst into pieces. If the player character has drunk Soulstorm Brew, they will be able to possess their own fart, which can then be used as a flying explosive and will detonate either when control is abandoned, or after a period of time.
Mudokon slaves (including blind ones) are rescued through Bird Portals. If the player character chants when in the same screen as a Bird Portal, the portal will activate, and any nearby Mudokon slaves will run through it, disappearing. Rescuing Mudokons is not usually crucial to progressing through the game; however, rescuing at least 150 is necessary to get the good ending, and many secret areas revolve around rescuing a few Mudokons in particularly complex situations. There is an alternative ending known as the 'Maximum Casualties' ending. If the player kills all 278 Mudokons, the player is awarded with invincibility.
The player can also gain the ability to turn into the Shrykull, a Mudokon supernatural demigod. Abe acquired this power at a late stage in Abe's Oddysee. The ability is earned by sending a certain number of Mudokons through a Bird Portal at once, denoted by a number circulating with the birds. With the ability, the player can enter a screen with enemies or explosives, chant to transform into the Shrykull, and vaporize all enemies and hazards on the screen. Afterward, the player character reverts into their Mudokon form. Achieving the ability and doing such is necessary to get past certain points in the game. The player can only turn into the Shrykull once each time they earn the ability, so where and when they choose to use it is important. Upon awakening, Abe leaves for Necrum with a group of fellow Mudokons to uncover what the Glukkons are up to, and quickly discover the burial grounds have been turned into mines, with many Mudokons blinded to prevent them knowing what they are extracting.
After initially being separated from his friends, Abe reunites with them at a vending machine that dispenses a new drink called Soulstorm Brew. Despite his protest, his friends -who are desperate to quench their thirst- swiftly begin drinking every bottle of Brew from the vendo and fall sick from doing so. Abe quickly discovers that the Brew is made from the bones of the Mudokons, and proceeds to sabotage the mines. In order to heal his sick friends, he soon finds himself forced to locate the burial vaults of Necrum and liberate its trapped Mudokon spirits. In doing so, Abe is granted the power of healing by the three spirits who contacted him, allowing him to heal his sick friends, who in turn help him to head for the FeeCo Depot - a large shipment and transportation hub.
Upon arriving, Abe learns that three high-ranking Glukkons have sealed off the entrance to the Soulstorm Brewery to prevent him sabotaging it. To unlock access, he quickly tracks down each Glukkon, possesses them, and uses them to unlock each security measure they control. Travelling to the Brewery, Abe soon discovers the Brew not only uses Mudokon bones, but also their tears, which are extracted from slaves by machines that repeatedly electrocute them. While safely rescuing the victims, Abe discovers the Brewery can be destroyed by overloading its main boiler. Upon doing so, the ending received is determined by the number of Mudokons saved by the player: if less than 150, Abe's friends gang up on him for not helping the slaves, and leave him attached to a tear extractor, causing him to be killed as a result, ending the game from there; if 150 or more are rescued, Abe succeeds in destroying the Brewery, and is given a hero's welcome upon his safe return, whereupon Abe vows to seek out other Mudokon slaves, while one of his friends opens a rehab clinic for Mudokons recovering from the Brew, resulting in the events of Munch's Oddysee.
Development
Following the overwhelming success of Abe's Oddysee, GT Interactive, the publishers of Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus, pushed for a sequel to be made by Christmas 1998. In order to meet this deadline, Abe's Exoddus was made to run on the same game engine as Abe's Oddysee,
An emulated version of the PlayStation version was released for the PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network on October 22, 2009, in North America and on June 2, 2010, in Europe. It was also released digitally on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5’s PlayStation Stores through emulation on June 14, 2024.