Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee / Exoddus

Few platformers make you feel guilty for letting a companion die. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and its swift sequel Exoddus do exactly that — and they do it with a dark, satirical charm that had no equal on the console.

You play as Abe, a lowly worker of the Mudokon race in a gigantic meatpacking corporation, who discovers that the next product on the menu is meant to be his own kind. His escape turns into a rescue mission. The game is a puzzle-platformer where violence usually isn't the answer — you advance carefully, sneak through the shadows, and above all use GameSpeak: with the buttons you speak to other Mudokons, give them commands, lead them past traps, and open portals to freedom for them. You can also possess enemies and turn their weapons against them.

Visually it's an atmospheric masterpiece — pre-rendered backgrounds, industrial grime, and the unsettling design of the Oddworld universe radiate originality. Behind it all stands the vision of Lorne Lanning and the studio Oddworld Inhabitants, who wanted to tell a story with an ecological and anti-corporate undertone without losing humor or playability.

Exoddus, released soon after the first entry, refined the mechanics, added more companions to rescue, and noticeably expanded the content, including a Mudokon emotion system you can anger or calm. For many it's the better, more polished version of the same experience.

Together these two games form one of the most distinctive efforts of the era — funny, at times disturbing, and surprisingly grown-up in its message. No wonder Oddworld later received remakes and new installments.

Why play it: For an original puzzle-platformer with a conscience, an unmistakable atmosphere, and voice-command control of companions that has no equal.