Oddworld

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (1997) for PlayStation introduced the world of Oddworld as a platformer built around puzzle-solving, stealth, and a story of slave labor and saving one's own kind — as the Mudokon Abe, the player didn't fight directly but had to outwit enemies or turn them against each other using mind control and the GameSpeak system to command fellow Mudokons. From the start, developer Oddworld Inhabitants leaned on a strong social and ecological subtext that set the series apart from other platformers of its time, and planned it as a five-part 'Oddworld Quintology.'

The sequel, Abe's Exoddus (1998), expanded the same formula with new abilities and more Mudokons to rescue, while Munch's Oddysee (2001), the first entry released for Xbox, moved the series into 3D and introduced a second playable character, Munch, requiring cooperation between the two heroes to solve puzzles. Stranger's Wrath (2005) then reshaped the series considerably, blending platforming with third- and first-person action and bounty hunting using live-ammo creatures, as its title bounty hunter, Stranger, gradually uncovers his own connection to the Mudokons and their fate.

Thanks to its willingness to change gameplay from one entry to the next and its distinctive visual style, Oddworld kept its reputation as one of the most singular series of the late 1990s and early 2000s, even though a long pause followed Stranger's Wrath. The brand later returned in the form of reworked remakes — New 'n' Tasty (2014) revived Abe's Oddysee and Soulstorm (2021) offered a new take on the Abe's Exoddus story — introducing the world of Oddworld to a new generation of players.