Abe (Oddworld)
Encyclopedia
Abe is a fictional character
and protagonist
in the Oddworld
video game series, created by Oddworld Inhabitants
. Abe was introduced in the 1997 game Abe's Oddysee
and his character has changed and developed throughout the subsequent games, Abe's Exoddus
and Munch's Oddysee
.
Abe, a creature known as a Mudokon, works as a slave for the meat-processing plant RuptureFarms until his eventual escape. An atypical video game character, he does not fight or use any weapons, instead employing stealth and a unique ability to control his enemies' minds. Along with Spyro the Dragon, Abe was one of the unofficial mascots of the PlayStation One and was an example of the PlayStation's more mature style of platforming game.
series. He evolves and develops throughout the first game, Abe's Oddysee. He is initially a slave along with his fellow Mudokons, but escapes. The game's narrative and its main character deal with ethical and moral
issues. Lorne Lanning
, Oddworld's creator, has stated that its "characters are driven in a way that is fired by larger issues." Abe was the first protagonist
that Oddworld Inhabitants developed. Originally, the game's developers envisioned Abe and a mule-like creature called "Elum" beginning the game together, living off the land and being thrust into an industrialized factory slave environment. The developers came to the conclusion that the story was stronger should Abe come from a factory existence and later reveal one of self-sustenance, and as such the concept was eventually changed. In this game, Abe tells his story in flashback
, which helps the player identify with him as the protagonist. Abe's abilities include the ability to chant (his mantra is implied to be "I'm guilty"), which permits him to take over the mind of some of his enemies. He can also jump, climb, run, and sneak in shadows.
Abe's appearance, resembling that of a Grey alien, includes large bulbous eyes, large forehead, a skinny frame, and a bald head with a tuft of hair. His depiction is humorous, with the ability to fart. Despite his unusual appearance, which is unlike the "typically cute" platform characters, Abe appeals to a wide range of video game players.
Unlike other Mudokons, Abe has blue or purplish-green skin, his eyes are bloodshot and he has a high ponytail. He retains his lip stitches as a reminder of his past, motivation for the present, and a kind of medal of honor despite the demeaning nickname of "Stitch Lips" he endures. His skin has three mystical tattoos that grow over his body gradually: one on the back of each hand and one on his chest. Grateful Mudokon spirits have gifted him with invisibility for short periods, transformation into the Mudokon god Shrykull comes from the occasional special bird portal, and helper Mudokons do grant Abe with spirit rings and healing power should he need them.
Abe has the usual mental capacity of a Mudokon: slow-witted, lazy, and optimistic. He also lacks imagination, logic, intelligence, and confidence. He has a powerful sense of morality, and he becomes more motivated and dedicated to free the Mudokons as he experiences more of the injustices performed both against and by his people. While deeply saddened by his plight, he remains hopeful and optimistic. He is a pacifist, strongly opposed to any kind of violence, and strives to avoid confrontations and apply more stealthy tactics. He can become resourceful and cunning when faced with a challenge. Usually he infiltrates a Glukkon factory or other facility and sabotages it from the inside with the assistance of Mudokon slaves working there. He makes sure to free the facilities' slaves. Abe becomes the leader of the "Free Mudokon Party" (also known as "The Marching Mudokons"), the Mudokons’ uprising against their captors, the Magog Cartel. Usually he follows the suggestions and instruction of religious and spiritual figures like the Almighty Raisin. He generally operates alone but is occasionally aided by friends.
), Abe panics and escapes from his workplace. At the end of the game's introductory sequence- which is a retrospective voice-overed by Abe- Abe runs for his life. The Mudokons’ spiritual leader, the BigFace, appears to the unconscious Abe in a vision. BigFace tells him how the Mudokon race once lived freely with nature before they were enslaved by the Glukkons, and how their sacred animals were the very same ones being slaughtered and processed to manufacture 'Tasty Treats'. Prophecies have foretold of a Mudokon saviour whose worth would be tested by a journey to relight holy flames that were extinguished by the Glukkons. Abe does this with the aid of his pet Elum and then receives mystic tattoos. Abe infiltrates RuptureFarms, killing its entire board of executives before being captured and taken to a holding cell, where he has enough time to pore over the last day before facing execution. However, Abe's actions have impressed the holy Mudokons, and they rescue Abe and transport him to safety, where he received a hero’s welcome from the Mudokons he rescued.
Abe's Oddysee was very popular, and the bonus game Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus was released the following year. Abe's Exoddus begins where Abe's Oddysee ends. Abe's abilities in this game were similar to his abilities in the first game, with an expanded ability to communicate with other characters in the world using GameSpeak. As he was celebrating his new celebrity, ghosts of old Mudokons appeared before him and told him that Necrum, a once sacred Mudokon burial ground, was being excavated by Glukkons, using blind Mudokons as slaves. Abe again journeys to the Scrab and Paramite lands to find a cure to the sickness the SoulStorm brew created from the excavated bones and then journeys to SoulStorm Brewery, which he destroys. He is named a wanted terrorist by the Glukkons, but is revered as a great hero among his people.
Both Abe and a new character named Munch are playable in Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. Not long after the events of Abe's Exoddus
, Abe helps Munch (the last living remnant of an amphibious race called the Gabbits) to destroy Vykerrs labs and save the last gabbit eggs from being eaten. They prevent the Gabbits from dying out completely. This increases status as a hero and also makes him even more unpopular with the Glukkon queen, Lady Margaret.
, and in a music video for the song "Use Your Imagination" in 2002.
as the 10th best video game hero, with a comment: "With his klutzy, benign charm and his innovative and surprisingly sophisticated means of interacting with his environment and other characters, Abe sets himself apart as one of the best and most memorable game heroes out there." In 2008, he ranked fourth on GameDaily
's list of top 10 ugliest game characters for his "freaky hairstyle, bug-eyed expression and weird nose piercing". In 2009, Abe (described as "a resilient hero with a lot of heart") qualified as one of 64 contestants for the GameSpot's poll for the title of All Time Greatest Video Game Hero, but lost in the first round of eliminations against Ryu
of Street Fighter
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
in the Oddworld
Oddworld
Oddworld is a comprehensive fictional universe presented in video game form, created by game developers Oddworld Inhabitants under the direction of Lorne Lanning. Throughout games set in the Oddworld universe, Oddworld's peaceful nature is in danger of being consumed by the industrial ambition of...
video game series, created by Oddworld Inhabitants
Oddworld Inhabitants
Oddworld Inhabitants Inc. is an American video game developer founded in 1994 by special-effects and computer-animation veterans Sherry McKenna and Lorne Lanning. The company is primarily known for the Oddworld Quintology, a series of award-winning video games about the fictional planet of Oddworld...
. Abe was introduced in the 1997 game Abe's Oddysee
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is a multi-award–winning platform video game developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and published by GT Interactive. It was released in 1997 for the PlayStation video game console, DOS and Microsoft Windows in North America, Australia and Europe...
and his character has changed and developed throughout the subsequent games, Abe's Exoddus
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus is a multi-award–winning platform video game developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and published by GT Interactive. It is a sequel to the video game Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. It is considered a bonus title in the Oddworld series, and not part of the main Oddworld Quintology...
and Munch's Oddysee
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee is the third game made by Oddworld Inhabitants. Originally announced as a title in development for PlayStation 2, it was instead released exclusively as one of the launch titles for Microsoft Xbox. It is the second chapter of the Oddworld pentalogy, following Abe's Oddysee...
.
Abe, a creature known as a Mudokon, works as a slave for the meat-processing plant RuptureFarms until his eventual escape. An atypical video game character, he does not fight or use any weapons, instead employing stealth and a unique ability to control his enemies' minds. Along with Spyro the Dragon, Abe was one of the unofficial mascots of the PlayStation One and was an example of the PlayStation's more mature style of platforming game.
Character conception and development
Abe is the strongly developed central character of the OddworldOddworld
Oddworld is a comprehensive fictional universe presented in video game form, created by game developers Oddworld Inhabitants under the direction of Lorne Lanning. Throughout games set in the Oddworld universe, Oddworld's peaceful nature is in danger of being consumed by the industrial ambition of...
series. He evolves and develops throughout the first game, Abe's Oddysee. He is initially a slave along with his fellow Mudokons, but escapes. The game's narrative and its main character deal with ethical and moral
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
issues. Lorne Lanning
Lorne Lanning
Lorne Lanning is an American game designer, writer and voice actor. He is also co-founder and president of the video game developer, Oddworld Inhabitants...
, Oddworld's creator, has stated that its "characters are driven in a way that is fired by larger issues." Abe was the first protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
that Oddworld Inhabitants developed. Originally, the game's developers envisioned Abe and a mule-like creature called "Elum" beginning the game together, living off the land and being thrust into an industrialized factory slave environment. The developers came to the conclusion that the story was stronger should Abe come from a factory existence and later reveal one of self-sustenance, and as such the concept was eventually changed. In this game, Abe tells his story in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
, which helps the player identify with him as the protagonist. Abe's abilities include the ability to chant (his mantra is implied to be "I'm guilty"), which permits him to take over the mind of some of his enemies. He can also jump, climb, run, and sneak in shadows.
Abe's appearance, resembling that of a Grey alien, includes large bulbous eyes, large forehead, a skinny frame, and a bald head with a tuft of hair. His depiction is humorous, with the ability to fart. Despite his unusual appearance, which is unlike the "typically cute" platform characters, Abe appeals to a wide range of video game players.
Unlike other Mudokons, Abe has blue or purplish-green skin, his eyes are bloodshot and he has a high ponytail. He retains his lip stitches as a reminder of his past, motivation for the present, and a kind of medal of honor despite the demeaning nickname of "Stitch Lips" he endures. His skin has three mystical tattoos that grow over his body gradually: one on the back of each hand and one on his chest. Grateful Mudokon spirits have gifted him with invisibility for short periods, transformation into the Mudokon god Shrykull comes from the occasional special bird portal, and helper Mudokons do grant Abe with spirit rings and healing power should he need them.
Abe has the usual mental capacity of a Mudokon: slow-witted, lazy, and optimistic. He also lacks imagination, logic, intelligence, and confidence. He has a powerful sense of morality, and he becomes more motivated and dedicated to free the Mudokons as he experiences more of the injustices performed both against and by his people. While deeply saddened by his plight, he remains hopeful and optimistic. He is a pacifist, strongly opposed to any kind of violence, and strives to avoid confrontations and apply more stealthy tactics. He can become resourceful and cunning when faced with a challenge. Usually he infiltrates a Glukkon factory or other facility and sabotages it from the inside with the assistance of Mudokon slaves working there. He makes sure to free the facilities' slaves. Abe becomes the leader of the "Free Mudokon Party" (also known as "The Marching Mudokons"), the Mudokons’ uprising against their captors, the Magog Cartel. Usually he follows the suggestions and instruction of religious and spiritual figures like the Almighty Raisin. He generally operates alone but is occasionally aided by friends.
In video games
At the beginning of Abe's Oddysee, Abe is a happy, ignorant worker at RuptureFarms, a meat-packing plant. Working late at RuptureFarms, Abe passes an advertisement billboard for the upcoming latest product in the Tasty Treats line of snacks, and eavesdrops the factory’s annual board meeting. Since wildlife resources have become depleted, Abe's boss Molluck the Glukkon has decided to use the factory's Mudokon slaves as a ready source of saleable meat: "Mudokon Pops!". After this epiphany (reminiscent of the end of the film Soylent GreenSoylent Green
Soylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution,...
), Abe panics and escapes from his workplace. At the end of the game's introductory sequence- which is a retrospective voice-overed by Abe- Abe runs for his life. The Mudokons’ spiritual leader, the BigFace, appears to the unconscious Abe in a vision. BigFace tells him how the Mudokon race once lived freely with nature before they were enslaved by the Glukkons, and how their sacred animals were the very same ones being slaughtered and processed to manufacture 'Tasty Treats'. Prophecies have foretold of a Mudokon saviour whose worth would be tested by a journey to relight holy flames that were extinguished by the Glukkons. Abe does this with the aid of his pet Elum and then receives mystic tattoos. Abe infiltrates RuptureFarms, killing its entire board of executives before being captured and taken to a holding cell, where he has enough time to pore over the last day before facing execution. However, Abe's actions have impressed the holy Mudokons, and they rescue Abe and transport him to safety, where he received a hero’s welcome from the Mudokons he rescued.
Abe's Oddysee was very popular, and the bonus game Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus was released the following year. Abe's Exoddus begins where Abe's Oddysee ends. Abe's abilities in this game were similar to his abilities in the first game, with an expanded ability to communicate with other characters in the world using GameSpeak. As he was celebrating his new celebrity, ghosts of old Mudokons appeared before him and told him that Necrum, a once sacred Mudokon burial ground, was being excavated by Glukkons, using blind Mudokons as slaves. Abe again journeys to the Scrab and Paramite lands to find a cure to the sickness the SoulStorm brew created from the excavated bones and then journeys to SoulStorm Brewery, which he destroys. He is named a wanted terrorist by the Glukkons, but is revered as a great hero among his people.
Both Abe and a new character named Munch are playable in Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. Not long after the events of Abe's Exoddus
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus is a multi-award–winning platform video game developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and published by GT Interactive. It is a sequel to the video game Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. It is considered a bonus title in the Oddworld series, and not part of the main Oddworld Quintology...
, Abe helps Munch (the last living remnant of an amphibious race called the Gabbits) to destroy Vykerrs labs and save the last gabbit eggs from being eaten. They prevent the Gabbits from dying out completely. This increases status as a hero and also makes him even more unpopular with the Glukkon queen, Lady Margaret.
In other media
Abe featured in a music video for "Get Freaky", a song by German dance band Music InstructorMusic Instructor
Music Instructor is a German electro-dance music project. The producers and songwriters of Music Instructor are Mike Michaels, Mark "MM" Dollar, and Mark Tabak, also known as Triple-M Crew. Triple-M has also produced other artists and bands such as Highland, The Boyz, Overground, Before Four, US5...
, and in a music video for the song "Use Your Imagination" in 2002.
Reception
In 1998, he was voted at GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
as the 10th best video game hero, with a comment: "With his klutzy, benign charm and his innovative and surprisingly sophisticated means of interacting with his environment and other characters, Abe sets himself apart as one of the best and most memorable game heroes out there." In 2008, he ranked fourth on GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
's list of top 10 ugliest game characters for his "freaky hairstyle, bug-eyed expression and weird nose piercing". In 2009, Abe (described as "a resilient hero with a lot of heart") qualified as one of 64 contestants for the GameSpot's poll for the title of All Time Greatest Video Game Hero, but lost in the first round of eliminations against Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
of Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
.