Oddworld
Encyclopedia
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 sadistic corporations. Oddworld, as a planet, is measured as seven times the size of Earth
, a fraction of which has been featured in the games. The main continent is Mudos. The series has been released on various platforms like Playstation, Xbox
, Playstation 3
, and PC.
called the Oddworld Quintology, and that Abe's Exoddus
and Stranger's Wrath
games were bonus titles not counting toward the total of five. The Oddworld Adventures Games are handheld versions of Abe's Oddysee and Exoddus. The Quintology was halted after the first two games, when the company decided to redirect its efforts toward film production. There were also a few titles that were hinted at in interviews and press releases, but they were never developed.
, Abe helps Munch (the last living remnant of an amphibious race called the Gabbits) to destroy Vykkers labs and save Gabbit eggs from destruction. They prevent the Gabbits from dying out completely. This increases his status as a hero and also makes him very unpopular with the Glukkon queen, Lady Margaret.
co-founder Jeff Braun. Speaking at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada in 2008, Braun said of the team, "They're such a talented group of people and I really trust their ability to create compelling content." He went on to say that the upcoming game will have a cinematic quality on a one-to-one scale with CGI-based films. He also noted, however, that a slow production schedule could make it years before the game is released.
More recently (16 July 2010) Just Add Water announced that it is working on a new Oddworld title by releasing the following statement "While we cannot go into specifics right now, we can tell you that over the coming weeks and months we will be announcing these exciting projects starring all of your favorite Oddworld characters." Then, the team went on to say, "It’s almost symbiotic in that when something moves forward on any of the projects we just start chatting about new items, or what if we do this. We’re all extremely excited to breathe life into the Oddworld universe and indeed to let it breathe life into us."
It has since been announced that HD remakes of "Abe's Oddysee"(as well as possibly "Exoddus"), "Munch's Oddysee" and "Stranger's Wrath" have been planned for Playstation 3
and PC release. Also, the next game in the series will be the completed "Oddworld: The Hand of Odd" real-time strategy game.
Oddworld Inhabitants finally re-designed its website and on November 4th 2010, announced that the Oddboxx is still in development.
On 6th December 2010, Oddworld Inhabitants announced that the Oddboxx will be released on the 2010 holiday season.
On December 14th 2010, they announced the European and USA prices and other online retail partners.
On December 17th, they finally announced the release date for the Oddboxx, December 20th 2010. Also, there will be a 25% discount which will run until December 21st 9AM PST.
On December 20th, Oddboxx was released on Steam. Munch's Oddysee has 30 achievements and Stranger's Wrath has 20 achievements.
On April 29th, JAW announced at GameCity Nights that the OddBoxx will be coming to the PSN and other consoles that are soon to be announced. When Stranger's Wrath HD and Munch's Oddysee HD become available on PSN, it will be the first time the Oddworld catalog will playable on the same platform besides pc.
described Abe as "a new platform hero" and a "brilliant character." Lanning, Oddworld's creator, has stated that its "characters are driven in a way that is fired by larger [moral] issues."
can also use GameSpeak, and one can use Glukkons to order subservient Sligs around, or use Sligs to call their Slog pets to heel. GameSpeak also included less essential actions such as burps and farts, which were added with intent of a comical effect.
The GameSpeak feature was modified in Stranger's Wrath, with a single talk button that caused the Stranger to say something appropriate to the situation. For example, when the Stranger needed to cash in a bounty on an Outlaw, pressing the talk button would cause him to say, "Best be gettin' to the bounty store." This context-sensitive GameSpeak also worked for questioning the Clakker and Grubb townsfolk. This change made the talk button more comparable to a universal-action button in Stranger's Wrath.
over 1997 and 1998. Oddworld also was nominated for a Grammy with the release of Abe's Exoddus: the Movie (a short film combined with cutscenes from Exoddus).
In November 2011 before the release of Stranger's Wrath HD and Munch's Oddysee HD on the PSN, LittleBigPlanet 2 costumes of Stranger and Munch were released for purchase. A XMB Dynamic Theme of Stranger's Wrath was also released.
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
presented in video game form, created by game developers 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...
under the direction of 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...
. Throughout games set in the Oddworld universe, Oddworld's peaceful nature is in danger of being consumed by the industrial ambition of sadistic corporations. Oddworld, as a planet, is measured as seven times the size of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, a fraction of which has been featured in the games. The main continent is Mudos. The series has been released on various platforms like Playstation, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and PC.
Games in the series
The developers originally stated that the Oddworld series would be a pentalogyPentalogy
A pentalogy is a compound literary or narrative work that is made up of five distinct works, just as a trilogy is made up of three works, and a tetralogy of four...
called the Oddworld Quintology, and that 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 Stranger's Wrath
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is an action-adventure game developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and published by Electronic Arts for the Microsoft Xbox. Music for the game was written by composer Michael Bross. It was released on January 25, 2005. A version for the PlayStation 2 was planned, but...
games were bonus titles not counting toward the total of five. The Oddworld Adventures Games are handheld versions of Abe's Oddysee and Exoddus. The Quintology was halted after the first two games, when the company decided to redirect its efforts toward film production. There were also a few titles that were hinted at in interviews and press releases, but they were never developed.
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
At the beginning of this game, 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. Here, he learns that wildlife resources have become depleted, for which reason Abe's boss Molluck the Glukkon has decided to use the factory's Mudokon slaves as a ready source of meat. After this epiphany, Abe panics and escapes from his workplace. At the end of the game's introductory sequence which is a retrospective voiced-over by Abe Abe runs for his life. The Mudokons’ spiritual leader, the BigFace, appears to the unconscious Abe in a vision, revealing that the Mudokon race once lived freely with nature before they were enslaved by the Glukkons, and that 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. Should the player save over a certain number of Mudokons, Abe's actions will have impressed the holy Mudokons, who rescue Abe and transport him to safety, where he receives a hero’s welcome from the Mudokons he rescued. Should the player not save a sufficient number, Abe will not be rescued and is executed by Molluck.Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
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 status, 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, along with Alf, Ben, Phos, Han, and Luke to find a cure to the sickness the SoulStorm brew created from the excavated bones. Curing his friends, he then travels to FeeCo Depot, the main hub for many productions. He travels to Bonewerkz and the Slig Barracks to board the train to the Soulstorm Brewery - and eventually blows it up. If Abe actually tampers with the main boiler, Abe teleports from the explosion just in time and is greeted by all his saved Mudokon friends, one of which is Alf. If not, he is electrocuted by The Brewmaster.Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
A new character called Munch was added to this game. Not long after the events of Abe's ExoddusOddworld: 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 Vykkers labs and save Gabbit eggs from destruction. They prevent the Gabbits from dying out completely. This increases his status as a hero and also makes him very unpopular with the Glukkon queen, Lady Margaret.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is an action-adventure game published for the Microsoft Xbox in 2005. The game's main character is a bounty hunter called Stranger. The game utilizes both third and first-person perspectives and is less puzzle oriented than the previous three Oddworld games. The game has a Wild West setting.Released titles
| Title | Year | Platforms | Developer | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oddworld: 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... |
1997 1997 in video gaming -Events:*October 4 — Gunpei Yokoi dies after a double car accident.*November – Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association launched.*3rd annual E3... |
PlayStation PlayStation The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000... , Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... |
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... |
GT Interactive | First pentalogy game. |
| Oddworld: 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... |
1998 1998 in video gaming -Events:*Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to the AIAS Hall of Fame*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 1st annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards... |
PlayStation, Windows | Oddworld Inhabitants | GT Interactive | Bonus pentalogy game and a sequel to Abe's Oddysee. |
| Oddworld: Adventures | 1998 | Game Boy Game Boy The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on... |
Saffire Saffire (video game developer) Saffire was a contract video game developer located in American Fork, Utah. It is noted both for porting games and making some original titles. It was founded by Sculptured Software co-founder, Hal Rushton. They released their last title, Thunderbirds, in 2004 and went out of business sometime... |
GT Interactive Software Corp. | Handheld version of Abe's Oddysee. |
| Oddworld: Adventures 2 | 2000 2000 in video gaming -Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association... |
Game Boy Color Game Boy Color The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than... |
Saffire | GT Interactive Software Corp. | Handheld version of Abe's Exoddus. |
| Oddworld: 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... |
2001 2001 in video gaming -Events:* Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts John Carmack of id Software to the AIAS Hall of Fame... |
PlayStation 2 (cancelled), Xbox Xbox The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console... , Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... (2010), PS3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... (2012) |
Oddworld Inhabitants, Just Add Water Ltd.(port) | Microsoft Game Studios Microsoft Game Studios Microsoft Studios is the video game production wing for Microsoft, responsible for the development and publishing of games for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and Windows Phone platforms. They were established in 2002 as Microsoft Game Studios to coincide with the release of the Xbox, before... |
Second pentalogy game. |
| Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee | 2003 2003 in video gaming -Events:*February 27 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Yu Suzuki of Sega to the AIAS Hall of Fame.... |
Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China... |
Art Co. | THQ Inc. | Handheld version of Xbox game. |
| Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is an action-adventure game developed by Oddworld Inhabitants and published by Electronic Arts for the Microsoft Xbox. Music for the game was written by composer Michael Bross. It was released on January 25, 2005. A version for the PlayStation 2 was planned, but... |
2005 2005 in video gaming -Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship.... |
Xbox Xbox The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console... , Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... (2010), PS3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... (2011) |
Oddworld Inhabitants, Just Add Water Ltd.(port) | Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers... |
First-person shooter/Third-person platformer |
Unreleased/Cancelled titles
- "SligStorm". It would have followed the story of an albino Slig who was born in a complex it must escape to avoid infanticide, and would have been included with Abe's Oddysee and Exoddus in a combined package.
- "Oddworld": "Munch's Exoddus". Expected to be a bonus game based on Munch's Oddysee. It would have featured Munch travelling to a land named "Ma'Spa" to hatch the Gabbit eggs acquired from the original game. It is unknown whether or not the game was cancelled or halted.
- "Oddworld": "Squeek's Oddysee". Expected third game in the quintology.
- "Oddworld": "The Hand of Odd". A real-time strategyReal-time strategyReal-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game planned to be online. Although being halted when Citizen Siege was planned, it has since been revived as plans for its development have been announced. - "The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot". A mature rated game focusing on the life of a sheepherder.
Future game
A future game was confirmed by MaxisMaxis
Maxis is an American company founded as an independent video game developer in 1987. It is currently a subsidiary of Electronic Arts . Maxis is the creator of one of the best-selling computer games of all time, The Sims and its first sequel, The Sims 2...
co-founder Jeff Braun. Speaking at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada in 2008, Braun said of the team, "They're such a talented group of people and I really trust their ability to create compelling content." He went on to say that the upcoming game will have a cinematic quality on a one-to-one scale with CGI-based films. He also noted, however, that a slow production schedule could make it years before the game is released.
More recently (16 July 2010) Just Add Water announced that it is working on a new Oddworld title by releasing the following statement "While we cannot go into specifics right now, we can tell you that over the coming weeks and months we will be announcing these exciting projects starring all of your favorite Oddworld characters." Then, the team went on to say, "It’s almost symbiotic in that when something moves forward on any of the projects we just start chatting about new items, or what if we do this. We’re all extremely excited to breathe life into the Oddworld universe and indeed to let it breathe life into us."
It has since been announced that HD remakes of "Abe's Oddysee"(as well as possibly "Exoddus"), "Munch's Oddysee" and "Stranger's Wrath" have been planned for Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PC release. Also, the next game in the series will be the completed "Oddworld: The Hand of Odd" real-time strategy game.
OddBoxx
In 2009, the director of Oddworld Lorne Lanning announced that they planned to make an oddworld package for digital download sites. This package contains Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath for PC.Oddworld Inhabitants finally re-designed its website and on November 4th 2010, announced that the Oddboxx is still in development.
On 6th December 2010, Oddworld Inhabitants announced that the Oddboxx will be released on the 2010 holiday season.
On December 14th 2010, they announced the European and USA prices and other online retail partners.
On December 17th, they finally announced the release date for the Oddboxx, December 20th 2010. Also, there will be a 25% discount which will run until December 21st 9AM PST.
On December 20th, Oddboxx was released on Steam. Munch's Oddysee has 30 achievements and Stranger's Wrath has 20 achievements.
On April 29th, JAW announced at GameCity Nights that the OddBoxx will be coming to the PSN and other consoles that are soon to be announced. When Stranger's Wrath HD and Munch's Oddysee HD become available on PSN, it will be the first time the Oddworld catalog will playable on the same platform besides pc.
Characters
Abe is the strongly developed central character of the Oddworld series. He can also use GameSpeak, a way of communicating with other characters in the game. Along with Spyro the Dragon, Abe was one of the unofficial mascots of the PlayStation One. Computer and Video GamesComputer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
described Abe as "a new platform hero" and a "brilliant character." Lanning, Oddworld's creator, has stated that its "characters are driven in a way that is fired by larger [moral] issues."
GameSpeak
In the Oddworld games, the GameSpeak feature allows the player to interact with the non-playable characters (NPCs). Examples of GameSpeak commands in the original game, Abe's Oddysee, are "Hello," "Follow me," and "Wait." Rescuing Mudokons and opening certain doors are all achieved through Gamespeak. Enemies possessed by AbeAbe (Oddworld)
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...
can also use GameSpeak, and one can use Glukkons to order subservient Sligs around, or use Sligs to call their Slog pets to heel. GameSpeak also included less essential actions such as burps and farts, which were added with intent of a comical effect.
The GameSpeak feature was modified in Stranger's Wrath, with a single talk button that caused the Stranger to say something appropriate to the situation. For example, when the Stranger needed to cash in a bounty on an Outlaw, pressing the talk button would cause him to say, "Best be gettin' to the bounty store." This context-sensitive GameSpeak also worked for questioning the Clakker and Grubb townsfolk. This change made the talk button more comparable to a universal-action button in Stranger's Wrath.
Awards
The Oddworld games have received more than 100 industry awards. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee received more than 24 awards and three nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts & SciencesAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
over 1997 and 1998. Oddworld also was nominated for a Grammy with the release of Abe's Exoddus: the Movie (a short film combined with cutscenes from Exoddus).
Merchandise and promotion
When Abe's Exoddus was release, the company had many types of merchandise which is no longer available anymore.In November 2011 before the release of Stranger's Wrath HD and Munch's Oddysee HD on the PSN, LittleBigPlanet 2 costumes of Stranger and Munch were released for purchase. A XMB Dynamic Theme of Stranger's Wrath was also released.