Originally just intended as a "bonus game" within the Quintology, Abe's Exoddus could, personally, be called a "direct sequel". Using the same engine and tricks from the previous installment (Oddysee), Abe now has a much bigger task in hands. This means "bigger game! Yay!". Although I played Exoddus on PC, I believe the PS1 version is pretty much the same thing so I think this isn't a problem at all (maybe).
[GRAPHICS] - 10/10
Exoddus, as well as Oddysee, have stunning graphics to its epoch. The overall look of the game is dark and gritty, thanks to a technique already used in Oddysee and re-used here thanks to both games having the same engine (called A.L.I.V.E. in case you're a curious guy or gal), that is called "pre rendered bitmaps". In short, all of the game's scenes were perfectly done and rendered before being included in the game, which gave both games their unique feel. Some places may feel darker or brighter compared to the predecessor, but the overall experience of the game stays the same.
[SOUND] - 10/10
Darkness. Minimalism. Ambiental. The clash between tribal and industrial, both equally dosed. That's how I can describe Exoddus' soundtrack. It fits really well within the atmosphere of the game. The melodies, whilist simple and only performed by a heavy-yet-clean bass, manage to fill in what would otherwise be an "empty scenario". Personally, I like Exoddus' songs more than Oddysee (personal favorites? Bonewerkz and Soulstorm Brewery). I believe Exoddus has a darker tone than Oddysee, partly thanks to this and partly thanks to the story.
[ADDICTIVENESS] - 9/10
This is where the game shines the most in my opinion: it has more diversity than its predecessor, not only in level quantity but also in gameplay changes. Whereas in Oddysee you could only possess Sligs, here you have a whole plethora of other creatures such as Scrabs and Paramites (which weren't possible on Oddysee), as well as Flying Sligs, Glukkons, Fleeches (little worm-like creatures which can devour anything, even a Scrab) and even your own farts in later levels! How awesome is that? Each one of those (save for the farts, obviously) have their own Gamespeak, which makes the game more enjoyable. Aside from that, Abe also has temporary invisibility powers when he breaks one of the various Spirit Locks he finds throughout the game, which makes for a perfect stealth experience. The only reason I don't give this a 10 is because I've played it SO much that I just got tired of it for a while. Yeah, it's that addictive.
[STORY] - 10/10
From saving his own meat, to saving his buddies' meat, Abe now has to save his buddies' bones, which are being used as an ingredient in a mysterious drink called Soulstorm Brew. As Abe is the only one who understand the gravity of the situation (after all, Mudokons are dumb as a schmuck), it all gets much darker than we thought. Just thinking about how Mudokons are being slowly "brain-washed" without knowing they're essentially drinking their own body parts and fluids makes me shiver. This is all well and beautifully crafted in the game.
[DEPTH] - 10/10
Once I said Oddysee was a tad short in duration. For me, Exoddus is just perfectly right in every way when it comes to depth. Something I forgot to say up there is that Mudokons now have emotions. You can slap a Mudokon and he will get angry at you, then you can apologize and it will be all right. Or, a fellow Mudokon can get killed in front of another, thus making him depressed, where one slap can lead him to suicide. There are also blind Mudokons, in which you have to tell them to "Wait" or they'll end up walking to a meat grinder or falling down a cliff (as shown in one of the early game cut scenes, also with a nice dose of breaking the fourth wall). This, along with the various other enemies and a tad more of levels (and more puzzles), makes Exoddus the perfect game to dedicate yourself to finish it. You will feel fulfilled in every way once you reach the end.
[DIFFICULTY] - 9/10
Sometimes, more mechanics = more difficulty. That's "kind of" the case in Exoddus, Overall I find it somewhat harder than Oddysee (even though you have QuickSave, something that didn't exist in Oddysee), especially talking about the "puzzle" subject due to reasons mentioned above. While I could finish Oddysee in around 2-3 days depending on my mood, Exoddus tricks me into finishing it in at least 5 days, if not a week, as it has a lot more of secret places and Mudokons to rescue. I'll tell you, I play this since I was a kid and there are some special secrets I never knew about until a couple years ago! Seriously, this is what makes a great game a sort of atemporal experience, you grow up and still find out things you never found in the past. This is downright priceless and wonderful.
Being one of the first games I ever played (among all game systems), Exoddus remains strong in my personal hall of fame as THE game. Nothing could ever change that, I think (except for the possible remakes, Oddysee has New 'N' Tasty which is a wonderful remake, and Exoddus will have Soulstorm in 2017, so let's hope it is as great as the original). For now, let's face it, I just can't resist not giving a 10 out of 10 to this, so I'll do it right away.
[OVERALL] - 10/10
Originally just intended as a "bonus game" within the Quintology, Abe's Exoddus could, personally, be called a "direct sequel". Using the same engine and tricks from the previous installment (Oddysee), Abe now has a much bigger task in hands. This means "bigger game! Yay!". Although I played Exoddus on PC, I believe the PS1 version is pretty much the same thing so I think this isn't a problem at all (maybe).
[GRAPHICS] - 10/10
Exoddus, as well as Oddysee, have stunning graphics to its epoch. The overall look of the game is dark and gritty, thanks to a technique already used in Oddysee and re-used here thanks to both games having the same engine (called A.L.I.V.E. in case you're a curious guy or gal), that is called "pre rendered bitmaps". In short, all of the game's scenes were perfectly done and rendered before being included in the game, which gave both games their unique feel. Some places may feel darker or brighter compared to the predecessor, but the overall experience of the game stays the same.
[SOUND] - 10/10
Darkness. Minimalism. Ambiental. The clash between tribal and industrial, both equally dosed. That's how I can describe Exoddus' soundtrack. It fits really well within the atmosphere of the game. The melodies, whilist simple and only performed by a heavy-yet-clean bass, manage to fill in what would otherwise be an "empty scenario". Personally, I like Exoddus' songs more than Oddysee (personal favorites? Bonewerkz and Soulstorm Brewery). I believe Exoddus has a darker tone than Oddysee, partly thanks to this and partly thanks to the story.
[ADDICTIVENESS] - 9/10
This is where the game shines the most in my opinion: it has more diversity than its predecessor, not only in level quantity but also in gameplay changes. Whereas in Oddysee you could only possess Sligs, here you have a whole plethora of other creatures such as Scrabs and Paramites (which weren't possible on Oddysee), as well as Flying Sligs, Glukkons, Fleeches (little worm-like creatures which can devour anything, even a Scrab) and even your own farts in later levels! How awesome is that? Each one of those (save for the farts, obviously) have their own Gamespeak, which makes the game more enjoyable. Aside from that, Abe also has temporary invisibility powers when he breaks one of the various Spirit Locks he finds throughout the game, which makes for a perfect stealth experience. The only reason I don't give this a 10 is because I've played it SO much that I just got tired of it for a while. Yeah, it's that addictive.
[STORY] - 10/10
From saving his own meat, to saving his buddies' meat, Abe now has to save his buddies' bones, which are being used as an ingredient in a mysterious drink called Soulstorm Brew. As Abe is the only one who understand the gravity of the situation (after all, Mudokons are dumb as a schmuck), it all gets much darker than we thought. Just thinking about how Mudokons are being slowly "brain-washed" without knowing they're essentially drinking their own body parts and fluids makes me shiver. This is all well and beautifully crafted in the game.
[DEPTH] - 10/10
Once I said Oddysee was a tad short in duration. For me, Exoddus is just perfectly right in every way when it comes to depth. Something I forgot to say up there is that Mudokons now have emotions. You can slap a Mudokon and he will get angry at you, then you can apologize and it will be all right. Or, a fellow Mudokon can get killed in front of another, thus making him depressed, where one slap can lead him to suicide. There are also blind Mudokons, in which you have to tell them to "Wait" or they'll end up walking to a meat grinder or falling down a cliff (as shown in one of the early game cut scenes, also with a nice dose of breaking the fourth wall). This, along with the various other enemies and a tad more of levels (and more puzzles), makes Exoddus the perfect game to dedicate yourself to finish it. You will feel fulfilled in every way once you reach the end.
[DIFFICULTY] - 9/10
Sometimes, more mechanics = more difficulty. That's "kind of" the case in Exoddus, Overall I find it somewhat harder than Oddysee (even though you have QuickSave, something that didn't exist in Oddysee), especially talking about the "puzzle" subject due to reasons mentioned above. While I could finish Oddysee in around 2-3 days depending on my mood, Exoddus tricks me into finishing it in at least 5 days, if not a week, as it has a lot more of secret places and Mudokons to rescue. I'll tell you, I play this since I was a kid and there are some special secrets I never knew about until a couple years ago! Seriously, this is what makes a great game a sort of atemporal experience, you grow up and still find out things you never found in the past. This is downright priceless and wonderful.
Being one of the first games I ever played (among all game systems), Exoddus remains strong in my personal hall of fame as THE game. Nothing could ever change that, I think (except for the possible remakes, Oddysee has New 'N' Tasty which is a wonderful remake, and Exoddus will have Soulstorm in 2017, so let's hope it is as great as the original). For now, let's face it, I just can't resist not giving a 10 out of 10 to this, so I'll do it right away.
[OVERALL] - 10/10
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