Last months's release of the classic PS1 title remake has received resounding praise from nostalgic critics, with the Metro naming it one of the "best remakes of all time." A game that captured the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere, shattering all age and gender markets with great aplomb. It has since became an icon of the 5th Generation, rivalling equally iconic games from long-established franchises like the mighty Final Fantasy VII, challenging convention in what was a paradigm-shifting year one could say for gaming, bringing us GTA, Gran Turismo, Riven, Fallout and Mario Kart 64. The nostalgic seem to love its redefinition and similarity to the old, but what about this nostalgia-seeker?
I downloaded my copy of Abe on day release as soon as I could and -initiating the PS4 dashboard- leapt into the opening cutscene immediately with silent anticipation. When I was greeted by Abe's "smiling mug" -as the original manual referred to him on first sight- I was immediately transported back into 1999 when I first played the game. The 1997 title remains one of my favourite all-time games, a game that -for me- is not only on my top 10 game list, but also on my list of favoured general media products, including books, films, music, pretty much anything. What we're talking about here is either the revisitation, or annihilation, of my childhood. So let's hope Oddworld Inhabitants and Just Add Water have got it right!
The first thing you'll notice is that the difficulty has been changed. Years ago through the mists of time, you'd scramble around Rupture Farms with only one difficulty: You get shot, you die. Now there's three difficulties, Easy, Medium and Hard. The former gives you "high health" whereas the latter gives you the old get-hit-get-killed style of play, for those who've "completed the tale before." Now I'm going to be honest with you, I'm not a massive "hardcore" gamer by any imaginative stretch. Fair enough, when given a difficulty setting I won't go too easy (like when you play TES/Fallout on the bottom slider and every hostile NPC you cross feels like a level 1 no matter what level you are,) but at the same time I don't go overboard and try a game for the first time on a boldly-named "Nightmare" difficulty. But Abe? Nah, he's different, I thought. This is me bossing an old-school title I used to whip and get whipped by in equal measure hour-after-hour. Someone who, fair enough, didn't rescue every Mudokon but knew how to beat the game with a good ending. So long story short I hit the "Hard" selection and started to play but realised soon after that the good people at Oddworld Inhabitants put me, an Abe Veteran, to shame.
So what's changed? Well, aside from the truly beautiful graphics and a far more dynamic 2D environment, other things have become more fluent. This unfortunately includes enemy reaction times. Years ago, you''d stand in front of a Slig, he'd shout "freeze" (always the same phrase, for they weren't very imaginative back in the '90s) and then you'd have approximately 2-3 seconds to turn your ass 'round and run. Now, aside from having a greater choice of dialogue that's a little more realistic, they also react after no more than what seems like a second. And if you think that you've escaped the screen you're on, along with certain death, think again, because unlike the old version, the black transitions between screens have been done away with, so the border between two screens is infinitely more arbitrary and proportionally more annoying with every bullet that finds its skinny blue target.
A Blast from the Past: Abe for the 21st Century
Old School Abe: A Generation Defined
But for those of you wondering if anything has actually changed in the game itself, you won't be disappointed to hear that there have been new cutscenes added, as well as more Mudokons. From the original 99 we now have 300 to rescue, just like in Abe's Exoddus. And OI haven't been cruel too us either, because they've brought some other cool things over as well, including what appears to be less deadly drops from great heights, a quick save option and more Gamespeak options like the "All o' Ya!" exclamation to garner the attention of multiple Mudokons at any one time. But with all these additions I will warn you of one thing; those new Mudokons, they aren't all in the same places that you might think they're in if you've played this game before. Do you remember the first level? You tried going into the Zulag 2 door didn't you, realised it was locked and inaccessible until near the end of the game? Well I've got one little secret to share with you, so SPOILER ALERT: There's a new Mudokon hiding there, so don't leave the first level without him or "all workers on this shift will die!" To quote the rewritten iconic advertisement towards the end of level 1.
Sensitive controls, along with easier death. More Mudokons to rescue, with more obstacles to avoid. More cutscenes but the same old characters: It's certainly Abe alright; redefined, matured for the original audience and wrapped up perfectly in a digitised bow, caked in the blood that oozes from extinct animals on the slaughter floors of the most dangerous meat-packing plant on Oddworld. If childhood games made a town, I can say I've revisited my home in all its glory, improved with age but the same house nonetheless. Go on, whether new or old, veteran player or still using your stabilisers, take a bite out of New 'n' Tasty, and savour it, you won't be disappointed!
Now for some comic relief!
Funny Deaths: The Original Game!
