11:03 To be honest, it's easy to take Exoddus's story for granted because it retreads so many familiar story beats from Abe's Oddysee, but the game truly did the heavy lifting for Oddworld's worldbuilding. While Oddysee masterfully introduced RuptureFarms' horrors, Exoddus scales it up exponentially by conveying the imperial scale of the Magog Cartel, and it brings a greater depth to the long-standing and widespread Mudokon oppression in a way the first game simply couldn't achieve on its own. Jumping straight from rescuing 99 Mudokons at RuptureFarms to immediately showing us Queens Margaret and Sam, the rise of Mudokon civilisation, and the Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex would have felt far too rushed. We needed Exoddus to grasp the full weight of the impossible journey Abe had ahead of him.
back after watching the whole video (it was great) but that bit during the conclusion about the oddworld series in general really resonated with me. It feels like the series was never really allowed to fully spread its wings thanks to the gaming industry being so cutthroat, its pretty depressing honestly. You have to wonder what lorne lanning himself really thinks about the series at this point. I'd definitely have very mixed emotions
I really appreciate all the thought and dedication that's gone into this, there's a lot of observations I didn't remember but totally agree with, and a lot I'm surprised I hadn't noticed before. All of this reminds me why I'm an Oddworld fan and why Oddysee and Exoddus will always be my favorite games and up there with my favorite media in general
I thought I was the only one who was this familiar with these games. I play them every year. It's been a tradition since 1999. Gotta point out something, that giant face in the bonewerkz seems to be the bottom of a pipe. At 3:21:01 you can see it in working order on the left of the screen.
Oh my goodness thank you! Added to my favourites. This game is my favourite of the Oddworld series and was so important in my childhood. I really appreciate the care and effort you put into these reviews. Your channel is an absolute gem.
I am glad that there are other people out there who are just as enamoured with the Oddworld series, its world, and the hope to see Lorne Lanning finishes his vision at least once. These two videos have been a real treat to watch as I am currently stuck in a hospital, so cheers mate. Also, I avoided Stranger's Wrath for so long, but after beating it finally, I am happy that it exists. Such a cool game.
Very weird coincidence, just finished replaying Abe's Odyssey and Exodus and just like a couple of the other commenters, I also just rewatched your Odyssey vid. What are the Odds indeed, very much looking forward to watching this.
I haven’t ever played Oddworld but I do enjoy the music. I love the main title music of Exodus and the Feeco Depot theme. And what are all the albums at 36:00
Alf's escape is soooo good! Its my favourite part of nnt. I wish JAW made some custom levels for their Strangers Wrath remaster too... The mechanics in that game are SO tight, but noone will notice it unless they play with severe limitwtions like no shop
Fajita's are super easy and you can make your own spice mix to tailor to your personal preferences. Fantastic video, been waiting for this since i first watched your Oddysee in depth look.
Many kind words were written in this comment section, rightfully so, but I want to mention your choice of music. Excellent tracks. I hear spyro, I frolic. I wonder what your next project will be.
I find the Director Phleg part (with the slogs) a bit easier if you say "kill 'em'" at a steady rhythm rather than spam it but it has been a couple of years since I did it Finally got to the end of the video & I really liked it :) It's nice for relatively niche games to get coverage like this (especially ones I kind of grew up with lol)
Took a week to watch this, and enjoyed every minute of it! My first experience with this game was the demo, and that disk got worn out with the ammount of times I've played the first part of necrum mines. the laylout was a little different but allowed for a lot of content. I've had countless dreams of what the full game looked like, just dreaming of what the locations were like outside of the mines, the pre-rendered backgrounds and atmosphere are what captured my imagination when I was little. Over 15 years later when I finnaly got my hands on the full game I was not dissapointed. Thank you for reviewing this in such depth, your work I fully valued all your effort you've put into this!
This video format is perfect, gameplay run-through, focus on cutscenes and supplementary context of the development. Really comprehensive, it's amazing. Thank you so much! 🙏 I don't think we should necessarily feel "sorry" for Lanning, he seems to me like a Chris Roberts / George Miller kind of guy, a competent director with an overly ambitious imagination. And it seems he was given a fair chance at least 2 to 3 times now. If it didn't pan out, there might be a reason for it. He delivered 6 games and presumably is proud of how Soulstorm turned out? That oughta count for something. The first game has such a strong atmosphere, graphics/audio/cinematics synergy that I don't feel from any other game. It feels like the group of talented people (Lorne being one of them) that worked on the original were at the right place and time all contributing to "oddworld magic", and maybe never fully got together again for the right amount of time. So I feel more "shame the circumstances didn't pan out differently" from a consumer's perspective.
Errrr ya goin down! I just spent the whole week watching both videos and I adored them. Amazing work, the first two games deserve faithful movie adaptions. The locations, the characters the MERCHANDISING?! I’d totally buy a Feeco train toy. Thank you for the effort! Now it’s time for me to exit…. *Falls down trap door* HELLLLLPP……Hell……..hell……..splat.
Incredible video! Loved every moment of it. Might also be the longest RUclips video I've ever watched lol. Love the format. I was skeptical of the "include a commentated playthrough as part of the video" thing but honestly it's very comfy. Your editing is on point, cutting out any part that would be dull (grouping up mudokons for a bird portal for example). I think the main part is that it's not just a pure walkthrough, you also talk about trivia and your own opinions on each part of the game as you go. I think that's the key to keeping it interesting, explaining what you think about the gameplay that's currently happening onscreen stops it from being too dry, and I think this video does a great job of that. Personally, Oddysee will always be my favourite. I like the humour in Exoddus, but there's just something about Oddysee's bleaker tone and setting that resonates with me more. Also just prefer the visuals (especially the backgrounds) of Oddysee a lot, nothing in Exoddus is as beautiful as the Free Fire Zone IMO (love that area so much). Though Exoddus is still an incredible game and also a top 5 PS1 game for me. Also glad you liked Stranger's Wrath, it's super underrated and deserved so much better. I still haven't gotten around to playing Soulstorm though... Didn't mind being spoiled by this video because I have so little interest in playing it (which feels pretty sad to me TBH, I wish I was more excited about it). Maybe I should do the completionist thing and beat Soulstorm and Munch's Oddysee already...
Glad you liked it! I've become a bit attached to the format since I find it easiest to get everything I want to across. Though I had a couple of people on the Oddysee video tell me the playthrough portions got a bit dry at times. So this time around I made an effort to throw in some more anecdotes or jokes to break up the play-by-play nature of it. Playing Munch nowadays is a bit complicated since it isn't as accessible on modern platforms as even Stranger's Wrath. Outside of the Steam and PS3 versions, the Nintendo Switch release seems to be only available through the Unlikely Heroes Collection and can't be bought digitally.
I am -so- excited to delve into this. I have had Soulstorm wrapped in plastic since I bought it and may need to bust it out before I finish this. Like you, Exoddus is one of my favourite games ever. I think I first played it in 2000 or 1999. It was one of my first like, dozen games I played. I've grown to appreciate Oddysee and think it's a more interesting experience, but gameplay wise having the Quiksave is just a gamechanger.
WOW I AM THE HAPPIEST PERSON IN EXISTENCE!!! from the bottom of my heart, thank you I will thoroughly enjoy this. You got talent man, you really do Love your deep voice
Fantastic video! First things first, thanks so much for the shout out, I really aprpeciate it! I will have to give it a rewatch at some point, but you very skillfully expressed so many thoughts that I'm sure are shared by so much of the community, and your research really paid off. There were many behind-the-scenes things I wasn't aware of. Also, you're so right about the emerging humor style; I love these games as much as the next guy, but it's just so dumb... What they did at 2:37:27 with the "VP Aslik: Keeping the trains on time" sign (a reference to Benito Mussolini) is more fitting for Oddworld. Not sure I would call it "humor", but it works much better, because it anchors the game's themes around the reality it criticizes, and it's much subtler unless you're in the know (esp. for '99! How many people were even aware of these things back then?) Only a few notes off the top of my head: I really enjoyed how, in the intro cinematic, Abe is clearly unfazed by the trek in the desert, having already been hardened by his previous adventure, but says "WE were getting tired" instead of "the others sucked, and they burdened me". Sure, the latter is more accurate, but the former works so well towards characterization, showing he's too good for that world. There actually was an Ask Alf segment on the old website where someone asked about whether Abe had genitals specifically because of that scene after Necrum, but Alf said "no, because Mudokon drones are asexual, but it's still fragile piping down there", or something to that effect. Even if it's most likely unintentional, it's interesting how OWI practiced a bit of LGBT allyship, as you can use this story to explain to someone the difference between sex (Abe is an asexual drone) and gender (Abe is so obviously coded male and uses he/him pronouns). I wouldn't put too much stock in it, as this is old, possibly scrapped lore, but it would be interesting, given the, as-of-late, frankly, terrible discourse around the LGBT community. There are a few more funky visual glitches, but my favorite is quicksaving while possessing an enemy and then reloading sometimes causes the bright cyan mask to remain stuck over the character (might not be reproducible with RELIVE). Also that Slig at 2:45:00 consistently dies upright for some reason, it's inexplicable. Anyway, enough rambling. Just a few tips for future playthroughs: at 2:09:33, you can use one Paramite to lead the one in the first screen away from the chant suppressor, and then ordering it to stay. You can then corner the Fleeches so they'll eat the one you're controlling, and then possess the other one to clear out the area. This way, you don't have to worry about the chase at all. At 3:18:06, you can avoid the alternating fast and slow meat grinders by just going through with the Mudokon, climbing up the ledge, and quicksaving and quickloading to bring the birds back. At 3:33:34. you can consistently walk through the saw and one other Mudokon will follow through with just the right timing, if he was right behind you. It's counterintuitive, but it works. As for SoulStorm, you can make the Mudokon ladder sections much more tolerable by coating the ground in SoulStorm brew, especially where Sligs are supposed to spawn. You can then ignite it (either by shooting it or using Brewnades or whatever) such that Sligs catch fire as they spawn or be held off until all Mudokons are safe. I have to hand it to SoulStorm on at least one front: it managed to re-invent itself in my head as I was playing and getting used to the mechanics and discovering new strategies. Watching you play almost made me want to play it again, but then I remember the bugs... Cheers!
I have much to learn about optimizing my playthroughs even after so many years playing these games. I'm still trying to get down the chant tricks in Oddysee.
5:43:44 According to Caddy himself, that voice was a deliberate choice by the devs. He originally tried to do a more Slig-like voice, but was told to sound more like himself.
It really makes me sad how Soulstorm turned out. I played a fair bit of Soulstorm's demo and was just not feeling it. Exoddus to me, however, is easily my favorite Oddworld game of all time. With how it expands the world, gameplay mechanics and its ever so amazing presentation with its artwork. The fleeches will always be a sore to deal with even on repeated playthroughs. Solid analyze.
Great video (of the 2 and a half hours I've watched) I just wish there was a more condensed version with your observations (example, mudombies mentioned in the prerelase and the different propellor on the cutscene flying slig) I get the rest, which serves as a really great in depth walkthrough - but as someone massively intimate with Exoddus they're something I'm skipping forward on quite a bit. That may be a me problem, but again, great work - the minecart unlock car beep cracked me up. I wish you tonnes of views and subs.
Yeah, it's understandably gonna be a lot of fluff for people who have recently played the games or are familiar enough with them that a play-by-play isn't necessary, but that's the format I ended up saddling myself with. Your viewership is appreciated all the same and I hope the in-between bits are still enjoyable through the remainder.
@BlueKunaitrue enough. I'll definitely end up watching the entirety, but I did just replay the whole thing - only missed I think 4 mudokons and your video showed me the secret in a secret where I missed them. Infuriating. I missed out on the poorly written bonus screen, with information that never panned out for a sequel. Alas!
Congrats on finishing this video, this is a huge achievement! Making my way through it in pieces. 🥳 Wanted to note down a few bits of info as I come across them, for anyone interested in some extra bits of trivia: 41:13 - The reason the secret area music sounds different is because in the Playstation version, the sample uses a slow attack time for each note, so there's a gradual fade-in for every note that plays, giving the whole cue a much softer sound. In the PC port, the MIDI is the same, but it just plays the sample without any fade in. This is just another example of little sound design details being missed or omitted in the PC port, resulting in the sound effects and music sounding completely different between the two versions. The biggest difference is probably the lack of the Playstation's reverb, which added an echo effect to the music and sound effects. Another interesting fact about the sample used for the secret area music is that it's actually the same one used for the slow, flute-sounding instrument in the Abe's Oddysee main menu music, just slowed way down. 32:39 - "Bastich" (bastard+bitch) is a slang term that isn't exclusive to the Oddworld universe. I looked it up and saw that it's apparently pretty prevalent in the Lobo series by DC comics, which I'm not familiar with. Wouldn't surprise me if Lorne was a fan though lol. 1:44:39 - "StoryDwelling" can be found in some concept art, and the Beta opening cutscene for Abe's Oddysee. "A StoryDwelling experience" was eventually replaced with "An A.L.I.V.E. experience", so it may have been the working title for their engine in the early days, and they kept this logo as a fun callback to that. I believe the smaller logo text underneath says "tactics". You get a slightly better look at the logo in some of the later story stone screens. "StoryDwelling" was one of Oddworld Inhabitants' trademarks in 1995. They have some other fun ones like "HABITALES" and "FEARIETALES"
I will be seated for more fun facts. In hindsight I wish I did elaborate on the sound differences between versions because doing a full playthrough of the PS1 version for this reminded me of how the echo effects weren't carried over to PC
After watching, I would love to hear about some more of your favorite Oddworld backgrounds (from 1 or 2) and what you like about them! It's easy to overlook something like that when you're playing yourself. Edit to add: 1:44:40 fun detail, StoryDwelling was the original trademark of the A.L.I.V.E. engine, it also looks like the small text maybe says "facfics" like fact fictions.
Ooh, good question. My favourite from the first game would definitely be one of the last screens of the Monsaic Lines with the big Scrab and Paramite statues. Love the sense of scale, the wider view of the area and how imposing they are represented as the native Mudokon's sacred icons. For Exoddus it would be the second last area of Block 0 where it's shrouded in shadow in the foreground but the background has a grand view of the distant tents and towers of the barracks built on top of the messy pipe system. Huge views like that which encapsulate the whole stage are my absolute favourites. And that is indeed a fun fact about StoryDwelling. I'd been wondering about it's greater origins since my first playthrough.
I can't seem to find a previous example although I swear I saw one while watching this, but the face in the bone pile at 3:20:24 can be found all over the place in each of the valve rooms, showing the room number in each of their eyes. I have a theory about their design, in that they sort of resemble Vykkers. The big eyes could be goggles when worn, and more specifically the wide-open mouth with the bottom buck teeth match almost perfectly with the actual designs of the Vykkers in later games. Though with the heads being smaller than they should be, I'm willing to just think it may have been based off an earlier design, as well as giving them a use considering a lot of them connect to pipes. Edit: After being reminded of the numerous pieces of Beta / Concept Art I went to look on Oddworld Library too see if there was anything. There are very few pieces with the faces, but it looks like they are supposed to be furnaces. The designs are slightly different looking, but I still wonder if Vykkers were used as a base.
Cool detail i never seen anyone talk about. When you wave a piece of meat over a slog before you throw it its voice will pitch up giving you am audio clue that hes begging for the slab of meat like a dog. Its very cool
Heya! Can I just say, I loved this video. Absolutely loved and appreciate the effort that was put into it. Everything from the subject of the video to the commentary, to the editing, to the funny remarks and hilarious references. This was seriously such a fun watch! I loved EVERY aspect of this video. I also thought the Tamagotchi sound leaking through your mic was funny and the way you acknowledged it too hahaha I saw that! I also loved the voice over edits you did for the Sligs when they were falling or when they turned around and went "Huh?" ANYWAY that was just a few things to point out that really made this video fun to watch! :D
3:43:37 COME ON LIKE HOW ARE PEOPLE NOT LAUGHING THEIR BUTTS OFF AT THIS HAHA I love little subtle edits like this, they really make the viewing experience THAT much funnier/enjoyable
Always nice to see appreciation for the little gags I sprinkle in. They're definitely my favourite part of the editing process and hopefully go a long way to make the gameplay rundowns a little less dry.
I don't mean to spam but omg, yes, as someone who played this game as a wee lass, I did not go to school the next day after seeing the blind mudokons. I told my mom it was because they were too scary, but really, the proper word for it would be whatever means 'unsettled to the point of fascination' because I purposefully rewatched the opening a LOT for that reveal & sharp musical stinger.
@BlueKunai Thank you, I definitely am! You did such a phenomenal job covering all of this 🙏 a few of my favorite parts were "systematically slaughtered several slacking sligs" and the wild-west stand-off featuring slig noises. Godspeed learning to make fajitas!
Stoked to watch this monster analysis. Could anyone tell me what the piano piece in the first 20 seconds is? Feel like I've heard it before but can't place it.
2:21:38 oh, you are Aussie! After listening to the first oddworld video like 4 times as a sleep video, all it took was hearing you say the F word and talking about taking a piss and, yep. G'day from Perth!
@BlueKunaihmm, it's interesting cus I love these games but i never talk to people who even knows it in anyway. I wonder if in Australia/new Zealand is was popular
CC is something I wanted to get around to for these videos for anyone who has trouble understanding my accent, but that's gonna be a big time sink on account of the length so I dunno how long it'll take me. Until then I can only hope the auto-generated captions mostly get the point across.
I wouldn't call myself a fan yet since I've only played a bit of the first game, but I'm relatively familiar with them from watching friends play them.
11:03 To be honest, it's easy to take Exoddus's story for granted because it retreads so many familiar story beats from Abe's Oddysee, but the game truly did the heavy lifting for Oddworld's worldbuilding.
While Oddysee masterfully introduced RuptureFarms' horrors, Exoddus scales it up exponentially by conveying the imperial scale of the Magog Cartel, and it brings a greater depth to the long-standing and widespread Mudokon oppression in a way the first game simply couldn't achieve on its own.
Jumping straight from rescuing 99 Mudokons at RuptureFarms to immediately showing us Queens Margaret and Sam, the rise of Mudokon civilisation, and the Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex would have felt far too rushed. We needed Exoddus to grasp the full weight of the impossible journey Abe had ahead of him.
Every time the Mine Car sound edits happened, I found myself laughing. Peak editing.
Glad you liked it. Many of the jokes like that only come to me out of the blue during the editing phase.
back after watching the whole video (it was great) but that bit during the conclusion about the oddworld series in general really resonated with me. It feels like the series was never really allowed to fully spread its wings thanks to the gaming industry being so cutthroat, its pretty depressing honestly. You have to wonder what lorne lanning himself really thinks about the series at this point. I'd definitely have very mixed emotions
13:24 hearing this voice just gave me chills. Such a legendary game I hope oddworld knows this
I really appreciate all the thought and dedication that's gone into this, there's a lot of observations I didn't remember but totally agree with, and a lot I'm surprised I hadn't noticed before. All of this reminds me why I'm an Oddworld fan and why Oddysee and Exoddus will always be my favorite games and up there with my favorite media in general
I genuinely felt sad as I approached the end. What a masterpiece! Majestic
I thought I was the only one who was this familiar with these games. I play them every year. It's been a tradition since 1999. Gotta point out something, that giant face in the bonewerkz seems to be the bottom of a pipe. At 3:21:01 you can see it in working order on the left of the screen.
Right as I remembered my love for these games I'm gifted two of the best video essays I've ever watched, thank you so much
Oh my goodness thank you! Added to my favourites. This game is my favourite of the Oddworld series and was so important in my childhood. I really appreciate the care and effort you put into these reviews. Your channel is an absolute gem.
a true hidden gem! I watched his Oddyssee video a dozen times
Aside from Abe's Chant, The Sligs Echo Yell was my all time favorite SFX and it's pretty disrespect of them to *DROP* it w/o reason
Finally something to watch for the next 7 hours
I am glad that there are other people out there who are just as enamoured with the Oddworld series, its world, and the hope to see Lorne Lanning finishes his vision at least once. These two videos have been a real treat to watch as I am currently stuck in a hospital, so cheers mate.
Also, I avoided Stranger's Wrath for so long, but after beating it finally, I am happy that it exists. Such a cool game.
Completing this game with all 300 mudos saved without using a guide is my proudest gaming achievement. Great video mate.
This is a banger, keep doing these for the art of It bro
I don't think I've ever seen the gameplay look so crisp on youtube before
About as crisp as 480p can get, at least.
Very weird coincidence, just finished replaying Abe's Odyssey and Exodus and just like a couple of the other commenters, I also just rewatched your Odyssey vid. What are the Odds indeed, very much looking forward to watching this.
I haven’t ever played Oddworld but I do enjoy the music. I love the main title music of Exodus and the Feeco Depot theme. And what are all the albums at 36:00
I literally just revisited your old video yesterday lol
loving more oddworld content dude
Exact same!
Do not reach for my peach, I beseech the fleech.
Grand video, thank you.
Alf's escape is soooo good! Its my favourite part of nnt. I wish JAW made some custom levels for their Strangers Wrath remaster too... The mechanics in that game are SO tight, but noone will notice it unless they play with severe limitwtions like no shop
Love the death counter!
Extremely excited about this video!
Doing my first playthrough, and that damn slig @ 59:30 blew himself up! So much for an all rescue run.
Fajita's are super easy and you can make your own spice mix to tailor to your personal preferences. Fantastic video, been waiting for this since i first watched your Oddysee in depth look.
Many kind words were written in this comment section, rightfully so, but I want to mention your choice of music. Excellent tracks. I hear spyro, I frolic.
I wonder what your next project will be.
The very logo at the start scared me as a kid because of the Mudokon skeleton.
I find the Director Phleg part (with the slogs) a bit easier if you say "kill 'em'" at a steady rhythm rather than spam it but it has been a couple of years since I did it
Finally got to the end of the video & I really liked it :) It's nice for relatively niche games to get coverage like this (especially ones I kind of grew up with lol)
Took a week to watch this, and enjoyed every minute of it!
My first experience with this game was the demo, and that disk got worn out with the ammount of times I've played the first part of necrum mines. the laylout was a little different but allowed for a lot of content.
I've had countless dreams of what the full game looked like, just dreaming of what the locations were like outside of the mines, the pre-rendered backgrounds and atmosphere are what captured my imagination when I was little. Over 15 years later when I finnaly got my hands on the full game I was not dissapointed.
Thank you for reviewing this in such depth, your work I fully valued all your effort you've put into this!
The fact that he went through the ENTIRE game is astonishing.
This video format is perfect, gameplay run-through, focus on cutscenes and supplementary context of the development. Really comprehensive, it's amazing. Thank you so much! 🙏
I don't think we should necessarily feel "sorry" for Lanning, he seems to me like a Chris Roberts / George Miller kind of guy, a competent director with an overly ambitious imagination. And it seems he was given a fair chance at least 2 to 3 times now. If it didn't pan out, there might be a reason for it. He delivered 6 games and presumably is proud of how Soulstorm turned out? That oughta count for something.
The first game has such a strong atmosphere, graphics/audio/cinematics synergy that I don't feel from any other game. It feels like the group of talented people (Lorne being one of them) that worked on the original were at the right place and time all contributing to "oddworld magic", and maybe never fully got together again for the right amount of time. So I feel more "shame the circumstances didn't pan out differently" from a consumer's perspective.
I can’t wait for your soul storm retrospective!!!
Errrr ya goin down! I just spent the whole week watching both videos and I adored them. Amazing work, the first two games deserve faithful movie adaptions. The locations, the characters the MERCHANDISING?! I’d totally buy a Feeco train toy. Thank you for the effort! Now it’s time for me to exit…. *Falls down trap door* HELLLLLPP……Hell……..hell……..splat.
Your two vids really made up for RazeYourGame's stranger video not coming out :v holy peak
Been watching the Oddworld and Tombi videos on repeat after I found this. What a find. Keep it up man!
I love this channel so much
Omg I forgot I subscribed for the Abes Exodus video, and RUclips actually reminded me ❤ one of my most favourite games of all time 🎉
Incredible video! Loved every moment of it. Might also be the longest RUclips video I've ever watched lol.
Love the format. I was skeptical of the "include a commentated playthrough as part of the video" thing but honestly it's very comfy. Your editing is on point, cutting out any part that would be dull (grouping up mudokons for a bird portal for example). I think the main part is that it's not just a pure walkthrough, you also talk about trivia and your own opinions on each part of the game as you go. I think that's the key to keeping it interesting, explaining what you think about the gameplay that's currently happening onscreen stops it from being too dry, and I think this video does a great job of that.
Personally, Oddysee will always be my favourite. I like the humour in Exoddus, but there's just something about Oddysee's bleaker tone and setting that resonates with me more. Also just prefer the visuals (especially the backgrounds) of Oddysee a lot, nothing in Exoddus is as beautiful as the Free Fire Zone IMO (love that area so much). Though Exoddus is still an incredible game and also a top 5 PS1 game for me. Also glad you liked Stranger's Wrath, it's super underrated and deserved so much better.
I still haven't gotten around to playing Soulstorm though... Didn't mind being spoiled by this video because I have so little interest in playing it (which feels pretty sad to me TBH, I wish I was more excited about it). Maybe I should do the completionist thing and beat Soulstorm and Munch's Oddysee already...
Glad you liked it! I've become a bit attached to the format since I find it easiest to get everything I want to across. Though I had a couple of people on the Oddysee video tell me the playthrough portions got a bit dry at times. So this time around I made an effort to throw in some more anecdotes or jokes to break up the play-by-play nature of it.
Playing Munch nowadays is a bit complicated since it isn't as accessible on modern platforms as even Stranger's Wrath. Outside of the Steam and PS3 versions, the Nintendo Switch release seems to be only available through the Unlikely Heroes Collection and can't be bought digitally.
So hyped for this. Looking forward to watching this 20 times over the next few months ❤
IT’S UP!
Christmas came very early this year! Thank you.
I am -so- excited to delve into this. I have had Soulstorm wrapped in plastic since I bought it and may need to bust it out before I finish this. Like you, Exoddus is one of my favourite games ever. I think I first played it in 2000 or 1999. It was one of my first like, dozen games I played. I've grown to appreciate Oddysee and think it's a more interesting experience, but gameplay wise having the Quiksave is just a gamechanger.
YES MY SHOW IS ON
This is great stuff, thank you
Yes! Looking forward to hearing this
Love this can’t wait to listen to it all while working around the workshop
Aww yeah return of the king.
We eating good tonight boys!!!!
WOW I AM THE HAPPIEST PERSON IN EXISTENCE!!!
from the bottom of my heart, thank you
I will thoroughly enjoy this. You got talent man, you really do
Love your deep voice
Your editing is top notch and hilarious
So happy and ready for the next 7 hours! I’d happily pay for this content any day. Thanks for keeping it coming!
I've been looking forward to this. Bless you
This was fucking dope !
Can’t thank you enough. 🎉
Yessss! I have a whole weekend to enjoy this!
Lets do this
That was absolutely brilliant 2:38:38 "Full Metal Jacket" 😂
I was giggling to myself splicing that up in Audacity
Definition of a quality over quantity creator. Welcome back, king. ❤
Love the Slurgs artwork for the death counter
Fleech is great too
HOLY FUUUUUUUCK YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES
i promise i wont tab out to another screen this time
Amazing video dude, well done!
God tier vid, loved it
Fantastic video! First things first, thanks so much for the shout out, I really aprpeciate it!
I will have to give it a rewatch at some point, but you very skillfully expressed so many thoughts that I'm sure are shared by so much of the community, and your research really paid off. There were many behind-the-scenes things I wasn't aware of. Also, you're so right about the emerging humor style; I love these games as much as the next guy, but it's just so dumb... What they did at 2:37:27 with the "VP Aslik: Keeping the trains on time" sign (a reference to Benito Mussolini) is more fitting for Oddworld. Not sure I would call it "humor", but it works much better, because it anchors the game's themes around the reality it criticizes, and it's much subtler unless you're in the know (esp. for '99! How many people were even aware of these things back then?)
Only a few notes off the top of my head:
I really enjoyed how, in the intro cinematic, Abe is clearly unfazed by the trek in the desert, having already been hardened by his previous adventure, but says "WE were getting tired" instead of "the others sucked, and they burdened me". Sure, the latter is more accurate, but the former works so well towards characterization, showing he's too good for that world.
There actually was an Ask Alf segment on the old website where someone asked about whether Abe had genitals specifically because of that scene after Necrum, but Alf said "no, because Mudokon drones are asexual, but it's still fragile piping down there", or something to that effect. Even if it's most likely unintentional, it's interesting how OWI practiced a bit of LGBT allyship, as you can use this story to explain to someone the difference between sex (Abe is an asexual drone) and gender (Abe is so obviously coded male and uses he/him pronouns). I wouldn't put too much stock in it, as this is old, possibly scrapped lore, but it would be interesting, given the, as-of-late, frankly, terrible discourse around the LGBT community.
There are a few more funky visual glitches, but my favorite is quicksaving while possessing an enemy and then reloading sometimes causes the bright cyan mask to remain stuck over the character (might not be reproducible with RELIVE). Also that Slig at 2:45:00 consistently dies upright for some reason, it's inexplicable.
Anyway, enough rambling. Just a few tips for future playthroughs: at 2:09:33, you can use one Paramite to lead the one in the first screen away from the chant suppressor, and then ordering it to stay. You can then corner the Fleeches so they'll eat the one you're controlling, and then possess the other one to clear out the area. This way, you don't have to worry about the chase at all.
At 3:18:06, you can avoid the alternating fast and slow meat grinders by just going through with the Mudokon, climbing up the ledge, and quicksaving and quickloading to bring the birds back.
At 3:33:34. you can consistently walk through the saw and one other Mudokon will follow through with just the right timing, if he was right behind you. It's counterintuitive, but it works.
As for SoulStorm, you can make the Mudokon ladder sections much more tolerable by coating the ground in SoulStorm brew, especially where Sligs are supposed to spawn. You can then ignite it (either by shooting it or using Brewnades or whatever) such that Sligs catch fire as they spawn or be held off until all Mudokons are safe. I have to hand it to SoulStorm on at least one front: it managed to re-invent itself in my head as I was playing and getting used to the mechanics and discovering new strategies. Watching you play almost made me want to play it again, but then I remember the bugs...
Cheers!
I have much to learn about optimizing my playthroughs even after so many years playing these games. I'm still trying to get down the chant tricks in Oddysee.
didnt expect you here
i've always kept a playstation copy of this game... the discs and manuals are lovely
They're so good. The Oddysee manual is my absolute favourite.
5:43:44
According to Caddy himself, that voice was a deliberate choice by the devs. He originally tried to do a more Slig-like voice, but was told to sound more like himself.
That explains it. Now I'd really like to hear what his original takes were like.
Thank you already!°
5:28:45 ELITE BALL KNOWLEDGE
GET DOWN
It really makes me sad how Soulstorm turned out. I played a fair bit of Soulstorm's demo and was just not feeling it. Exoddus to me, however, is easily my favorite Oddworld game of all time. With how it expands the world, gameplay mechanics and its ever so amazing presentation with its artwork. The fleeches will always be a sore to deal with even on repeated playthroughs. Solid analyze.
I hope you took care of that hungry tamagotchi 🥚
I've never had one die on me in my life, I'm a great Tamagotchi dad.
So the idea of a Mudokon brawl is to hit each others for a moment, then ending yourself in regret over it.
We all make mistakes in the heat of passion, Jimbo
Great video (of the 2 and a half hours I've watched) I just wish there was a more condensed version with your observations (example, mudombies mentioned in the prerelase and the different propellor on the cutscene flying slig)
I get the rest, which serves as a really great in depth walkthrough - but as someone massively intimate with Exoddus they're something I'm skipping forward on quite a bit. That may be a me problem, but again, great work - the minecart unlock car beep cracked me up. I wish you tonnes of views and subs.
Yeah, it's understandably gonna be a lot of fluff for people who have recently played the games or are familiar enough with them that a play-by-play isn't necessary, but that's the format I ended up saddling myself with. Your viewership is appreciated all the same and I hope the in-between bits are still enjoyable through the remainder.
@BlueKunaitrue enough. I'll definitely end up watching the entirety, but I did just replay the whole thing - only missed I think 4 mudokons and your video showed me the secret in a secret where I missed them. Infuriating. I missed out on the poorly written bonus screen, with information that never panned out for a sequel. Alas!
Congrats on finishing this video, this is a huge achievement! Making my way through it in pieces. 🥳
Wanted to note down a few bits of info as I come across them, for anyone interested in some extra bits of trivia:
41:13 - The reason the secret area music sounds different is because in the Playstation version, the sample uses a slow attack time for each note, so there's a gradual fade-in for every note that plays, giving the whole cue a much softer sound. In the PC port, the MIDI is the same, but it just plays the sample without any fade in. This is just another example of little sound design details being missed or omitted in the PC port, resulting in the sound effects and music sounding completely different between the two versions. The biggest difference is probably the lack of the Playstation's reverb, which added an echo effect to the music and sound effects.
Another interesting fact about the sample used for the secret area music is that it's actually the same one used for the slow, flute-sounding instrument in the Abe's Oddysee main menu music, just slowed way down.
32:39 - "Bastich" (bastard+bitch) is a slang term that isn't exclusive to the Oddworld universe. I looked it up and saw that it's apparently pretty prevalent in the Lobo series by DC comics, which I'm not familiar with. Wouldn't surprise me if Lorne was a fan though lol.
1:44:39 - "StoryDwelling" can be found in some concept art, and the Beta opening cutscene for Abe's Oddysee. "A StoryDwelling experience" was eventually replaced with "An A.L.I.V.E. experience", so it may have been the working title for their engine in the early days, and they kept this logo as a fun callback to that. I believe the smaller logo text underneath says "tactics". You get a slightly better look at the logo in some of the later story stone screens.
"StoryDwelling" was one of Oddworld Inhabitants' trademarks in 1995. They have some other fun ones like "HABITALES" and "FEARIETALES"
I will be seated for more fun facts. In hindsight I wish I did elaborate on the sound differences between versions because doing a full playthrough of the PS1 version for this reminded me of how the echo effects weren't carried over to PC
After watching, I would love to hear about some more of your favorite Oddworld backgrounds (from 1 or 2) and what you like about them! It's easy to overlook something like that when you're playing yourself.
Edit to add: 1:44:40 fun detail, StoryDwelling was the original trademark of the A.L.I.V.E. engine, it also looks like the small text maybe says "facfics" like fact fictions.
Ooh, good question. My favourite from the first game would definitely be one of the last screens of the Monsaic Lines with the big Scrab and Paramite statues. Love the sense of scale, the wider view of the area and how imposing they are represented as the native Mudokon's sacred icons.
For Exoddus it would be the second last area of Block 0 where it's shrouded in shadow in the foreground but the background has a grand view of the distant tents and towers of the barracks built on top of the messy pipe system. Huge views like that which encapsulate the whole stage are my absolute favourites.
And that is indeed a fun fact about StoryDwelling. I'd been wondering about it's greater origins since my first playthrough.
I can't seem to find a previous example although I swear I saw one while watching this, but the face in the bone pile at 3:20:24 can be found all over the place in each of the valve rooms, showing the room number in each of their eyes. I have a theory about their design, in that they sort of resemble Vykkers. The big eyes could be goggles when worn, and more specifically the wide-open mouth with the bottom buck teeth match almost perfectly with the actual designs of the Vykkers in later games. Though with the heads being smaller than they should be, I'm willing to just think it may have been based off an earlier design, as well as giving them a use considering a lot of them connect to pipes.
Edit: After being reminded of the numerous pieces of Beta / Concept Art I went to look on Oddworld Library too see if there was anything. There are very few pieces with the faces, but it looks like they are supposed to be furnaces. The designs are slightly different looking, but I still wonder if Vykkers were used as a base.
The teeth are pretty reminiscent of Vykkers now that you mention it. Hard to tell if it's coincidence or just seeing faces in things.
Cool detail i never seen anyone talk about. When you wave a piece of meat over a slog before you throw it its voice will pitch up giving you am audio clue that hes begging for the slab of meat like a dog. Its very cool
Never noticed that actually. That's a neat touch.
A*
Heya! Can I just say, I loved this video. Absolutely loved and appreciate the effort that was put into it. Everything from the subject of the video to the commentary, to the editing, to the funny remarks and hilarious references. This was seriously such a fun watch! I loved EVERY aspect of this video. I also thought the Tamagotchi sound leaking through your mic was funny and the way you acknowledged it too hahaha I saw that! I also loved the voice over edits you did for the Sligs when they were falling or when they turned around and went "Huh?"
ANYWAY that was just a few things to point out that really made this video fun to watch! :D
3:43:37 COME ON LIKE HOW ARE PEOPLE NOT LAUGHING THEIR BUTTS OFF AT THIS HAHA
I love little subtle edits like this, they really make the viewing experience THAT much funnier/enjoyable
Always nice to see appreciation for the little gags I sprinkle in. They're definitely my favourite part of the editing process and hopefully go a long way to make the gameplay rundowns a little less dry.
What's that piano intro in the beginning? It's beautiful.
The track is called "Sublimation", from a game called Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight
30:52
AAAAA I WAS SICK WHEN THIS WAS POSTED sorry for being late, will add a coherent comment after I have watched the video
I don't mean to spam but omg, yes, as someone who played this game as a wee lass, I did not go to school the next day after seeing the blind mudokons. I told my mom it was because they were too scary, but really, the proper word for it would be whatever means 'unsettled to the point of fascination' because I purposefully rewatched the opening a LOT for that reveal & sharp musical stinger.
Hey, no worries, the video ain't going anywhere. Hope you're feeling better.
@BlueKunai Thank you, I definitely am! You did such a phenomenal job covering all of this 🙏 a few of my favorite parts were "systematically slaughtered several slacking sligs" and the wild-west stand-off featuring slig noises. Godspeed learning to make fajitas!
Stoked to watch this monster analysis. Could anyone tell me what the piano piece in the first 20 seconds is? Feel like I've heard it before but can't place it.
That track is called "Sublimation", and it's from a game called Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight
4:15:10
3:18:40 😌 ... 😐 ... 😳
3:20:16 It's a ghost writer
5:23:55 Typical EA behaviour
2:21:38 oh, you are Aussie! After listening to the first oddworld video like 4 times as a sleep video, all it took was hearing you say the F word and talking about taking a piss and, yep. G'day from Perth!
Close, I'm a Kiwi. Greetings from across the pond!
@BlueKunaiTurns out I should have listened to this one 4 times too to be sure before being so confidently wrong. Oop
I didn't know PAL had different disc art.
Yeah, I prefer the US disc art.
Had to leave a 2nd comment - I am still in disbelief! The Abes Odyssee vid is one of the best vids i have ever seen
6 hours on exodus, take that caddie 😂😂
Caddy could do a 6+ hour "The Wild World of Oddworld" video and I'd be glued to my seat for that.
Are you Australian like me? And growing up I had such a problem with the fleeche's, I couldn't get past them for the longest time...
Kiwi. And yeah, Fleeches are the worst.
@BlueKunaihmm, it's interesting cus I love these games but i never talk to people who even knows it in anyway. I wonder if in Australia/new Zealand is was popular
can I listen to it in a new tab now that ive finished the vid XD?
Go for it.
Is it possible to get closed captions for this video?
CC is something I wanted to get around to for these videos for anyone who has trouble understanding my accent, but that's gonna be a big time sink on account of the length so I dunno how long it'll take me. Until then I can only hope the auto-generated captions mostly get the point across.
I thought exoddus was heaps better than oddysey. I think I only rented it though on ps1, and didn’t get very far. Has it been re mastered?
Nah, the PS1 version of the game has been brought over each PlayStation generation and the PC version still works on modern systems
22:30 you're a Pikmin fan?
I wouldn't call myself a fan yet since I've only played a bit of the first game, but I'm relatively familiar with them from watching friends play them.
@BlueKunai check them out. Especially the first two
Masterpiece, just majestic on such a level
This game is sadistic! It's more fun watching than playing
Thank you for this! Amazing games both of them 🥹 just finished exoddus for the millionth time some weeks ago, it's a gem