Abe (Oddworld)

Abe is a fictional character and protagonist in the Oddworld fictional universe created by Oddworld Inhabitants. Abe was introduced in 1997's Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee as a slave attempting to save his friends from RuptureFarms. His story was continued in Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, through which his character has changed and developed.

Abe is a mature Mudokon who was hatched in the nursery of meat-processing plant RuptureFarms, and went on to work in the plant as a slave until his eventual escape. Distinctive from other Mudokons seen on Oddworld, Abe's skin is a blue-purple pigment instead of the usual green, and his lips feature the vestiges of being sewn up since birth. He is an unusual video game character because he does not fight or use a weapon. Instead, the character can sneak in shadowed places and chant, which enables him to possess some of his enemies' minds and control their actions. The character is agile, humorous, and versatile. 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 and was an example of the PlayStation's more mature style of platforming game. Computer and Video Games described Abe as "a new platform hero" and a "brilliant character". Abe featured in a music video for "Get Freaky", a song by the popular German dance band Music Instructor, and in a music video for the song "Use Your Imagination" in 2002.

Character conception and development
Abe is the strongly developed central character of the Oddworld series. He evolves and develops throughout the first game, Abe's Oddysee. He is initially a slave along with his fellow Mudokons but then escapes. The game's narrative and its main character deal with ethical and moral issues. Lorne Lanning, Oddworld's creator, has stated that its "characters are driven in a way that is fired by larger issues." Abe was the first protagonist that Oddworld Inhabitants developed. Originally, the game's developers envisioned Abe and a mule-like creature called "Elum" beginning the game together, living off the land and being thrust into an industrialized factory slave environment. The developers came to the conclusion that the story was stronger should Abe come from a factory existence and later reveal one of self-sustenance, and as such the concept was changed. In this game, Abe tells his story in flashback, which helps the player identify with this avatar. Abe's abilities include the ability to chant, which permits him to take over the mind of some of his enemies. He can also jump, climb, run, and sneak in shadows.

Abe's appearance resembles that of the aliens depicted in comic books and science fiction. He has large bulbous eyes, large forehead, a skinny frame, and a bald head with a tuft of hair. His appearance is comparable to Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and Dobby the House-Elf in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The character is humorous, with the ability to fart. Despite his ugly appearance, which is unlike the "typically cute" platform characters, Abe appeals to a wide range of video game players.

Characteristics
Unlike other Mudokons, Abe has blue or purplish-green skin, his eyes are bloodshot and he has a high ponytail. He retains his lip stitches as a reminder of his past, motivation for the present, and a kind of medal of honor despite the demeaning nickname of "Stitch Lips" he endures. His skin has three mystical tattoos that grow over his body gradually: one on the back of each hand and one on his chest, granted to him by the Big Face and the Weirdos respectively. Grateful Mudokon spirits have gifted him with invisibility for short periods, transformation into the Mudokon god Shrykull comes from the occasional special bird portal, and helper Mudokons do grant Abe with spirit rings and healing power should he need them.

Abe has the usual mental capacity of a Mukodon: slow-witted, lazy, and optimistic. He also lacks imagination, logic, intelligence, and confidence. He has a powerful sense of morality, and he becomes more motivated and dedicated to free the Mukodons as he experiences more of the injustices performed both against and by his people. While deeply saddened by his plight, he remains hopeful and optimistic. He is a pacifist, strongly opposed to any kind of violence, and strives to avoid confrontations and apply more stealthy tactics. He can become resourceful and cunning when faced with a challenge. Usually he infiltrates a Glukkon factory or other facility and sabotages it from the inside with the assistance of Mudokon slaves working there. He makes sure to free the facilities' slaves. Abe becomes the leader of the "Free Mudokon Party" (also known as "The Marching Mudokons"), the Mudokons’ uprising against their captors, the Magog Cartel. Usually he follows the suggestions and instruction of religious and spiritual figures like the Almighty Raisin and the Weirdos. He generally operates alone but is occasionally aided by friends.

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. Since wildlife resources have become depleted, Abe's boss Molluck the Glukkon has decided to use the factory's Mudokon slaves as a ready source of saleable meat: "Mudokon Pops!". After this epiphany (reminiscent of the end of the film Soylent Green), Abe panics and escapes from his workplace. At the end of the game's introductory sequence- which is a retrospective voice-overed by Abe- Abe runs for his life. The Mudokons’ spiritual leader, the BigFace, appears to the unconscious Abe in a vision. BigFace tells him how the Mudokon race once lived freely with nature before they were enslaved by the Glukkons, and how their sacred animals were the very same ones being slaughtered and processed to manufacture 'Tasty Treats'. Prophecies have foretold of a Mudokon saviour whose worth would be tested by a journey to relight holy flames that were extinguished by the Glukkons. Abe does this with the aid of his pet Elum and then receives mystic tattoos. Abe infiltrates RuptureFarms, killing its entire board of executives before being captured and taken to a holding cell, where he has enough time to pore over the last day before facing execution. However, Abe's actions have impressed the holy Mudokons, and they rescue Abe and transport him to safety, where he received a hero’s welcome from the Mudokons he rescued.

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
Abe's Odysee was very popular, and the bonus game Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus was released the following year. Abe's Exoddus begins where Abe's Oddysee ends. Abe's abilities in this game were similar to his abilities in the first game, with an expanded ability to communicate with other characters in the world using GameSpeak. As he was celebrating his new celebrity, ghosts of old Mudokons appeared before him and told him that Necrum, a once sacred Mudokon burial ground, was being excavated by Glukkons, using blind Mudokons as slaves. Abe again journeys to the Scrab and Paramite lands to find a cure to the sickness the SoulStorm brew created from the excavated bones and then journeys to SoulStorm Brewery, which he destroys. He is named a wanted terrorist by the Glukkons, but is revered as a great hero among his people.

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Both Abe and a new character called "Munch" are playable in this game. Not long after the events of Abe's Exoddus, Abe helps Munch (the last living remnant of an amphibious race called the Gabbits) to destroy Vykerrs labs and save Mudokon eggs from destruction. They prevent the Gabbits from dying out completely. This increases status as a hero and also makes him very unpopular with the Glukkon queen, Lady Margaret.