Abe (Oddworld)

Abe is the most strongly developed central character of the Oddworld series. He was inspired by the diamond miners of South Africa, who along with other indigenous peoples have suffered the ruthless harvesting of their land and people by industrial profiteers.[2] He evolves and develops throughout the first game, Abe's Oddysee.[3] He is initially a slave along with his fellow Mudokons, but escapes.[4] 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."[4] Abe was the first protagonist that Oddworld Inhabitants developed.[5] Lanning stated that Abe was named after Abraham of the Old Testament, because of the similarities between Abe trying to discover himself and for what he believes was the difficulty in trying to determine the true source of Abraham's discovery of monotheism:

In the Hebrew version, he was plagerized [sic] from the first true father of monotheism, King Tut's father... and the lies and distortions of history leave us with a lump of truth so distorted, we can't find the original context any longer. Abe, in this case, was named such as a being that is trying to find out who he really is and what is it that he should really believe... So I felt Abe being such a pivotal figure in religious history (and massively represented one) was a perfect place to start for our first hero.

— Lorne Lanning, Reddit [6]

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 eventually changed.[7] In this game, Abe tells his story in flashback, which helps the player identify with him as the protagonist.[8] Abe's abilities include chanting, which permits him to take over the mind of some of his enemies. He can also jump, climb, run, and sneak in shadows.[9]

Abe's appearance, resembling that of a grey alien, includes large bulbous eyes, large forehead, a skinny frame, and a bald head with a tuft of feathers.[4][10][11] His depiction is humorous.[4] Despite his unusual appearance, which is unlike the "typically cute" platform characters, Abe appeals to a wide range of video game players.[10][11] His design was meant to look downtrodden, but optimistic.[2] Unlike other Mudokons, Abe has blue or purplish-green skin, bloodshot eyes, and a high ponytail of feathers.[12] The stitches on his lips were given to him because he cried excessively after birth and they were a measure to keep him quiet, though he keeps them now because they were given to him at such a young age before he was "awake enough, conscious enough as a person to really understand why he had these, but it's something that he feels is a part of him, so he doesn't want to snip loose".[13] His skin has three mystical tattoos that grow over his body gradually: one on the back of each hand and one on his chest.[14] Mudokon spirits have given him invisibility for short periods; he is sometimes able to incarnate the Mudokon god Shrykull;[15] and background Mudokons assist him with other powers.

Abe, like all Mudokons, is slow-witted, lazy, and optimistic. He also lacks imagination, logic, intelligence, and confidence. He has a powerful sense of morality,[14] and is usually moved by threats of his own peril, or knowledge of another's. His manner of operation is to infiltrate and sabotage his enemies' businesses, wherein consists most of the gameplay. In the background story, Abe becomes the leader of the "Free Mudokon Party" (also known as "The Marching Mudokons"),[14] the Mudokons’ uprising against their captors, the Magog Cartel. He generally operates alone but is occasionally aided by friends.

The character was well received. In 1998, he was voted at GameSpot as the 10th best video game hero for his "klutzy, benign charm" among other things.[24] In 2008, he ranked fourth on GameDaily's list of top ten ugliest game characters for his hair, expression, and nose piercing.[25] In 2009, Abe qualified as one of 64 contestants for GameSpot's poll for the title of All Time Greatest Video Game Hero, but lost in the first round of eliminations against Ryu of Street Fighter.[26] In 2011, he was also ranked as sixth in a list of ten "really ugly good guys" by Complex.[27] GamesRadar+ also ranked him the most unlikely badass across two articles, and being called "memorable" and "influential" in the second article. They cited his "gentle" and "intelligent" disposition in the second.[28][29]