Game world's answer to Tolkien

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - and the new second instalment of the planned "quintology," Oddworld: Abe's Exodus - is fast becoming a modern gaming answer to the Lord of the Rings.

Or that's kind of the plan, according to series executive producer Sherry McKenna and creative director Lorne Lanning.

The Californian pair make a garrulous double-act talking about the ongoing PlayStation title, its strangely broad appeal ("we are building games for adults that kids are going to love"), and its weird and wonderful narrative.

She's the producer with the background in the Hollywood special-effects industry who does not play games. He's the gaming supergeek who was a specialist in computer graphics for films, theme-park rides and commercials.

The story so far: Abe is a Mudokon, a slave of Molluck the Glukkon working in Rupturefarms, a slaughterhouse in Oddworld. Abe finds out that the Glukkons plan to use the Mudokons as their next meat supply and it's up to him to rescue his fellow creatures from slavery and the big grinder.

"Abe is certainly not the hero you want to be, like a testosterone-driven Marvel comicbook kind of guy," says Lanning. "He is, unfortunately, who you are.

"Abe connects with characters you identify with - much more with your own self. Like Abe farts, for example.

"And I'd say storywise he's really inspired by the diamond miners of South Africa - the poor guys whose culture has been shattered by multinational corporations in the name of consumerism, better prices and better products."

Phew, and phew. Quite a lot of subtext there.

"If we are sounding highfalutin here, the fact is it's about selling games," says McKenna. "What we have to do is disguise the subtext so we are not beating the people over the head with our philosophy. But we really did start the company to get our philosophy out there."

Abe started life as an idea for five movies but Lanning figured games were a more logical place to start - and there may be a celluloid spin-off one day.

The opening sequence to Abe's Exodus has been put forward for consideration as a nomination in the Oscars' animated category - the first for a game.

The pair acknowledge the Tolkien parallel, though they admit to never having read the books. A big influence on Lanning has been George Lucas' Stars Wars trilogy.

"What was inspiring was how he thought bigger than just a two-hour movie. He thought more about a world, a universe.

"So ever since I got out of school it was always my dream to create a universe which had all the issues I cared about - the environment, consumerism, processed foods,
pharmaceuticals and things that in many ways are unhealthy to people and the planet."

Quite. It seems the Oddworld quintology will continue its pro-vegetarian, subtly political and frequently flatulent but epic mission into the next century.

- Russell Baillie, 7DAYS, 26/11/98

PICTURED: Abe is out to rescue his colleagues from slavery