Have you ever played a little game called I Wanna Be The Guy?
It's a platformer that is buttrapingly difficult and randomized so you can't really master it by doing the same thing over and over.

Abe's Oddysee is almost the same, it's buttrapingly difficult and unforgiving.
I can't believe that I actually completed this game as a kid with the GOOD ending.
Nowadays, 10-15 years later I suck at it.

I regret buying New 'n' Tasty, should've remember how difficult it is.
Especially the desert area.

While Abe's Oddysee can be rather hard and unforgiving, I think comparing it to IWBTG is a bit harsh.

IWBTG kills you outright constantly changing the rules, breaking the world to add things which really shouldn't belong and then laughs in your face.

Abe as I recall doesn't actually change the rules. Sure a few things might need you to fail once or twice because you couldn't see they were there until you were on the screen and getting killed by it, but mostly I found it being rather fair yet quite demanding. I completed it back then though not 100% and my more recent playthrough goes fairly well, most of the deaths seem to be lapses in reaction or not having figured out the right answer.