Abe's Oddysee is possibly the most refreshingly original and vibrant platformer of its time, if not the last twenty years. Its environments, while dark and overwhelmingly rural at times, are breathtaking. I still get shudders watching the scenes change while traveling between zones. The game hosts a minimalist soundtrack that perfectly sets the tone, as well as many dire (yet often humorous) cutscenes. Unlike the other games in the Oddworld canon, this one used a poetic scheme for many of the undulations in the plot. While this may sound pretentious, it's a charming feature and helps solidify an air of mystique.
The gameplay is unique; your main objective is to navigate through a network of both industrial and wilderness areas on your way to shut down what is effectively a slave complex. However, this is mostly for naught unless you stop along the way to rescue your comrades, who are scattered throughout many levels of a factory. This is done with the aid of Oddworld's "Gamespeak" function, where different keystrokes will voice different commands to workers. Abe, the titular hero, has several innate and acquired powers that aid him in destruction and rescue, most notably the ability to possess and speak for enemy soldiers.
One word of warning—Abe's Oddysee is somewhat unforgiving at times, especially for completionists. The game does not feature a flexible save feature like its sequel; one can save and quit at any time, but may only load or respawn at designated checkpoints. If a detour is taken, that progress will usually only set in stone once progress is made on the main path, meaning one misstep will sometimes require doing separate segments over again.