A short history lesson is due for latecomers to this series. In the first two episodes, the hero was Abe, a little mudokon janitor who was as honest as he was anonymous. One day Abe happened to overhear the planet’s glukkon masters as they discussed their newest nefarious plans in the executive suite. They had hit upon the idea to turn Abe’s brethren into a new taste sensation in their frightful meat-packing plant. Reluctantly, Abe became a hero as he set his fellows free and shut down the facility.

In much the same way, Abe was later forced to return to the land of the glukkons to put a stop to the new Soulstrom Brew. This addicting elixir was brewed from the bones of Abe’s long-dead ancestors. It seems these unscrupulous industrialists will stop at nothing to make a buck, and they constantly come up with new exploitations.

The first two Oddworld games were built for the Sony PlayStation, but in something of a coup for Microsoft, the Oddysee franchise moved to the Xbox for its next installments. Oddworld Inhabitants' President Lorne Lanning was very happy about the move, stating in a press release at the time: "On the X-Box, there's a lot less compromise. It's an extremely exciting system. In the end, they cannot build computers or game machines as fast and powerful enough for what we really want to do, but in getting as close to that end as we can, this system is the one that developers are going to be the most excited about, which ultimately means that game-players are going to be getting the best experiences from."

[In an odd parallel with the game’s nefarious glukkon industrial complex, Abe and Munch may not long escape the clutches of a real-life "mega-corp." With recent news about slumping sales in Japan and Europe, and the exodus of Xbox guru Seamus Blackley from the Xbox team, it will be interesting to see if Abe and Munch can stay away from Sony for long. ]

In this new installment, Munch is the newest hero introduced to Oddworld fans. Fortunately, Abe is back as well, and the two team up in several levels. But the central figure is Munch. He’s an ugly little brute, with big eyes and a flipper that makes him mobile in water but reduced to hopping on land. In some cases, he needs a wheelchair to get around.

Power-ups help, as well. There are vending machines with all kinds of pick-me-ups, such as Bounce, Expresso, Zap, etc. Some products work for Abe, and some for Munch. It’s interesting that Abe and Munch have different powers: For example, Munch has little furry creatures who come to his rescue, but they fear Abe, who uses chanting homeboys for his posse…well, you just have to play it to see.

It turns out that Munch is the last remaining gabbit on Earth. The reason is that the glukkons have developed a taste for caviar made from gabbit eggs. Like the voracious, hyper-consumptive society that they are, they’ve managed to eradicate all gabbits, save for one remaining can of eggs. Time is running out, as the last box will be put up for bids at an exclusive auction. Abe’s goal is to save the box, hatch the eggs and re-populate the planet with gabbits.

The characters are delightfully odd, and it’s almost impossible to avoid caring deeply for them after a few sessions. Cute noises, clever insights, playing reluctant warrior to the hilt…it all works. The story is excellent, the voices are engaging, and the artwork is exceptional. You have to like this game once you start to get into it.

Some of the high points:

Oddworld is a supremely deep story that is consistent and coherent Superb (and lengthy) mini-movie that covers the first Abe’s World games and gets everyone up to date. Low-key, mopey voice work is perfect for the diminutive heroes. They asks favors politely, they talk funny, and they wish they were somewhere else most of the time. The 3-D artwork is breathtaking. The graphics won an award in 2001 for Outstanding Achievement in Animation from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. More awards have probably piled up since then. The way the characters absent-mindedly scratch their butts when they’re waiting for orders is priceless. The levels are varied, with puzzles and escape routes mapped out for you. Very often you know what to do instinctively. It may take a few tries, but you’ll eventually find a way. In most cases there is more than one way to proceed. Towards the end the levels are a bit repetitive, but that’s true for most puzzle games. The ability to pull information from well-placed Information kiosks is excellent, and you rarely feel helpless or unsure of what the goal is — which is noteworthy, because the quest takes you through multiple scenarios, and some of the levels are huge.

Other interesting features and comments:

Spooce — is that a spoof on spice? It’s plentiful and powerful, a good combination Anti-multi-national motif is funny, since moneybags backer/producer Microsoft is one of the biggest companies in the business, and once-spurned Sony would love to get Oddworld back. Little kids may not like the scene where the critters have their eyes sewn shut so they can’t see what they’re making (it brings to mind a scene with the evil Baron Harkonnen in the movie Dune). Likewise, when the little furry fuzzles tear into sligs, it’s a bit grim. They’re such cute, fuzzy little tribbles, it’s kind of scary when they turn out to be piranhas with heavy sweaters. The development of a separate vocabulary takes some time, learning about sligs, glukkons, Fuzzles, Vykkers, etc. But it also adds to the cultish allure. At first the buttons get in the way quite a bit; it’s almost funny watching someone play as they hit the wrong key and start hopping unexpectedly instead of pushing a button on a drink machine. The key mapping could probably use some work for the next installment.

Similarly, the camera angles can be a bit exasperating, as they don’t always align correctly. Some levels are so dark, they’re almost black. But these are nits.

The manual is good enough to leaf through for reference, and it keeps the quirkiness of the story in mind, staying consistent with the game itself.

The multiplayer options are nonexistent; this is a one-person show. The game is so linear, you can only wait for the next installment if you want to keep going. There aren’t a lot of evergreen features, although you can replay and solve the levels in several different ways.

In summary, if you’re looking for a good story and a pretty picture, this is your title. The humor is sly and cerebral, but totally engaging. Besides, you always wanted to save the world from merciless industrialists, right? At least this way you don’t have to dodge police batons while protesting the World Trade Organization.