Is Oddworld a planetary romance?
 

Tried to read and my anti-virus had a massive fit about a bunch of maleware.

I'm pretty sure that site is clean.

Based on TV Tropes' account yes, or close to it. Wikipedia's entry makes it sound a bit different, at least the last time I checked the article. Which, naturally, I didn't do again before writing these two sentences about it.

My interpretation of the Wikipedia article was that a Planetary Romance includes a traveller from outside the planet arriving and exploring. TVTropes didn't spell that out explicitly, but those of the listed examples with which I'm familiar seem to bear it out.

In which case, no it's not.

Princess of Mars is the classic example. I've looked for the name of a genre where the setting is on another planet, especially pre- or intra-industrial tech rather than sci fi, with no new visitors like Nate describes. Especially if it's set in a version of the real universe (it's unclear whether Oddworld is)

I think Avatar would be the popular example these days. Maybe Dune. Anything that could be decribed as "Lawrence of Arabia in space".

Games like Morrowind and Outcast - pretty much anything that involves the player waltzing in from afar, being treated with hostility by the natives and eventually leading them all to glory - could be considered planetary romance.

Oddworld, not really. If nothing else, the stories are too varied. Even if you called Abe's Exoddus a planetary romance, it would hardly apply to Stranger's Wrath.

Planetary western.

I really don't see either the planetary or the romance elements emphasized within any of the Oddworld games tbh.