One of the things to keep in mind is that the first game of a series is what usually establishes both the fanbase and the tone. That tone being what the fans then view as the default. Exoddus was unusual in the world of sequels in that it was not, as it usually goes,
darker and edgier. Quite the opposite. This is understandable, usually the second instalment of a series puts the protagonist(s) in much greater peril as things get worse before they get better. Not in Oddworld, I don't think. In a traditional tragedy (which we know the
Oddysee series will be) things start looking up for the protagonist toward the end of the second act before things start taking a terrible and irreversible turn for the worst.
In
Abe's Oddysee Abe's journey is thrust upon him out of nowhere, he find his entire world turned against him and fights for basic survival, before escaping, learning his cultural heritage and learning his destiny, accepts it, then returns to the dragon's lair to slay the villain and save his people. All the way through Molluck is what he always has been to Abe: the powerful, capricious, ruthless guy in charge of Abe's entire world.
In Exoddus, we learn more about Molluck's place in the wider scheme of things. We get hints that that the Glukkon's may not really be the worst or the top of the food chain.
Notice that Abe chooses this adventure, rather than having it thrust upon him. He has some idea of what he is going to face, if not the details, and he now knows what role he plays. We see that the assembled villains' ruthlessness is matched only by their incompetence, but the impression is still that if Abe had grown up in their employ instead then he would see them as he saw Molluck, and how small his world in
Oddysee had been. The
Exoddus world is still small, but we start to see it that way. A piece of an inscrutable whole.
Greeters. There's an enemy that would stand out in Rupture Farms. And fleeches, who go out of their way to mitigate your frustration at dying by belching loudly. Mudokon fist-fights. Laughing gas.
That's plot and character. There's more to it than that. Art direction, for example. The palette of the world was generally brighter and more colourful. Much of it occured in the day. Even Necrum, a Mudokon necropolis, is bright, and indeed tropical. An oasis. It is one of the most atmospheric parts of the game rivalling Monsaic Lines, but Necrum was a destination rather than discovery. The climates of the native environments in
Exoddus were quite attractive as a potential holiday destination, while
Oddysee feature the desert part of the desert and a temperate forest. The temples in
Oddysee felt genuinely dank, dark and ancient. Mundanchee vault was well-lit, and Mudomo's purple wasn't quite as oppressive as the Paramonian temple's green. The grittiness of the original's assets and backgrounds compared to the crisper sequal's should not be underestimated either.
Does personality equal childishness?
