Is the Quintology dead?

[kjjcarpenter]

The very nature of Soulstorm is currently a press release and a couple interviews with Lorne, so I'm going to stick with the Quintology still being the five hero Quintology, no matter how much you want a story solely focused on Abe.

Soulstorm is a rewrite, using the spine of Exoddus.

Also, I never said I wanted a story focused solely on Abe. Please don't put words in my mouth.

[JayDee]

Soulstorm is a rewrite, using the spine of Exoddus.

I'm pretty sure I've used this example before, but if you rewrite Hamlet to put it in Africa and make all the character lions you have The Lion King. But it's still Hamlet. Soulstorm will still be Exoddus, The Quintology will still be The Quintology.

Also, I never said I wanted a story focused solely on Abe. Please don't put words in my mouth.

...I see this as, for lack of a better term, "Quintology, Mark II". This is a chance to start again, to tell a simpler, more refined story. I can't help but feel—this time around—we're going to see less quasi-revolutionary risks, and a far more streamlined, character-centric story, with Abe as the lynchpin...

The Quintology, Mark II:

• New 'n' Tasty
• Soulstorm
• Abe's Happy Third Adventure, sans Munch [Unreleased]
• Abe's Amazing Fourth Adventure, featuring Squeek [Unreleased]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have written exactly that you want your "Quintology, Mark II" to focus solely on Abe.

[kjjcarpenter]

I'm pretty sure I've used this example before, but if you rewrite Hamlet to put it in Africa and make all the character lions you have The Lion King. But it's still Hamlet.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have written exactly that you want "The Quintology, Mark II" to focus solely on Abe.

I said I think that's what's going to happen, due to the debacle of Munch. I don't necessarily want it to happen.

[Vlam]

I'm going to be the devil's advocate:

We also have the rest of the Quintology. It’s really about Abe’s story, from the beginning of being a lowly third world slave laborer to eventually winding up dead, smack center in a giant Metropolis, in the heart of consumerism

http://www.godisageek.com/2015/06/lo...ing-interview/

Moreover, it's true that Lanning doesn't brag about the "Quintology" anymore (since Stranger's Wrath, in fact).

[Nepsotic]

I don't particularly care for the Quintology, I'd just rather have more Abe games seeing as it's their gameplay which is the main focus. That's what I love most about the original two - the gameplay.
More of that, please.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have written exactly that you want your "Quintology, Mark II" to focus solely on Abe.

That's because Abe is the main character, and so far the best to play as.

Ergo, you believe Soulstorm is merely a bonus game? Yes or no?

No, Abe's Exoddus is a sequel, plain and simple. Lorne can call it whatever he wants, it may not be a main game in the series, but it's a sequel whether he likes it or not. Bonus game is such a meaningless word at this point in time.

[HOMINIX]

I always thought it would be great if Abe were the "guide" throughout all of the Quintology games, sort of how he's the guide for Munch.

It would be great for each Quintology game to have a different main character, in my opinion. Abe doesn't necessarily have to be playable, he could be a character akin to Big Face or even end up dying and guiding the main character like the Weirdos guided Abe.

Exoddus is a sequel, but assuming that the Quintology would go on as originally planned, (which isn't really a safe assumption at this point, I'll admit) Exoddus would be more of a full sized epilogue to Abe's Oddysee, but not an entry in the Quintology. Really though, with Exoddus being rewritten, who knows how close they'll stick to the original plan for the Quintology.

[Nepsotic]

I like how they ditched GT's dumb 'odd' adventure pun title format.

[kjjcarpenter]

Have you seen the G4 Retrospective on Oddworld, Nep? The narrator was so enthusiastic because their "great marketing team" changed the name of the game from 'Soulstorm' to 'Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee'. I always thought the original title sounded far superior, much more indicative of the aesthetics and themes of the game.

Hominix, I could be on board with Exoddus/Soulstorm being the epilogue of Abe's story—in the same vein of the book Dune Messiah being the epilogue of Paul's story, while the larger, overarching story keeps churning away—but do you think that the audience would respond well to Abe being delegated as sidekick, or a simple mentor?

[Nepsotic]

I would personally be much happier if they explored different characters with different stories, but with the same core AO gameplay. Saying that, OWI have never been one for good character development.
I think Abe's story should be self contained, ending with Soulstorm or perhaps a third installment. He finds the secret of Sam and frees her or whatever and that's that.
Then, we get a new story with new characters and new challenges, but the Magog Cartel remain the arch antagonist throughout the games.

[Manco]

But that wouldn’t work for the Quintology’s story – the whole point of the Quintology is for small rumblings turn into a revolution that upsets the whole of Oddworld. If you start a new story with a new character each time then you can’t effectively raise the stakes each time in the same way.

The story makes more sense to have the revolution start with Abe and continue onward with him.

[Connell]

I'm just imagining the quintology ending with some hideous multiplayer thing where you can switch between characters like Sonic Heroes but with Abe and the rest of the Quintology heroes as they take down the top of the Magog Cartel. How awful would that be? Haha.

[Nepsotic]

But that wouldn’t work for the Quintology’s story – the whole point of the Quintology is for small rumblings turn into a revolution that upsets the whole of Oddworld. If you start a new story with a new character each time then you can’t effectively raise the stakes each time in the same way.

The story makes more sense to have the revolution start with Abe and continue onward with him.

I don't care for the Quintology, I just said that's what I'd prefer.

[Vlam]

I'm just imagining the quintology ending with some hideous multiplayer thing where you can switch between characters like Sonic Heroes but with Abe and the rest of the Quintology heroes as they take down the top of the Magog Cartel. How awful would that be? Haha.

Actually, that's not even a joke:

*Lorne: The perspective is about knowing where he lies in the food chain. Abe has his odyssey. The second game will be Munch’s odyssey. He and Abe work together. The third is Squeek’s—​and all three of them will work together. By the time we’re at the fifth game, you’ll be controlling five individual heroes.

http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/..._Oddworld_Team

[Xavier]

Yeah, but he never said "at once". It wouldn't be surprising to have different groups working together depending on the level you are playing.

[kjjcarpenter]

Yeah, but he never said "at once". It wouldn't be surprising to have different groups working together depending on the level you are playing.

Honestly, with how "Munch's Oddysee" ended, I never got the impression that he was going to tag along with Abe indefinitely. I always imagined him bouncing off to Ma'Spa and living happily ever after with his Gabbit children while Abe delved onwards into th deep. He always seemed more or a burden than anything else.

[Wil]

'Happily ever after' isn't a phrase Gabbits get to enjoy. Not when they're no less valuable as consumer products than they were leading up to their near-extinction in the first place. That'd be like thinking the Mudokons' problems were over just because they'd escaped RuptureFarms.

[kjjcarpenter]

'Happily ever after' isn't a phrase Gabbits get to enjoy. Not when they're no less valuable as consumer products than they were leading up to their near-extinction in the first place. That'd be like thinking the Mudokons' problems were over just because they'd escaped RuptureFarms.

Damn it, Wil! Let me dream! Haha.

The ending of Munch does have a very auspicious quality to it though; very unlike Exoddus, which was bittersweet.

[Manco]

I have to wonder at what point the Industrialists start going on the offensive. It seems strange that they left Abe and the native Mudokons alone for as long as they did, especially considering how hysterical they were in AE.

[Vlam]

Honestly, with how "Munch's Oddysee" ended, I never got the impression that he was going to tag along with Abe indefinitely. I always imagined him bouncing off to Ma'Spa and living happily ever after with his Gabbit children while Abe delved onwards into th deep. He always seemed more or a burden than anything else.

Abe and Munch, at least in the beginning, weren't supposed to get along:

IT: What role will Abe play in Munch's Oddysee?
LL: Abe basically kidnaps Munch in the beginning, so Munch really hates Abe
for first half of the experience.

IT: What will the relationship be between Munch and Abe?
LL: Completely dysfunctional... until they learn how to get along. Munch
winds up in a wheelchair for a good part of the story, and during that time
Abe just pushes him around to where Abe wants to go, without concern for
how Munch feels. So Munch really resents Abe and doesn't hesitate to let
him know it.

http://mastergamer.com/featuresinterviewodd.html