Abe

Abe (also known as Stitch Lips and Abraham Lure) is the first protagonist to ever appear in the Oddworld franchise. ( Functioning as the protagonist in the games Abe's Oddysee, New 'n' Tasty, Abe's Exoddus, Soulstorm, and the deuteragonist of Munch's Oddysee. ) Abe is a Mudokon, ( The native race of the continent Mudos) and is recognized by his species as a Messiah and as the liberator of the Mudokons. Despite Abe's skepticism and reluctance in being the "chosen one", he managed to liberate a large portion of his species from Glukkon oppression.

Name
Abe's name had a rocky history, with many iterations. The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants details the surprisingly action-packed story: "Was it destiny that the name 'Abe' was chosen? It seems that way when taken into account the instant appeal the name had. Everyone seemed to agree: This poor schmuck was Abe! But the naming process had its ups and downs. Abomen, Abraham Lure, Aben, Prophit, and Monkfish were just some of the names under consideration for Oddworld's first hero. Once decided, it seemed perfect.""However, one day, disaster struck. Word got around the studio that his name was going to be changed to Monkfish! Why? No one knew. Was it for legal reasons? Did Lorne go on a fishing trip? Why? A few of the female staffers conspired to stop this atrocity. No way was he going to be called Monkfish! The word ABE was painted on and cut out of hundreds of pieces of paper. The little papers with the word ABE were placed all over the office for Lorne to see. The men's bathroom, the kitchen, in Lorne's protein shake canister, his office, under his mouse, his phone, his chair and even in his wallet (hey, it was on his desk)! Anywhere Lorne would look, the word ABE would be staring back! Messages were left on his voicemail... 'Abe!'""The gals felt triumphant. They did everything they could to save their beloved Abe. The next day, they found out that prior to the 'revolt' Lorne had already decided to keep the name ABE. Destiny be thy master! Finally, the production staff had a name for the character they drew, animated and brought to life."Abe's Origins further comments that the character's very first name was "Abraham Lure": "Beginning life as Abraham Lure. .."The name is a reference to Abraham from the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Similar to how Abraham from the Bible received a message from God to be a Father of Faith, Abe receives a message from his ancestors to be the Messiah of the Mudokons, both of which are known for putting an end to slavery. Interestingly, the intro credits for Oddworld: Soulstorm also call Abe "Abraham Lure", indicating that this maybe his canon full name, but everyone still just calls him Abe.

Appearance
Abe is distinct in the fact that his skin is a shade of purplish blue, rather than the neutral green tone of his fellow Mudokons. Mudokons are chameleon-like in nature, their skin colour reflecting their inner mood. Abe's blue skin is representative of his sadness for his race (although this was once stated in a Dear Alf to be the result of tanning). His lips were sewn together as a child by his mother Sam, the Mudokon queen, because he often cried and would have been killed for these disturbances. His stitches have since loosened, giving him the ability to speak once again. Even at the urging of the Masked Shaman, Abe refuses to cut them as they are the only memories he, or anyone else, has of his mother.

He has one tattoo on his chest and two scars on the backs of his hands. The two Hand Scars on his hands were obtained after he completed his trials at the Paramonian and Scrabanian Nests. Each scar depicts the trial that he went through. The Paramonian Hand Scar shows of a Paramite and the Scrabanian Hand Scar shows of a Scrab. With them, he gained the ability to transform into The Ancient Mudokon Demigod, Shrykull. The chest tattoo was granted to him by the Three Weirdos in order to heal Mudokons sick from SoulStorm Brew in Abe’s Exoddus, and was granted by The Keeper in the Necrum Catacombs in Oddworld: Soulstorm.

Abe's appearance has slightly changed across the games, for example: In the original Oddysee, his ponytail was somewhat curly and he had four fingers. From Exoddus, his ponytail was straight and his eyes were more yellow that they were in Oddysee, and his hand tattoos appear to have disappeared. In Munch's Oddysee his hand scars are changed to the Mudomo and Mudanchee symbols. In New N Tasty, Abe's skin was darkened, he had visible teeth and the space in between and around his eyes and nostrils became jade in colour. In Oddworld Soulstorm, an even more drastic design was made, with larger eyes and a smaller forehead. His ponytail is now more feather-like (apparently this was always the intention, but they weren't able to animate it well during Abe's Oddysee's development, and the change stuck until Soulstorm). His Necrum chest tattoo is now larger, and stretches further down his chest. His skin colour is more universally blue.

Personality
Abe maybe clumsy, gullible, and naive, but is still a kind-hearted and gentle Mudokon. He has a very cheerful and optimistic personality, and is also somewhat desensitized from being a slave, as many horrifying concepts don't upset him. An example would be in Abe's Exoddus, where he encountered a blind Mudokon, and failed to notice his sewn shut eyes, and after accidentally killing him, Abe merely felt embarrassed, only commenting that he forgot the Mudokon was blind. In-game, Abe tends to react to accidentally murdering Mudokons with a mere "oops". Abe also laughs whenever he kills a Slig or Glukkon. In Oddworld: Soulstorm, he's shown to be incredibly emotionally shaken after finding out the extent of the Glukkons' crimes against the Mudokons in the Necrum Catacombs, being consoled by a keeper as he sobbed. Despite his flaws, Abe generally is an extremely caring and considerate fellow, eager to help others in need. Despite his ditziness, Abe can at times be a genius. Under his cumbersome, gawky demeanor lies a true mastermind, inconspicuously snooping around high-security facilities and putting corporate big bads out of business, not to mention the fact he saved hundreds of slaves.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee / Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty
Abe began his life, as most slave Mudokons did, in an industrial establishment. Specifically, RuptureFarms, the biggest meat processing plant on Oddworld. Abe grew up more or less satisfied with the way things were, until he discovered the Glukkons in charge of RuptureFarms were faced with rapidly declining sales and planned to use Mudokons as a new kind of meat product. Horrified, Abe attempted to somehow escape from RuptureFarms, hoping to try and save his fellow Mudokon workers along the way. During his escape, Abe discovered his inherent ability to possess other beings and take full control over their bodies. Using this new power to his advantage, Abe was able to free himself from RuptureFarms.

Abe soon learned of an aspect of Oddworld with which he was completely unfamiliar; the native side. He learned of the way things used to be, and was directed by Big Face, the Shaman Mudokon, to the harsh regions of Paramonia and Scrabania, where he faced the sacred Paramites and Scrabs.

Surviving these trials, Abe was endowed with two mystical tattoos, one on each hand. They granted him the power to channel an ancient Mudokon God, the Shrykull. With this power, Abe returned to RuptureFarms, rescued all 99 Mudokon workers (299 in the remake, 300 with Alf's Escape), and destroyed the factory before being rescued by Big Face.

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
Not long after, Abe learned of Necrum, an ancient Mudokon tribal burial ground, from a trio of tormented spirits known as the Three Weirdos. The burial chambers were being dug up by greedy Glukkon Industrialists, who sought to use the bones to make SoulStorm Brew, as is revealed in the opening cutscene. To make matters worse, blinded Mudokon workers were being used to dig up the bones. The Three Weirdos pleaded with Abe to go to Necrum and try to save the burial grounds so that the spirits could rest in peace. In response, Abe set off on a trek to try and save the burial grounds, with a group of Mudokon followers in-tow.

Eventually, after crossing a vast desert, they reached the Glukkon establishment. Soon after, Abe discovered SoulStorm Brew, an addictive drink concoction that made anyone who drank it utterly addicted (coining the phrase: "One is too many. A million is not enough."). Abe travelled to the Mudanchee and Mudomo burial vaults to free the spirits there while gaining the power to heal Mudokons addicted to the foul brew from The Three Weirdos.

Abe moved onto FeeCo Depot, a major train station. From here, he traveled to and shut down Bonewerkz and Slig Barracks, before eventually shutting down FeeCo Depot itself.

Abe was soon on his way to the infamous SoulStorm Brewery, where SoulStorm Brew was concocted. He sabotaged brew production by possessing various Glukkons and freeing Mudokons, before Abe ultimately blew up the factory. On his own, Abe managed to liberate all three hundred Mudokons from the facilities.

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Some time later, Abe encounters the Almighty Raisin and learns about a Gabbit named Latamire Munch. The plan is to find Munch and rescue him from the labs where he is being held captive by entering the Big Well, and launching up to Vykkers Labs. But Munch has already been freed by the Fuzzles, and they meet up to continue their journey. With Munch, he gathers a fortune for a pitifully poor Glukkon called Lulu, which they then used to win the last can of Gabbiar (a canned cuisine made of 150 Gabbit eggs), from Vykkers Labs. During Abe and Munch's collaboration, countless lives were saved, among Mudokons and Fuzzles alike. Abe is now an advocate of the Mudokon resistance. He is viewed as a hero by his peers and as a terrorist by the Industrialists. At the end of their journey, Munch thanks Abe for helping him get the Gabbiar, which surprises Abe since, up until then, he had never been thanked for his deeds. Vykkers Labs then bursts into flames and falls to the ground causing the Gabbit Moon to be revealed, ending the game.

Oddworld: Soulstorm
After the celebration with 300 other Mudokons in the Monsaic Sanctum, the former Rupture Farms employees moved into to an outer section of the Monsaic Lines, cheering to Abe for rescuing them. The Masked Shaman had a meeting with Abe trying to encourage him to cut his stitches, with Abe refusing due to them being his only connection to his mother. The shaman warned of the fact that Abe's journey was far from over, stating that he was safe, "only for this moment. And this moment is over." As he said this, Necrum Mines Sligs, who were looking for a messanger that had escaped Necrum Mines, discovered the greater prize of an entire refuge of Mudokons, and started burning the cave. Abe was forced to flee the raid on their sanctuary along with his followers. On the outskirts of the cave Abe discovered the Messenger that the Sligs were originally chasing. Abe tries to comfort the dying Mudokon, who was too close to death's door to recognise him by sight. He does recognise Abe by feeling the stiches on Abe's face, and warns him that Abe's followers are dying, and how he needs to find the keeper, but dies before informing Abe on why the Rupture Farms escapees are dying. Abe takes the map and amulet that the messenger was carrying, and runs outside into Gorge. He quickly discovers that Molluck has returned to kill Abe and restore his honour after the destruction of RuptureFarms. While Abe was able to meet up and ensure safety for his followers, Molluck destroys the bridge that would allow Abe to join them. Alf tells Abe that his followers can use the mineshaft to take a shortcut to the Old Trellis, but Abe must take the long way through Sorrow Valley and to a Phatoline Station, where the train tracks would lead Abe to the Old Trellis.

Abe escapes a trap Molluck set up for him as leaves for the abandoned mining facility at Sorrow Valley. There Abe finds some other escapees who were deadly sick from an unknown affliction. Abe finds ingredients throughout the caves that could make up an Antidote that cures them. Later on in Sorrow Valley, Abe find an already dead escapees with a message telling anyone who reads it to take on his journey to bring a tape labelled 'Projekt Soulstorm' to Abe. Abe pockets this tape and evades another trap from Molluck to make it to the Flub Fuels facility, Phat Station, where a train has pulled in. Abe manages to to get to the the train and proceeds to hijack it, forcing it to stop at the Old Trellis. Abe re-unites with his followers, where he has a chat with Alf about the messenger, his tape, and sick Mudokons. The amulet reveals that the Keeper is in Necrum. Abe takes a stop at Slig Barracks in order to watch the tape and to deactivate the Comms Tower to prevent any other factory from knowing about his escapades. The tape reveals that Soulstorm Brew will kill anyone who has drank it 48 hours after their previous drink if they don't drink it again.

Abe then infiltrates the depths of Necrum where he finds a lone Keeper, who informs him that the Keepers of the Necrum Sanctum exist to preserve Mudokon history in spite of the Glukkons. An alter in the Sanctum gives Abe his chest scar, knowledge of the true history of the Mudokons and the ability to use the Shrykull once again. Abe learns that the best way to free the Mudokons from Soulstorm Brew is to mix in the Antidote in a great enough quantity that the pipelines that bring the Brew from the brewery to all other factories would bring all Mudokons the antidote. Abe collects the antidote ingredients from the Feeco Deepot yards and infiltrates Soulstorm Brewery to bring the antidote to the whole continent, allowing Mudokons to rebel without the threat of cardio-vascualar failure. As Abe sits with Alf and Toby, he reveals that all Mudokons have the same mother, Sam, and that she is in Nolybab.

Appearances

 * Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee 
 * Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
 * Abe's Exoddus: The Movie
 * Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
 * The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years 1994 - 2004
 * Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD
 * Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty
 * Oddworld: Abe's Origins
 * Oddworld: Soulstorm

Notes and Trivia

 * Abe could have been named after 16th President Abraham Lincoln, who emancipated slaves in the United States
 * Abe could also be based off of Abraham from the Book of Exodus.
 * Abe's blue skin could be a reference to the multiple Hindu deities that share the same skin color. This design could have been chosen to hint at Abe's spirituality and holiness.
 * In the March 2011 edition of Dear Alf, it was stated that Abe had blue skin instead of green as a result of tanning.
 * Abe is known for breaking the fourth wall.
 * In Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, he breaks the fourth wall in the opening cutscene as he runs away, telling the player "so...GET ME OUTTA HERE!
 * In Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, after accidentally making a blind Mudokon fall to his death, he looks at the camera, saying "Help me rescue the rest of them!." During another cutscene, when the Mudokons become addicted to Soulstorm Brew, the Slig guard telling the Mudokons to "Step right up!" before knocking out the first Mudokon that steps in line, looking at the camera with a thumbs up, saying "I love this job, hah hah!". When Director Phleg orders the Slig to open the main gate, the Slig looks at the camera before saying "Orders is orders!". In the Good Ending, as Soulstorm Brewery is about to blow up, The Brewmaster faces the player and say "NO..IT'S NOT FAIR...WE HAD TWICE - ZE FLAVOUR! AAAAH!" and then when Abe and his fellow Mudokons were facing the Mudokon Moon with the handprint and zooms out, the Three Weirdos are there, as they face the player and shrug before the last Magog on the March interrupts the moment.
 * In New 'N' Tasty, just like the original Oddysee, when Abe is running from a Slig in RuptureFarms at the end of the intro, he shouts "GET ME OUTTA HERE!". When Abe falls down the vent and lands on a conveyer belt, he sees two Scrabs in cages, each beside him. He then looks at the camera and gulps before one attempts to attack him. As Abe is crossing the rope to the Scrabanian Temple, he loses his balance and ends up hanging on for dear life under the rope as he looks at the player and lets out a sad "Oh....". When Abe makes it to Big Face in the Scrabanian Nests to get his hand scar, he looks at the player and gives a sad expression on his face before heading up to Big Face.
 * He's one of the few main characters, among with Munch, to stay completely barefoot through the entire game, regardless of the terrain.
 * He can be seen dying or already dead in most of the bad endings;
 * In Oddworld: Abes Oddysee, he is dropped to his death in the execution chamber if he didn't save enough Mudokons, as they let him die for not saving them.
 * In Oddworld: Abes Exoddus, he is stopped by the Mudokons that originally joined him at the entrance of the Boiler Room, as they are angry with Abe for not saving the other Mudokons. One of the Mudokons sneaks up behind Abe and knocks him out with an empty Soulstorm bottle, claiming that he (Abe) isn't going to get away with it. Abe wakes up to find himself attached to a Tear Extractor and is found by The Brewmaster and a Slig, as they excitedly activate the machine, electrocuting Abe to death in the process.
 * In Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, if Munch or Abe don't save enough Mudokons or Fuzzles, both are subsequently ambushed by a large group of Fuzzles while Abe and Munch are about to escape with the last can of Gabbiar. They are upset and angry that neither Abe or Munch saved them, claiming the Vykkers 'did bad things' to them, and want payback for neither character saving them, one activating the alarm behind them as they then proceed to overwhelm both the defenseless characters, murdering Abe and putting his head up as a trophy, and getting Munch recaptured, resulting in having his lungs forcefully removed, subsequently killing him as a result. He is later shown in the final bad ending scene with a beheaded Munch and other Mudokons.
 * In Oddworld: Soulstorm, if the player's Quarma is below 80%, Abe attempts to access the Ambar amulet, only for the creature in it to shatter into pieces, disheartening Abe. During an attack from Flying Sligs, Abe accidentally spills a crate of Soulstorm Brew, which, sparked from the overactive furnace, ignites and kills Abe, Alf, and Toby. The train, now on fire, rams into the Soulstorm Brewery, blowing it up in the process. Mullock, being forced into hiding as a result, kills his pilot, and retreats to the Yaymans.
 * In Oddworld: Soulstorm, if the player's Quarma is below 80%, Abe attempts to access the Ambar amulet, only for the creature in it to shatter into pieces, disheartening Abe. During an attack from Flying Sligs, Abe accidentally spills a crate of Soulstorm Brew, which, sparked from the overactive furnace, ignites and kills Abe, Alf, and Toby. The train, now on fire, rams into the Soulstorm Brewery, blowing it up in the process. Mullock, being forced into hiding as a result, kills his pilot, and retreats to the Yaymans.