The Mudokons are a highly spiritual race that are native to the continent of Mudos. They were once considered the supreme race on Oddworld, before being enslaved by the Glukkons. The majority of the Mudokon population are now born into captivity, and are forced to work in Glukkon factories. However, recently, thanks to the effort of Abe, they are now starting to revolt against the Glukkons.
Mudokons are the main protagonist race in Abe's Oddysee (and its remake), Abe's Exoddus (and its reimagining), and Munch's Oddysee (alongside the Fuzzles and Gabbits).
Anatomy and Physiology[]
A map depicting the various parts of a mudokon.
Mudokons are greenish-blue avian humanoids with turtle-like facial features. Having evolved from Birds, Mudokons have hollow yet strong bones and well-toned muscles, and are quite agile compared to the other creatures of Mudos, able to jump further than a Paramite and outrun a Scrab. Unlike normal avians, however, Mudokons have pointed, elf-like ears and lack beaks, instead possessing human-like teeth and lips. Despite this, however, Mudokons do apparently have gizzards. Mudokons also possess feathers, but these feathers are usually present in small clusters on the head and (occasionally) forearms, with the rest of their skin being mostly bare. As seen with the Mulletokon tribe, Mudokons can also grow short, downy feathers on their faces in a manner similar to facial hair. The hands of Mudokons are large and tetradactyl (four-fingered) in structure, with an enlarged thumb, two main fingers of equal length, and a very small, seemingly vestigial outer finger that lacks a nail or claw. Their large hands are one of their primary means of self-defense when unarmed, and allow them to perform powerful slaps. Their feet, as is the case for many ground birds, have three functional toes, though they walk in a plantigrade gait, and the outermost third toe is much smaller than the first and second toes. Uniquely, Mudokons have the ability to alter their skin-tone to reflect their current mood; angered Mudokons turn a reddish hue, overjoyed Mudokons turn yellow/green, and depressed Mudokons turn blue. Mudokons are oviparous and come from eggs produced by the Mudokon queen, Sam. Mudokons are also known to live a lifespan of roughly 40 years. In addition, they are the only species in Oddworld to bear a close resemblance to humans. According to Alf, most Mudokons (with the exception of queens and male drones) are infertile and are most likely incapable of reproducing.[1]
Mudokons have superior physical strength than both Glukons and even cybernetic-enhanced Sligs, as it's shown that Abe can outrun and outjump Slig soldiers most of the time or even manage to choke a Slig guard easily.
A mudokon shaman sitting by a warm fire
Spiritual Power[]
Mudokons are very spiritually active, although it's unknown whether this is part of their biology, or whether it was developed through their religion. Mudokons can gain spiritual energy from a variety of sources, such as through spooce shrubs, to gain spooce. Mudokons can bring out their spiritual power through chanting. This displays itself through possession/chi orbs, which allow Mudokons to possess other beings, to power spooce locks and upgrade shrines or to activate bells. It can also be used offensively, to cause those who hear their chanting to explode. They can lend their powers to each other in various ways. Even the average Mudokon unaware of his cultural history can lend another Mudokon his innate spiritual powers, but bird portals can allow Mudokons to send healing energy or even a Shrykull Ring as thanks for the teleportation. With enough practise, Mudokon monks can lend another Mudokon the ancient psychic techniques of the Spirit Ring and the Healing Ring. Even dead mudokons can lend alive ones Invisibility Rings.
History[]
Before the Quintology[]
Much of the Mudokon's history is lost, both intentionally destroyed and the methods by which it was kept forgotten. What is known is that Mudokons, many thousands of years ago, were a great race, excelling in religion, art, philosophy and politics. Many served as "advisors" to other races, and often abused this position to instigate conflicts between the more warlike.[2] When a meteor shower carved the Mudokon handprint into Oddworld's largest moon, the Mudokons would claim this as a sign of great favor by the spirits and declared themselves the Chosen. Outraged, the Glukkons broke off relations with the Mudokons and retreated underground, in an event known as the Schism.
When the Glukkons reappeared, they did so with industrial ambitions. At first Mudokons would willingly work with the Glukkons, but as the Glukkons took more and more land, wars would erupt. The great tribes would go extinct, and the Queens would be pressed into servitude, continuously laying generations of cheap labor for the Glukkons. During their enslavement, their long-treasured heritage would fade under the care of the few who still practiced their ancient traditions. Glukkon society flourished on the broken backs of Mudokons.
Classic Quintology[]
The Rise of the Messiah[]
Mudokons saluting the Mudokon Moon
Within the confines of the Glukkon food processing plant RuptureFarms, a young floor waxer may have lived out his life complacent and loyal. However, fate's fickle finger picked him, and he would learn that Mullock the Glukkon intended to make up the shortfall in hunted livestock with Mudokon Pops, sourced from his own kind. His name was Abe, and he would escape from RuptureFarms armed with nothing but instinct, and a few grenades picked up along the way. Once past the furthest perimeter of the Stockyards, Abe would discover his handprint marked directly into the sky. Before being able to properly think through the significance of this, he fell, smashed his head in, and died.
Out of the shadows a "Big Face" appeared. Making the shape of the infinite with his staff, this shaman told Abe of his purpose: to save the sacred animals of Paramites and Scrabs from the ravenous maw of RuptureFarms. Abe's test was to face the creatures, and claim their scars by finding the great monuments within the temples of Paramonia and Scrabania, with the help of the few who still practiced the old ways. The seers of the Monsaic Lines had a prophecy that a blue-skinned Mudokon, born in the factories would the one bold enough to break the forces of Rupture Farms, and indeed, he was (although he did not enjoy a second of it).
Reclaiming Mudokon Society[]
Upon receiving both marks, the reason for his quest was revealed: the channeling of the Shrykull. With this power, Abe returned to RuptureFarms, freed all 99 of his coworkers, and was helped in turn to escape from Molluck's execution chamber. Not even a minute after being teleported back, Abe would find his head smashed against the ground once again, in which he would see a new vision: the spirits of Necrum demanded his aid, as the Glukkon had been raiding the scared necropolis for bones. With a few friends, Abe made the trek to Necrum. There he discovered both the scale of the operation and its purpose. Soulstorm Brew was being developed to keep Mudokons addicted and dependent. Conquering more trials against the Paramites and Scrabs, the spirits of Necrum rewards Abe with the power to undo the Glukkon's schemes.
The many warriors ranks found in mudokon society
Abe would undo the source of the poison, but the rebuilding would be a slow process. In the caves of Monsaic Lines, the jungles of Necrum and the plateaus of the Spooceshrub Forest, Mudokons were coming together to gradually rediscover their once lost heritage. To combat the remaining Magog facilities, Mudokons began to train successors of the once fearsome Mudokon warriors including Mudarchers and Tomahawkers. Through both raiding and rehab, the Mudokons would reclaim their brothers in bondage. The Mudokon resistance had begun.
Modern Quintology[]
Lives Inside of Lies[]
Mudokon slaves were kept content with the products they slaved for and with luxuries that were once their everyday right. The were kept "informed" about the world beyond their factories, made to distort their worldview and frame their situation as benevolence instead of oppression. Many didn't buy in, and went on the run. Some would find cities not bound by the Magog Cartel, but only so much ever came from what the Glukkons called "PR nightmares". Then the Mudokons were introduced to a new drink: Soulstorm Brew, and suddenly, the thought of escaping became a bit more unthinkable. Whatever truth made it into Mudokon hands was secreted away, for there were those who knew that a messiah was coming.
Terrible Truth[]
Within the confines of the Glukkon food processing plant RuptureFarms, a young floor waxer may have lived out his life complacent and loyal. However, fate's fickle finger picked him, and he would learn that Mullock the Glukkon intended to make up the shortfall in hunted livestock with Mudokon Pops, sourced from his own kind. His name was Abe, and he would escape from RuptureFarms armed with nothing but instinct, and a few grenades picked up along the way. Once past the furthest perimeter of the Stockyards, Abe would discover his handprint marked directly into the sky. Before being able to properly think through the significance of this, he fell, smashed his head in, and died.
Climbing down from the cliffs, a "Big Face" appeared. Drawing the shape of the infinite into the sand, this shaman told Abe of his purpose: to save the sacred animals of Paramites and Scrabs from the ravenous maw of RuptureFarms. Abe's test was to face the creatures, and claim the scars of their great tribes within the temples of Paramonia and Scrabania, with the help of the few monks who still practiced the old ways. The seers of the Monsaic Lines had a prophecy that a blue-skinned Mudokon, born in the factories would the one bold enough to break the forces of Rupture Farms, and indeed, he was (although he did not enjoy a second of it). Once he received both scars, he returned to the Monsaic Temple, and was granted the power of the Shrykull. With this, Abe returned to RuptureFarms, freed 300 of his coworkers, and was helped in turn to escape from Molluck's execution chamber.
Strings of Oppression[]
Word spread quickly of this uprising. An insignia was made, and some would align themselves with the so called "Spirit of 1029". With wheels set into motion, a single messenger from Necrum was sent with the last hope for the Mudokons. While Abe and his followers hid in the Monsaic Sanctum, both Molluck's sligs were looking to smoke him out, and Necrum sligs were on the search for the renegade escapee. In the panic that ensued upon being discovered, the RuptureFarms renegades were forced on the run. Abe did receive the message: a map, a strange insect cased in amber, and the instruction to "find the keeper".
Abe's journey would leave a series of uprisings and mass exoduses in his wake, and eventually he would find this "Keeper" in the utter depths of Necrum. Earlier he had obtained a tape discovered and delivered by another part of the Keepers secret society. This tape revealed that Soulstorm Brew was more than just delicious and energizing, it bound them in chains of addiction and prevented breakouts by forming a dependency that ended a Mudokon's life in 48 hours if not consistently drank. But the Keeper had far more to show Abe. Kicking him to the catacombs, Abe would survive encounters with nests of Sleeches and find the "Stone of the Fragon's Eye". This acted as a key to a great mechanism, forcing him to learn the true history of the Mudokons.
Abe would free the workforce of Necrum on the way out, but he had to now focus on survival. With his friends Alf and Toby, a plan was made to incite a rebellion at FeeCo Depot. While the revolt in the yards was suppressed when Abe arrived, he was able to save those trapped in makeshift prisons and recover the antidote ingredients the insurrectionists had gathered. Breaking into Soulstorm Brewery, Abe overrode the central machine and forced it to produce an antidote to Soulstorm Brew's effects. Following this, the news of Abe's adventures and the destruction of the Brew's chemical dependencies led to numerous factories across Mudos suffering uprisings.
Variants & classes[]
Mudokons can have five different conditions exclusive to Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, adding a challenging obstacle when Abe tries to rescue them.
Emotions[]
Angry[]
An angry Mudokon can be identified by the red hue on their skin. If Abe smacks an angry Mudokon, it will immediately strike back. They will smack other nearby Mudokons and operate traps, hampering the player's progress (unless, in most cases, he tells them to "stop it"). Angry Mudokons won't follow Abe until Abe tells one that he's "sorry", in that it will no longer be angry and follow Abe's orders. Normal Mudokons can get angry if Abe unjustly hits them.
Wired[]
A wired[3] Mudokon can be identified by their slap-happy, erratic behavior and yellow-hued skin. These are Mudokons that have been exposed to laughing gas. While wired, these Mudokons will follow Abe no matter what. However, they will hyper-actively run around and be hard to manage, making sneaking by enemies impossible. They can be calmed by hitting them once, after that, they will no longer be wired; unless they're exposed to laughing gas again.
Depressed[]
A depressed Mudokon can be identified by their sharp-blue hued skin. Mudokons can either be discovered this way or will become depressed upon seeing another Mudokon getting killed, including Abe. They will not follow Abe's orders, so Abe must tell a depressed Mudokon he's "sorry" to snap them out of their depression. However, striking a Mudokon in this state will turn it suicidal, and it will constantly hit itself until it dies unless Abe uses the "sorry" command (or for that matter, the "stop it" command) to stop it in time.
Afflictions[]
Sick[]
A sick Mudokon is the least common type of the five. There are only two known factors that can cause Mudokon sickness; drinking the highly addictive Soulstorm Brew, or being left in a Tear Extractor. Their sickness negates the ability for them to do anything at all, and they must be cured by Abe using a healing ring given to him by a shaman. This first occurs on the five Mudokons that followed Abe to Necrum at the beginning of Abe's Exoddus and doesn't occur again until Abe reaches Soulstorm Brewery. They can be slapped but all it will do is make them do a "Sad" groan and kneel back down. Trying to talk to them will just make them groan and grip their heads.
Blind[]
A blind Mudokon can be identified by their greyish skin, while in cutscenes, they are also shown to have their eyelids sewn shut (done on purpose by the Glukkons to allow for their usage in Necrum Mines, as it would keep them from knowing they were digging up the bones of their ancestors). Because of their blindness, they can't simply follow Abe the way Mudokons normally can and have to rely solely on well-timed voice commands that Abe gives out. Poorly-timed voice commands could have a blind Mudokon wandering into hazards. Despite their blindness, they will run straight into activated bird portals (though can comically run into a wall before doing so). Like normal Mudokons, they can become angry, depressed, sick, OR wired.
Warrior Classes[]
There are two new native warrior Mudokon types exclusive to Munch's Oddysee that are capable of combat. Because their homes are where Abe finds them, they do not need to be rescued with bird portals. These Mudokons types can either be found how they are or can be transformed or upgraded with Spooce.
Tomahawker[]
A Tomahawker is a melee-fighter capable of doing a good deal of damage to enemies with its club weapon. They will fight enemies when Abe commands it, or if they encounter threats on their own. Normal native Mudokons can be upgraded into Tomahawkers, which can be further upgraded to Mudarchers, provided there's enough Spooce to do this.
Mudarcher[]
A Mudarcher is an elite Mudokon capable of ranged combat - doing damage that's very effective against armored enemies. They will fire at enemies when Abe commands it, or if they encounter threats on their own. Mudarchers can be upgraded from Tomahawkers, provided there's enough Spooce to do this.
Monks[]
In New 'n' Tasty, many natives wear masks. These are the natives that you have to whistle to get past.
Monsaic[]
These Mudokons appear in the Monsaic Lines and Rupture Farms. The Monsaic Lines monks are guards that will attack you with a lethal slingshot if you approach them. They will only calm down if Abe replicates their passcode correctly. In Rupture Farms, they will stand in the background and chant if Abe approaches to give him a red Spirit Ring. Their mask is wooden and the surface is bark, with spirals carved in where the eyes would be. This mask appears to blind the Mudokon, although that might be the point, as a part of the spiritual training.
Paramonian[]
These monks live in the Paramonian forest and Temple. The ones that live in the forest block Abe's way, until he whistles a code to them. The ones that live in the temple will give out Spirit Rings after the whistle code. They wear heartwood masks with six eye holes with a black Paramite glyph drawn on.
Scrabanian[]
These monks live in the Scrabanian desert. They can either pull levers or summon spirit rings after a whistle combination. Their mask appears to be taut leather, with a red paint drawing of the Scrab glyph and many black dots on the front.
Other Mudokon Classes[]
Queen[]
Mudokon Queens are female Mudokons, and the only ones known to be capable of laying eggs. Queens are physogastric; their abdomens are enlarged to the point of immobility to accommodate the scale of reproduction they undergo. Indeed, a single queen can easily produce an entire factory's "supply" of employees. All known surviving Mudokons queens (if there are even more than one) are held captive by the Glukkons to produce lifelong slaves for the factories of Mudos and beyond. Most Mudokons aren't even aware that queens exist, being raised to believe that their singular mothers died. The only known Mudokon Queen is Sam, kept captive in Nolybab.
Scrubs[]
Scrubs are the a special designation for Mudokons working in the northern plateaus of East Mudos. These Mudokon prisoners sport a prisoner outfit and do what the name suggests. These Mudokons can be saved by Abe to earn good Quarma.
Shaman[]
The Shaman is a servant to the Almighty Raisin in Munch's Oddysee. This Mudokon can be found guiding Abe or Munch on their journey by saying tips and such to help them on their adventure. He teleports to the protagonists via Shaman Circles. In Soulstorm, the Masked Shaman plays a similar role and can communicate with Abe from beyond the grave.
Keepers[]
Keepers appear to be some sort of monk subclass introduced in Oddworld: Soulstorm. They inhabit massive underground vaults, where they keep records of oddworld's past hidden from industrial forces. They seem to refer to themselves as a single entity and all remain in a constant state of suspended animation similar to Sokushinbutsu mummies. They mummify themselves within massive honeycomb-shaped structures, and are constantly suspended in honey. They seem to have a reverence for bees, which maybe sacred to them. In Soulstorm, an individual keeper guards the legendary Eye of Fraggon and helps lead Abe to its location.
Culture[]
Religion[]
Mudokon religion revolves around nature and the spirits all around them. The native landscape is very sacred to the Mudokons and some will put down their lives for it. Along with nature worship, some tribes are known to worship certain wildlife. For example, the Mudomo worship the Paramites and the Mudanchee worship Scrabs. However, Mudokons are also known to worship individual figures such as the Almighty Raisin for his wisdom or the Shrykull as a savior in desperate times.
Language and Glyphs[]
Evolution of Mudokon writing system: oldest top to youngest bottom[4]
Mudokons are known to have a writing system, however it is only seen to be etched into stone or wood, and nothing written on paper or the like appears to have survived to the time when the games happen. The language itself appears to also have died out, as all Mudokons - including natives - speak the same language as the Glukkons and share their writing system (Abe is seen to write down his ingredients in English).
Glyphs appear to have been a significant part of Mudokon society: marking and carvings using the same monochrome artstyle can be found all across Mudos. Some are hand sized, others are the same size as a building. These glyphs are not restricted in subject matter: holy beasts and vermin; great temple and natural phenomena; moral priest and robber baron, they all are depicted in the same style.
Notable Mudokons[]
Mudokon society depicts a naming system uncommon to others. Mudokons, being a race with little contact with a motherly figure, name each other when the time calls for it, sometimes based off of descriptive features they possess (such as Big Face and the Three Weirdos) or possibly after sounds or grunts (although this is uncertain), such as Abe and Alf.
Notable Mudokons include:
- Abe
- Alf
- Toby
- Big Face
- Sam
- The Three Weirdos
- Newscaster Mudokon
- Shaman
- Masked Shaman
- The Keeper
- Stoopy
Locations Sacred to Mudokon Culture[]
Trivia[]
- The original design for Mudokons depicted them having four fingers. Due to a cultural difference in Japan involving the Burakumin, who find four-fingered characters highly offensive, Mudokons were depicted with three fingers in both Abe's Exoddus and Munch's Oddysee.[5] It wasn't until the HD remaster of Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee that the fourth finger saw a return. Since then, the four-fingered Mudokon has returned as the standard Mudokon design in both Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty and all promotional materials worldwide.
- The three-fingered design of the Mudokons' hands bears some resemblance to the Vulcan salute from Star Trek.
- On the Steam Trading Card artwork "New Kind of Meat" the fingers are marked as "Finger cutlets, market carefully in eastern regions" as a possible reference to the Japanese finger controversy.[6]
- The name "Mudokon" is based off the continent they are native to: Mudos.[7]
- Mudokons cameo as 'bots in Astro Bot.
Appearances[]
- Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (First appearance)
- Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
- 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: Soulstorm
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.oddworld.com/2013/10/dear-alf-50-birds-bees-and-karate-chops/
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20000510011232/http://www.oddworld.com:80/shock/odd_universe_index.htm
- ↑ Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus PC Manual, Pg 32
- ↑ https://www.artstation.com/artwork/39myz2
- ↑ http://www.factfiend.com/oddworld-abes-oddysee-struggled-japan/
- ↑ http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/items/314660/45f52501160a427a458642a12636e592221d83da.jpg
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CuriousUserX90/status/610830062149959680
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