The game centers on the eponymous Abe, a meek Mudokon slave at the RuptureFarms meat processing factory.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee was widely acclaimed for having innovative gameplay, good art direction and engaging cutscenes; however, its difficult learning curve and system of only saving at checkpoints received criticism.

It was the first game in the planned five-part Oddworld series, which includes the direct sequels Abe's Exoddus (1998), Munch's Oddysee (2001) and Stranger's Wrath (2005).

Abe can die in a variety of ways, such as being attacked by an enemy, touching a hazardous obstacle, falling from too great a height or into a bottomless pit.

As is common in cinematic platformers, Abe commits to his movement whenever he takes a step or jump, and the controls do not permit fine (or mid-air) adjustment.

Late in the game, Abe gains the ability to transform into a demigod called 'Shrykull', which can eviscerate all on-screen enemies.

[12] Abe's Oddysee focuses on a variety of species that inhabit the game's setting of Oddworld: the Mudokons, a species with a rich history and culture who have been slowly transformed into meek, obedient slaves, leaving many who are born into captivity ignorant of this kind's past; the Glukkons, a species that covet power and money, lacking any morals or restraints on achieving these goals, and who have established large industries that have stripped Oddworld of its natural resources; and the Sligs, who have escaped enslavement by willingly serving as guards and hunters for the Glukkons.

[5] Due to the decline in the population of animals that supply meat for the plant's products – one of which, the Meech, has now gone extinct – RuptureFarms is losing money and therefore at risk of going out of business.

[16] Frightened at learning his species will be harvested for meat, Abe decides to escape from the plant, causing him to become a fugitive in the eyes of the Glukkons.

[17] Managing to overcome the Glukkons' security force of Sligs, Abe escapes the factory and reaches the region known as the Free-Fire Zone.

A shaman of the Mudokons, whom Abe calls Big Face due to the mask he wears,[19] helps him to recover while explaining that only he can save his enslaved brethren from RuptureFarms.

In order to do this, Big Face states that Abe must undergo spiritual trials in the lands of the Paramites and the Scrabs, and traverse a set of labyrinthine, abandoned temples.

Upon doing so, the shaman marks Abe's hands with a scar, each representing the two species,[20] granting him the power of the Shrykull, an invincible demigod.

[5][21] With this newfound ability, Abe returns to RuptureFarms, rescues his Mudokon brethren, and finds and deactivates the factory's main power generator.

Abe races to the boardroom to try to stop the gas, using his powers to destroy the Glukkon executives summoned there under the pretense of an emergency board meeting.

[29] He said he was happy with the animation at the time but when development was nearing completion, the studio discovered that there was not enough disk space to include all of the species featured in the game.

[35] In the initial PlayStation version of the game, upon "perfect" completion of the game — completion with all 99 Mudokon slaves rescued — an extra full motion video (FMV) "Guardian Angel" can be viewed, which depicts a captured Abe harassed by "The Shrink": A mechanical creature with a sophisticated artificial intelligence.

Due to undisclosed current events in Japan, the design was changed to a more ambiguous, "happier" image of a Mudokon popsicle.

[51] GameSpot called it "the ideal platformer, balancing its action and puzzle elements perfectly to make the game intelligent, engaging, and, best yet, fun".

"[61] PC Gamer said that "[the] charming and innovative Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee reminds us that any genre can be revived if you put enough care and creativity into it.

[9][52][54][55][56][57] Next Generation, for example, commented that "Action gamers are likely to be disappointed by the occasionally slow pace, but speed is traded for a considerably more cerebral set of challenges that require a great amount of persistence, observation, and thought.

"[56] However, others found that flaws such as sensitive controls, slowdown, and trial-and-error level designs make the difficulty frequently annoying.

This initial difficulty in figuring out how to play is aggravated by a save feature that often forces players to redo difficult sections.

"[63] PC Zone stated that "progress does seem to rely on trial and error, which involves much replaying of levels and gnashing of teeth.

[58] Abe's Oddysee proved to be a commercial hit: Lorne Lanning reported global sell-through in excess of one million units by late January 1998.