Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee – a two-dimensional platformer with elaborate backgrounds, made in the spirit of the entire project – fantasy with fictional creatures and unreal technologies. The protagonist of the game is Abe, a representative of the asshole race. The main character was born in captivity, and spent his whole life in a factory, working hard without days off, not knowing about the high culture of his people. One day, the protégé rises up against his owners from the RuptureFarms company, which owns a factory for the production of canned meat.

The antagonist is Molluk, a glukkon who acquired the company through capture. He has already destroyed several species of animals, processing them all for meat. Many people do not agree with this policy, including Abe, so he escapes, which ends successfully thanks to numerous coincidences. After this, the main character notices a special sign that hints to him about his peculiarity, and he embarks on the path of struggle against tyranny and cruelty to animals.

The gameplay is a standard platformer with puzzles and additional tasks, like saving fellow assholes. Having saved 50 brothers by race, the gamer receives an alternative ending, recognized as canon in the following parts of the franchise, which was conceived as a pentalogy. A special feature is the fact that there is no interface on the screen at all; the player receives the necessary information through special pop-up windows.