Description

About

Published: 06-28-2000
Host: Super Console
Author: Paul O’Connor
Game: Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Format: Archived Online

Note

The following article was translated from Italian into English by GPT.

The Designer Diary

Through The Eyes Of A Glukkon

Our first two games - Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus - were focused on Abe and his fellow Mudokons. Our next game, Munch's Oddysee, will include Abe but it will focus on a new hero, Munch, and the fate of his companions, the Gabbits. We could say that Abe and Munch are co-protagonists in our new game. But there's a third star in Munch's Oddysee. It hasn't had much publicity until now, but I believe it will play an important part not only in our next title but also in those to come in the following years. Its name is Lulu, and it is a Glukkon. Do you remember the Glukkons? They are those noisy guys with squid-like heads, dressed like fashion designers, and who always seem to end up in the wrong place at the right time, that is, when Abe blows up a Rupture Farm or a SoulStorm Brewery. The Glukkons represent the managerial class of Oddworld; their job is essentially to oversee the work of the Mudokons in the Magog Cartel factories. In fact, the Glukkons do absolutely nothing, but, as you know, if you need someone to intimidate, or to pinpoint all the blame when things go wrong, well, the Glukkon is... um... the man for the job.

Although the Glukkons are the enemies in our games, Munch's Oddysee will allow you to see the world of Odd from the other side of the barricade - from the Glukkons' point of view - giving you control of one of them, Lulu, engaged in a series of special missions. I won't go into the details of how and why (I want to save a couple of surprises for the game), but towards the end of the second act, you will find yourself commanding Lulu. Lulu is incompetent even by Glukkon standards (which means he is VERY incompetent), so getting him to the top of the corporate hierarchy won't be easy, but, heck, no one has ever accused Oddworld Inhabitants of making easy games!

Each "Lulu Mission" sees Lulu managing a struggling Glukkon facility (like the Flubco Fat Fuels implant I described in the previous issue). By controlling Abe and Munch, the player must first reach Lulu (he is usually in his office taking a nap... typical), and switch between Abe, Munch, and Lulu to complete the objectives of the Region. And this is where things get difficult. Abe has thin, weak legs, and Munch has only one foot (and it's broken), but compared to Lulu, the two are Olympic athletes. Like all members of his species, Lulu's legs are two practically inert atrophied stumps. If you could see through his outfit, you would discover that Lulu actually walks on his hands. Glukkons can jump, but they can't run properly, and without free hands, they are severely limited in interacting with their surroundings. That's why successful Glukkons rely on the persuasive power of their personality to get employees to work under their control.

Making Lulu a controllable character for the player was challenging from a design perspective. We wondered if it was appropriate to give him more powers, additional physical abilities. Maybe hitting things with his head? Hmm... it doesn't hold up. Lying on his back to grab objects with his hands? It's not very Glukkon-like to do such a thing. Could he generate toxic clouds with his cigar? Nah... Abe already dominates the toxic clouds sector. We also considered reducing Lulu's role. Maybe building specific bonus levels around him, but we liked the idea of being able to switch control from Abe or Munch to Lulu at any moment too much, having Lulu be a full-fledged protagonist. After all the work we dedicated to the characterization and, more generally, the "birth" of Lulu, we didn't want to relegate him to a secret bonus level that some players might never discover.

In the end, we decided that Lulu would participate in the game in all his Glukkon glory. But how to make it fun? And what can it add to the game mechanics? Well, first of all, through Lulu, the player gains access to all the abilities of the Glukkons. For example, Lulu can guide Abe and Munch through a high-security area; he can pilot Glukkon vehicles; he can give orders to the Sligs, basically being the boss. Lulu also has access to the game's economic infrastructure: he can buy goods from the Magog catalog and increase his abilities as he progresses in the game. And more. Through the GameSpeak system, Lulu can give orders to Glukkons hierarchically inferior to him, using them to solve specific puzzles. Suddenly, Lulu no longer seems like such a "useless" creature. On the contrary, putting all that power in the hands of the player tempts them in interesting ways... Remember, every action in Oddworld has a moral (Quarmic) consequence, and the Glukkons are known for their complete lack of scruples. Will you opt for the easy way, that is, making the Mudokons work as slaves to achieve the production goals and get a promotion, or will you choose the harder way, that is, achieving Lulu's goals while also improving the living conditions of the indigenous populations of Oddworld? The choice is yours...

Paul O'Connor

06-28-2000