The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years 1994 - 2004

by Daniel P. Wade (Editor), Cathy Johnson (Editor), Lorne Lanning (Introduction)

The Art of Oddworld The First Ten Years 1994 - 2004 is a high quality art book featuring the artistic journey of the legendary game company Oddworld Inhabitants from its first ten years - from Lorne Lanning's vision of the first Oddworld hero in 1994 to the present. The book is an extraordinarily high quality fine art production depicting the story of the art and vision of Oddworld and how the company approaches the art/design process. It also shows how the design process maintained the highest standards of creativity and quality while evolving a coherent universe populated with characters that expressed rich and unforgettable personalities. Filled with stunning examples of beautiful artwork including production design sketches, color roughs, storyboards, game screens and CG/FMV stills, The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants takes us through an incredible gallery of astonishing images. Finally, the book unveils Oddworld Inhabitants art that has never been seen before. "Since Sherry McKenna and I founded Oddworld Inhabitants back in 1994, we have eagerly anticipated the moment when a densely packed and finely printed 'Art of Oddworld' book would find life," said Lorne Lanning, President/Creative Director of Oddworld Inhabitants. "Finally, and only a decade later, the day has come for us to reveal the seldom witnessed pre-production efforts of the incredibly talented artists that have given so much of their energy and talent (not to mention late nights and weekends) in effort to create the uniquely odd universe that has since found its way into millions of hearts and homes throughout the globe. This collection of work not only reflects the intense artistic effort that has gone into the creation of our heroes and their plights, but it also reveals the visual fuel that hung on our walls and continually inspired us as we stumbled our way through the trials and tribulations that litter the hazardous crossroads where creative artistry and free enterprise collide."

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Parka · Rating 4 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

This is a book published in 2005 and is in very limited availability at sane prices. When I saw it at a local bookshop, I grabbed it immediately. The full title is The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years 1994 - 2004.

Oddworld is a comprehensive fictional universe presented in video game form, created by game developers Oddworld Inhabitants under the direction of Lorne Lanning.

This art book covers a decade of art work spanning a few game titles which are Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee.

There's extensive character coverage with chapters devoted to Abe, Munch and Stranger. That's on top of other concept designs included for all other characters that feature in the games. There are extensive sketches with scribbled notes, 3D renders and full colour illustrations.

Also included are concept paintings for the backgrounds, weapons, vehicles and other props for the game.

The captions provided describe the world of Oddworld and the ideas behind. It talks about changes in designs, such has the requirement of a three-finger character instead of four fingers because of negative connotations in the Japanese market. The writeup is great and there's something to read on every page.

This is a paperback book published by Ballistic Publishing. They have recently released a limited 100 copies folio edition for this book priced at (a whopping) US$170.

There are both paperback and hardcover versions for the normal edition. If you're getting, get the hardcover because the binding on the paperback isn't that great, and this book is thick at 256 pages.

This book is recommended more for Oddworld fans and game artists.

[Dean Guadagno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt, The Art of Oddworld is easily one of my favourites in the library. By nature, these 'behind-the-scenes' companions often provide a newfound appreciation to their video game counterparts, but few execute as well as this one does. Covering 4 games across the first decade of Oddworld - Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exodus, Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath - you'll walk away a true expert of the award-winning franchise.

The early chapters cover the inspiration and conceptualization, both of which were heavily led by series mainstays Sherry McKenna and Lorne Lanning. The hardships and dangers endured by the diamond-miners in South Africa. The elusion of extinction by the most desperate of creatures. The loss of culture and way-of-life amidst onslaughts of industry. Some pretty deep (and dark) realities we face in our own world, have translated to the cartoonish, albeit heartfelt, representations we know and love from the franchise. This immediately had me hooked.

Next up, is a presentation of its scale. Oddworld is huge. We've come to know the staple locales like Rupture Farms, Magog Motors and SoulStorm Brewery, but you'll quickly realize that the entire planet has been fleshed out with a rich lore, only a fraction of which has even been mentioned in the games. And further behind the scenes tidbits offer insight into some of these ideas that never quite came to fruition. Bet you didn't know that an Oddworld RTS game (Hand of Odd) was on the docket, but sadly, never released. How about that designs of the character hands and some in-game popsicles all had to be redone because of the cultural believes of Japan.

Couple all of this with the usual concept art, storyboard designs, and character bios that are a given with these types of books, and you've got yourself a pretty incredible centerpiece for your coffee table.

Keeping in mind that I'm a big fan of the games, so bias is playing its role in my review, if you've had any enjoyment with the franchise over the years, I highly recommend this one.

[Dax · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great art book, well presented on very nice paper. For fans of Oddworld, this explains quite a bit about the universe. It is also good for artists who might want some inspiration. I have never seen art like this before in a video game and it is one of my favorite game series. Definitely a unique style.