I first played Oddworld; Abe’s Oddysee around 18 years ago, first got the good ending 16 years ago.
Yesterday, I finally used a stupid guide to find the mudokons I always missed and saved all 99. I took this picture right before taking on the final challenge.
Today’s Lost Archive image- it might not be transport befitting a Queen, but sometimes a Slig with a rubber ring is the best you can do. https://www.instagram.com/oddworldinc/
We though Skillya might spend some of her time in a birthing pool. A large portion of her body would be submerged underwater, and Sligs would be patrolling with stilts and nets to scoop the babies out the water before she can eat them.
A Mudokon Queen and Abe’s Mother, Sam provides the Glukkons with an integral part of their workforce.
SAM
WHO SHE IS
Large and immobile, she could only watch as their way of life changed and their entire existence was threatened.
Vulnerable and helpless, she decided that the best thing to do for her unborn children would be to sign a deal with the devil and hand her eggs over to those destroying their way of life.
Sam was never told the conditions the Mudokons would be living and working in, and she’s kept separate from them in her own special chambers, far away from the filthy factories where her children suffer.
WHAT’S A MOTHER TO DO?
When it became clear that the Mudokons’ traditional way of life was nearing an end, Sam was approached with an offer- sell her eggs to the ‘workforce’ and her children would be safe.
Sam’s life is a sad, luxurious one. Entertained with constant video footage, she spends her days laying eggs and eating the finest foods. Dazed, lonely and ignorant to the problems she cared about in the outside world.
The longer she spends away from her culture the more of it she forgets- and the substances at her disposal ensure that her days are passed in a muddled haze. Forgetting whatever duties she may have had as a Queen, now she constantly lays eggs to sell.
She is a sweet, kind and gentle woman who cares for her children and their wellbeing, but is far removed from the Queen she used to be. Sam was misled, but the lie doesn’t seem a very convincing one and the question remains- is she a desperate mother backed into a corner, or should she have done more for the children she brought into such a problematic world?
Although she’s too big to move much on her own, we experimented with how Skillya might move around. Here she’s seen rearing up a little so she can use her arms to eat, and dragging herself just enough so she can see who she wants to yell at.
She might look cute here but her appearance is deceiving.
Gigantic and extremely ferocious, she spends a majority of her time suspended in a special pool that helps her give birth more easily. She is a sharp contrast to Sam - Skillya sells her babies knowing exactly what kind of lives they’ll lead. While on the surface they’re less oppressed than the Mudokons they torment, no reasonable Mother would allow her children to live in such conditions.
Gluttonous and cruel, she loves to be surrounded by her favorite foods and adorns herself with flashy jewelry.
SELFISH MOTIVATIONS
Skillya sells the Sligs as security workers and directly benefits from it. The explanation for her behaviour is simple - she hates her children.
The birthing process is so painful for her that it fills her with a deep hatred towards those she considers responsible. Her anger surfaces in other, even more unusual ways, too - it isn’t uncommon for her to eat her children as soon as they’re born, just as pay back for the suffering they cause her during delivery.
NATURE OR NURTURE?
Maybe the Sligs inherit their Mother’s mean streak, or perhaps this goes some way to explaining their sadistic behaviour. On top of never having known any love or affection, the Sligs also have to deal with the fact that if they don’t scramble away fast enough when they’re born their Mother might just eat them alive.
Everything in Skillya’s lair is tacky, from the mismatched pillows she demands be constantly fluffed to the ugly lamp shades and the general mess. She isn’t known for her elegance. She’s always at risk of being crushed by her own weight and, like the Mudokon Queen, she can’t move unaided. She also spends her days surrounded by television screens, a huge tray of food in front of her, but the only pain she has to numb is the physical one.
