23 Feb, 2011
Mechanical engineering student Terry Garrett has completed Abe’s Exoddus multiple times and can play through the game near-flawlessly. He is completely blind and did this using only the game’s sound effects, the occasional tip from his brother and a unique trial and error method (you can view amazing footage of his skills by taking a look at the video at the end of the article).
Speaking during a recent interview with Oddworld, Terry explained what drew him to the game: “My brother got Abe’s Oddysee when it first came out for the PC, and when I heard the talking “hello, follow me” I got interested. At that time I had just become blind and didn’t have the developed hearing I use for game play I do now.
“He had me sit in front and try and figure it out, but it was a no mans land to me. All I could hear was his steps and no other clues, even though there was some at that time, I just didn’t know what to do.
“It wasn’t until my brother got Abe’s Exoddus for the PlayStation that I really sat down and tried to figure it out. By that time I had a better idea what side scrolling and the navigation of the game meant so I was able actually to progress through the game.”
When asked what kind of process he used to play games all the way through he had this to say: “After finding out they are either 2D scrollers or 3D worlds I first have a sighted person describe the menus to me, so I can get the game started on my own. Then I go to the internet and seek a walkthrough (especially for 3d games). If it becomes to difficult, I will also watch walk through videos on youtube.
“However, I did not need a walk through or video walk through for Abe. When I start playing I track sound landmarks (foot steps, objects, sound of running or pushing against walls). After this, I start exploring to see what does what. Always looking for land mark sounds to get my orientation down (sound of water, sound of footsteps changing from grass to dirt).
“Finally, I have a great sense of the minds eye. Once I know what is in an area and how they are laid out, I can make a real time picture of what is going on in front of me just through sound. even in 3D. If this is hard to picture I know, I can’t explain it better than that.”
Source: Oddworld.com
Sheesh! These games are hard enough to finish with the full benefit of all your senses! What an awesome story!
I admire this guy for his skills and determination. Stories like this no matter how big or small really do highlight that humans can overcome any obstacle in their path no matter how big of a disadvantage they are at.
On a different note, I remember playing this game briefly on PS1, it was rather hard even with full vision, so I salute this man.