Now I haven’t played an Oddworld game since the first game came out back in the late ’90s, and even then I was a dumb kid who couldn’t get any further than the second level. But the Oddworld universe has always had a unique charm that has kept the weird series in the back of my mind, and in the cultural zeitgeist through two decades of remakes and re-releases. Which brings us to the most recent title in the series – the release of the remake Oddworld: Soulstorm on the Switch. So let’s check in with the Oddworld lads!
Oddworld: Soulstorm is a puzzle-platformer from the aptly named studio Oddworld Inhabitants, and is an adaptation of 1998’s Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus, as well as a sequel to Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty which came to the Switch in 2020. Soulstorm combines Oddworld’s classic puzzle-platforming, stealth and strategy elements with an updated look for Abe and Oddworld, resulting in a HD cinematic adventure almost indistinguishable from the 90s classics.
The game sees protagonist Abe the Modokon leading his fellow fish-lookin’ slave brethren on another perilous journey for salvation after their short-lived happy ending at the end of the previous game. To save his buddies, stop the evil Mullock, and discover more about the Soulstorm beverage everyone seems to be drinking, Abe will have to limber up. You’ll be hopping, climbing, rolling, sneaking, throwing, possessing and liberating all day long. It’s an enjoyable gameplay loop, and good thing too because along with the high difficulty, infinite lives and quick respawn you’ll be doing it all a lot.
Looking back at the original Abe’s Exoddus, Oddworld: Soulstorm makes a lot of changes. Aside from some new story, characters, and levels, there are some especially modern additions. There is a badge ranking system, which acts as an achievement list for each level, and Abe is now able to loot treasures and craft items – standard features for any big-name game. There’s also a toggleable ‘streamer mode’ which brings up a display for stats like time spent on the current level and a death counter – nothing necessary for the layman but I guess a streamer’s audience might appreciate it.
One thing that did irk me about the revamped game regards the 2.5D and 2D elements coming together. Throwing items in a 2D arc along a curvy 2.5D path caused me a few headaches. At one point, trying to place a mine before a close-by enemy Slig along a curved path led to it landing an inch outside Abe and the baddie’s walking path and a wasted precious item. I also encountered a couple of minor respawn glitches and thought the game could explain some functions a little better but these were nothing major.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is a dark and depressing game. I don’t know if I found it particularly distressing because Abe’s childlike deamanour and big, sad, wet eyes, or his boatload of hardships, or because I killed too many Mudokons. Or maybe it’s just ‘cos it bummed me out as a kid. All I know is that despite everything I kept playing and it was still a heck of a lot of fun and that’s a sign of a good game in my book.
Rating: 4/5
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