Oddworld: Soulstorm Reviews

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a big, beautiful puzzle platformer with the spirit of Abe's adventures intact and some interesting new ideas, but it's all very quickly undone by imprecise controls, tedious level design and a shocking lack of polish. Oddworld fans will definitely want to check it out, but they may be better off waiting for a few more updates before investing their time, and even then might come away just a tad disappointed.

The second chapter in the Oddworld franchise just hit the Nintendo Switch. Oddworld: Soulstorm - Oddtimized Edition has a lot to live up to, with a pedigree of games that delighted previous console generations. Does this Switch port stand proudly and freely with its brethren or does it end up in the meat grinder?

In that image lies the appeal—and for some the off-putting twinge—of Oddworld: a bleak and black-hearted concoction, laced with snickering humour and shot through with hope.

You better have to choose if it’s worth spending your spare cash, because it might not be the game for you and it might be for others.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a free PlayStation Plus game on PS5 at the time of this writing, so PS Plus subscribers have no reason not to download it and give it a go for themselves. After all, there's still a lot to like about the game, like its dark story and engaging puzzle/platforming gameplay. However, those on other platforms who have to actually pay to play it may want to hold off until Oddworld Inhabitants fixes some of its more serious bugs.

The original Oddworld quintology didn’t go to plan. The storyline ground to a halt after three games, although there was a fourth spinoff title. Now Oddworld Inhabitants is having another go. Following the success of Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty, which was a remake of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, the team remade Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus. The result is Oddworld: Soulstorm, although it feels less of a remake and more like a completely different game altogether.

I can’t say that what I played is a bad game, but saying that the audience for this isn’t somewhat narrow in scope would be doing it a disservice. Then again, Inhabitants just wanted to make something that’s serviceable, and I feel safe in saying that it succeeded on that front. It’s not very often you find yourself doing stealth in a 2.5D game these days, but it’s here and it’s doing its thing with reckless abandon. If you don’t mind the slow burn pace of the gameplay, you’re...

Oddworld: Soulstorm is an action-adventure game with heavy platformer, crafting, and stealth elements. The title comes to us from Oddworld Inhabitants Inc. Originally founded by Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna, the Oddworld franchise has been around since 1997. Its story, lore, and visuals have come a long way since then, but the quintessential Oddworld experience has remained steadfast. With its trademark mix of platformer and stealth mechanics, the Oddworld games offer challenging levels f...

Playing Oddworld: Soulstorm is as arduous as Abe’s quest to liberate his Mudoken brethren from slavery. Each step is a supreme test of patience as you methodically guide your followers through challenging hazards, sweating over the fact that one slip-up could unravel all your effort. If you enjoy putting up with that old-school challenge, you might love this journey. However, if you’re a newcomer or a fan that believes this style of platformer hasn’t aged very well, turn back now. Soulstorm doesn’t do enough to modernize the series’ tedious gameplay, and a litany of severe technical hiccups spoil Abe’s attempted comeback.

Oddworld: Soulstorm clearly comes from a very passionate, dedicated group of developers. Although it is very rough in places, there are parts of it that really do stick out as excellent examples of both gameplay and storytelling. With more refinement this could have been a shining example of what ground-up remakes could be, but it just falls a little short of the high standards set elsewhere. It’s still charming and funny, just like the Mudokens you’re trying to save, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.

Oddworld’s newest revival looks incredible, but its classic stealth-platforming feels old-school in all the wrong ways.

I was quite impressed with the visuals of Oddworld: Soulstorm, as you can almost feel the grime layered on everything. It’s a great looking game that takes advantage of its creative and weird artstyle and amplifies it on the PS5. I love the designs of the different species as well, as one look at each character tells you everything you need to know about their personalities.

A beautiful presentation, but glitchy in a frustrating way.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a very compelling game, which veers on the verge of being an all time classic.

Oddworld: Soulstorm, like its name implies, is an odd game. It’s somewhat of a remake of 1998’s half-sequel, half-spin-off Abe’s Exoddus, but also new enough to avoid actually being a straight remake. Such roots plant some parts of Soulstorm in the past, while others put it right on the cutting edge, resulting in a uneven experience with more than a fair helping of bugs.

Oddworld: Soulstorm isn't without its issues, but the good far outweighs the bad. Its crafting system will prove controversial, but it is an overall boon to the game. A visual treat through and through that hits its stride after the first few levels.

This flashy remake of Abe's sequel is gorgeous to look at, but it rarely captures the excitement or feeling of the Oddworld forebears.

Back in the 90s, video games were very different from what they are today. While some genres evolved with the advent of the 3D era, others kind of faded into obscurity for no other reason than the fact that developers didn't manage to adapt the formula of these genres to the new generation of gaming without taking away what made them so special. Among these genres that did not make the jump are the adventure-platform-puzzle games in the vein of classics like Another World and Flashback, both heavily inspired by the original Prince of Persia. In many ways, Oddworld: Abe's Odyssey and Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, released in the late 90s, were the natural continuation of the genre, preserving what made these games great and pushing the genre forward with new mechanics.

Oddworld: Soulstorm offers a refreshing take as a reimagining of an old classic. It provides platforming goodness, a bit of trial-and-error with situations, lots of secrets to find, and thousands of Mudokons to save. Sadly, it does have some noticeable shortcomings related to its controls, friendly AI movement, and save system.

A highly enjoyable platform puzzler, with some cleverly complex set pieces and great presentation – but it lacks that final layer of polish that could have made it something really special.

There’s plenty to love about Oddworld: Soulstorm, but it’s a recommendation bundled with caveats. The occasionally bad design and frustrating bugs hold it back from the blockbuster Abe adventure it strives to be, but if you can stomach the annoyances, there’s a compelling, puzzle platformer here which breathes new life into Oddworld’s charms.

Oddworld: Soulstorm was announced more than half a decade ago by the franchise’s creator, Lorne Lanning, as a sequel to the then recently released Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty!. Both games were conceived as expanded remakes of the PS1 classics, in a similar vein to the Final Fantasy VII Remake. They not only feature improved graphics and controls, but also new levels, storylines, and a lot more overall lore. After so many delays, Soulstorm is finally available on PC, PS4, and PS5. Was Abe’...

After nearly 7 years, Abe is back in a brand new Oddworld game and I'm happy to say that Soulstorm is his greatest adventure yet.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a fantastic modernized remake of one of those side-scrollers that we remember as great but the original doesn’t hold up. Although it can be an aggravating slog to get through its escort quest-heavy levels, it’s also a unique, delightfully bizarre, and utterly rewarding experience with a fantastic story and a lot of heart. Of course, it also has far too many bugs that force restarts to circumvent, and that can turn the frustration of a good challenge into the bad, controller-throwing kind, and the sound design is all over the place.