Oddworld: Soulstorm Review

Our Rating: 7.5/10

Oddworld: Soulstorm sends us to the Glukkon-enslaved universe of Abe and the Mudokon. Followers of the original will enjoy this sequel to New n’ Tasty, which offers a mix of puzzles!

Story Overview

Abe is a fragile and defenseless character, who also happens to be the main character of Oddworld Soulstorm. Neither more nor less than a servant destined for the Rapture Farms warehouses as canned food.

He doesn’t have much in the way of weapons or fighting ability. His intellectual ability and a swarm of mudokons eager to join him on his quest for liberation are his strengths.

Game Overview

What its creators refer to as a 2.9D game is actually a 2D development. With a camera that adjusts to the scenario and always displays the best angle. Abe has the ability to double leap, climb, and slide down the edges, but at a much sluggish rate.

Each level is a challenge. You must guess how to get past the slig, other control devices’ monitoring, and save as many employees as possible. You can use mudokons that have the ability to throw objects, stay hidden in vapor leaks, and trigger various systems.

Difficulty

With the use of combined skills, the levels become more complex, which we overcome through learning from mistakes.

We can also use singing to “possess” various baddies. You can manipulate them like drones, eradicate their mates, or simply make them explode.  And, of course, provide easy instructions to the Mudokon we’ve gathered to assist. We can give them some of our inventory, such as waiting for us to clean a site or following us to a portal.

The invasion is very straightforward. Abe (and all who follow him) can tiptoe to avoid waking the napping sligs, and we can also create decoys. You can discover almost every item in closets and containers.

If you’ve played the prior games, you’ll recognize the methodology because it’s exceptionally conservative.  However, we are unconcerned about this conservatism because the levels are more impressive than ever and extremely well developed. By including a checkpoint instead of the quick save used in other shipments, the complexity has been elevated slightly

Various Endings

At the final moment of each stage, you will get a rating based on various difficulties. This includes the number of hidden locations discovered or lockers looted. Even the total amount of living mudokons that we have been able to save.

This is critical, not just for Abe’s emotional well-being. The total of rescues will be contingent on our ability to complete the final 2 stages. Ultimately, to have the “good” finale.

This method guarantees that we may have to replay some levels. There is a sum of 17. It appears to be a synthetic way to extend the game’s length. Although it is accurate that once we have figured out how to solve each riddle, we can move on to the next one fairly quickly.

The Good, the Bad, and Overall Experience

With a resolution of 1440p and 60 frames per second, the PS5 edition looks fantastic. The use of flares and inflammatory ingredients inside the caves results in some remarkable glow effects.  The landscape layout and camera focus make a strong appearance. The graphics are well-executed.

You can also use Dualsense’s unique features. The haptic vibration, optimized triggers, and the mic to communicate with the refugees.

The scenes are of fine standards, as one would expect from an animation studio. They have been developed in particular with respect to facial illustrations.

A Unique and Sad Story

Oddworld Soulstorm’s exceptional, almost heartbreaking theme and story are our favorite aspects of the game. Despite the pleasant layout of the characters, everything is drenched in very dark humor.

Sometimes expressed through the casualties of the workers. Even Glukkon’s image is that of a great tycoon smoking a cigar while giving advice.

It’s a condemnation of capitalism camouflaged as an adventure game. It succeeds admirably, prompting players to ponder the strange Soulstorm project. We’ve also seen some scenes that elevate the plot with more fantastic moments and work particularly well in this sense.

Final Thoughts

You’ve probably figured out who Oddworld Soulstorm is aimed at, based on the above. Because the series sticks to its initial concept, some less insightful players may choke.

On the other hand, while the development is primarily technical, fans of the PSX version will welcome a new phase that explores deeper into some dynamics and refines everything the series has done well. Control, in particular, which is one of his Achilles heels, improves dramatically once we grasp all of the abilities.

Returning to this franchise has been extremely satisfying. Just understand that it differs significantly from the previous titles. Surely, it is not a game for all users.