Oddworld: SoulStorm
Released: April 6, 2021
Game Length: 26 Hours
Grade: B
Marketing
Release: Like its predecessor, Lanning created a voting poll for the title of the game. Although many liked Oddworld: Twice Ze Flavor, they decided to go with Oddworld: Soulstorm. The game would be a re-imagining of Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus that follows the "timeline" of Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty. The thing is that he decided to go against Valve and make it an Epic Games Exclusive. It was also going to be published with Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 on April 6, 2021. The game was available free for PS5 Plus Members. I hope you weren't expecting a cheap game since its standard price tag is set at a whopping $50. The lowest I've seen it at was 30% off during the Epic Games Store Summer Sale for $35, which wasn't too bad of a price.
Merchandise: Then again, you could go all out and buy the Collector's Edition for $150. There's a really neat figure included alongside a few trinkets and an art books. Though I kind of wished they added a plushie or a nice diarama that we could buy in stores.
Problems
Bugs: I didn't initially play the game when it came out in April, but I feel sorry for the people who did. The game was in disrepair. People were glitching through floors, hopping all over the place, and seeing friends suddenly disappear. Items would be caught on invisible walls. There are several moments where the difficulty skyrockets because of poor pathing or unresponsive mechanics. By the time I got around to playing Version 1.16, the game still had a ton of problems. Enemies patrol AI broke when they perpetually stood there watching me for minutes at a time. A few mudokons refused to hide in lockers when everyone else did. Items were mysteriously disappearing from the landscape. At one point I was forced to restart a checkpoint because my body got stuck hanging in mid-air. I accidentally pulled the lever twice inside the cave and glitched the door so it wouldn't come down forcing me to restart the whole level. Anything that is used while you are in motion statically remains in that spot when you threw it. There was a couple times the camera panned at the exact moment I jumped causing me to leap to my death out of bounds. They were continuously patching the game to the point that they just recently announced their Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition for the end of this month... which probably should have been how the state of the game was on release.
Bad Game Decisions: Even if all the bugs were fixed, there were still a few things I didn't quite approve of. Firstly, there was something majorly difficult about taking down that Slig Mama Boss. I don't know why it was so difficult, but they certainly need to do something about that whole sequence. Next, in order to receive the good ending, you need to save 80% of the mudokons in 12 of the 15 levels before the transition to the final area. I received the bad ending by the time I got to that point. Some of the reasons are because of the bugs I listed above or the crafting issues listed below. However, there is this one level - Stage 3: The Blimp - that only has one mudokon to save. In order to save him, you must reach the door within a time limit. There is no indication of this. The good news is that they allow you to replay any level and "continue game" directly into the transition check without replaying the last level.
Save System: Let me preface that Oddworld: Soulstorm save system isn't that bad. Despite the fact there isn't a way to quicksave, there are plenty of checkpoints between each of the difficult segments. My issue lies with how it is impossible to use the last checkpoint again. This might sound crazy, but it becomes brutally obvious when you are playing the game. You reach a checkpoint, loot some items, craft some items, and do the whole process over again if you die. There were so many times I wanted to save my game after spending all the time in the interface that I actually ran all the way back to the second-most recent checkpoint I passed by to save. If that is possible, the least they can do is let us save again at the same spot.
Locked Lockers: I'll go into a little more detail about the crafting items below, but the primary thing I want to touch on are the lockers. For some strange reason, they have added tons of lockers you must individually loot for items. This is fine. However, some lockers have locks. This is bad. In order to open these mysterious lockers - which sometimes is part of a badge - you need to find a key. These keys have very specific locations. Some keys won't be available until you reach a future level. This means that the only way to open older lockers are to replay the whole level. This shouldn't be a mechanic that gets chosen to be added in a game.
Changes
Modern System: The game does not follow the original grid system from the first two games. It follows the same smooth running and camera panning from New 'n' Tasty. Instead of picking up the occasional rock or slab of meat, they added a crafting system that adds things like smoke screens, mines, fire extinguisher, flame-thrower, hard candy, and explosive soda cans. There are a wide-range of tools you can use like throwing rocks to distract enemies, flinging water bottles to douse fire, ignite leaking bottles with flares, and use a flashlight to see dark areas. You can double-jump, dash, and hang-over new platforms in the air. The ability to keep sneaking while walking, climbing over sides, and jumping is amazing.
Modern Story: Since the story is a twist to the original Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, much of the story has changed as well. Before, much of the introduction is streamlined the moment you start the game. Now, they slowly reveal key elements as you progress through the levels. Instead of three mysterious spirit beings straight-up telling you where to go to stop their bones being harvested, the game simply begins with your refugee camp dispersing. Instead of a group of your friends following you through the desert, you spend a few levels running away from Molluck - who originally died in the old game - as he chases you down in his blimp. Then you hijack a train and run through the Slig Barracks to shut down the communication line. You don't find out about what is happening until you reach Necrum in Stage 10! Even the big reveal of how the brew is made isn't shown until half-way through the game. The amusing thing about all this is how the glukkons and sligs convey the destruction of RuptureFarms by Abe as some major conspiracy theory in-between the levels. All the cutscenes are beautifully rendered, with some very awesome character development and carefully-crafted storylines, that I'm quite surprised that Lanning never could pull off that film he always wanted. The way the Brewmaster eats up all the propaganda spreading around is perhaps one of my favorite scenes. The final portion of the game is extremely different where instead of taking control of the bosses, you pour the antidote into a giant chamber and fight some giant eye boss. Leave the aftermath of the bosses to be resolved in the ending cutscene.
Modern Graphics: There are many different games that do a great job blending the 2.5D style into their setting. The developers of Oddworld: Soulstorm even bragged that their graphics could be defined as 2.9D. The way the camera rotates, spins, and follows the protagonist around tight corners and obstacles is definitely one of its many highlights. There was always a bit of a stutter when transitioning to another sector or passing by a checkpoint, but the hiccup didn't bother me too much. What astounds me is how large everything is. The mines look deeper, darker than before. The edges of the cliffs and the machinery in the background is amazing. There is definitely a grander scope of levels with how huge and rustic the pipes are as they funnel through the factory. I definitely enjoyed the contrast of level design between traveling through a train station, exploring the depths of the ruins, and surviving the harsh climate of the desert. If only the music and sound effects were just as impactful, the game my have excelled in developing an immersive experience.
Notes
Random: There came a moment where I realized that there were a bunch of stuff added to the game that didn't really have any sort of point being there. It isn't that they were annoying or distracting. I was merely puzzled at the inclusion. Like badges and achievements. I guess there is supposed to be some competitive leaderboard to get the most points? The badges practically change every level and can have some ridiculous requirements like spending the most money or finding a bunch of royal jellies that don't really help you in any way. Not only did this make me want to spend all my money at a useless vendor, but it cost me the freedom of some mudokon down the road. Another thing I'm not sure why there is an option, but you can turn on the ability to receive the hint from the story rune that is mere inches away from where you start before you begin a level. It isn't like the information is any different. Although you can throw rocks, they don't stop enemies or destroy mines. They are as useless as the bottle-caps in New 'n' Tasty.
Miscellaneous: There were a lot of other things I noticed. Enemies can shoot diagonally. You can get rope and tie-down enemies. Easy mode allows you to stop enemies by slapping them. The threat level is shown at the top. The light that shines from enemies shift from white while they are calm to red when at high alert. You lose all your crafting items at the end of each level. The dark and spooky sequences inside the mine sections were pretty rad. You have to use flares, chants, flashlight, and plants to light up your pathway. There are 17 levels that can take 30 - 90minutes to complete. It might take some getting used to, but I thoroughly enjoy the ability to pause a cinematic with the Start button in addition to skipping the scene by holding down the A-Button. This allows you to read everything that's printed on the newspapers! You are able to give mudokons supplies that they can use to defend themselves. Fall pits are usually marked (while non-marked pits generally hold secret areas). The orange hats on constructor workers help you see them more clearly and fall off before they start following you.
Summary
Review: Oddworld: Soulstorm is a very unusual game. The quality of the graphics in both the story and setting are phenomenal. Its presentation shows off new things that both old fans and newcomers of the series would enjoy. Despite this, there are many factors that keep it from being a great game. The music doesn't always fit the setting of the level and the sound effects aren't always as impactful as they need to be. Much of the "video game elements" that are added like looting, crafting, badges, and achievements don't necessarily add much to the experience. While old mechanics like dealing with a jungle setting, different types of creatures, riding vehicles, and communication puzzles are all severely lacking. The biggest hurdle for many is the $50 price tag when much of the game was riddled with bugs, glitches, and game-breaking problems from its release. Even with its issues, the series retains the original feel of Abe's Exoddus and brings about hopeful changes that even I would like to see more of. I'd recommend it only if you are a fan of Oddworld and when the game is on sale.
11-18-2021