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Oddworld was one of the first platformer games I experienced in the original Playstation. At the time I couldn't really understood what was going on, but as years went by, the franchise got my utmost respect and admiration for being so unique and different from everything else.
We came a long time from the late 90's and Abe's adventures have gone through several different titles, and we're still far away from the complete pentalogy, which the original creator always intended so.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is an expended re-creation of the original second title "Abe's Exoddus", which somehow was rushed and pushed too soon by the publisher. With a reinvigorated opportunity to release a complete new projection, is Soulstorm everything fans wanted, or better yet, deserve? Let's find out!

Oddworld: Soulstorm starts immediately after Oddworld: New 'n Tasty, as it's a direct sequel. I won't dwell too much into spoilers, as I rather focus on the external pinpoints of the narrative, instead of spoiling it away for those who, like me, had to wait for this new Oddworld on Steam.

There is no doubt Soulstorm is a special release and a grand return to the series. If you have only played the originals, you'll quickly notice a change in the overall theme. The series has now a less goofy and comical wave, and are far more emotional with a great emphases on the main character, Abe. This can easily be witnessed in cutscenes. I can't help but have a feeling Abe is being intentionally trying to resonate with the public target: Humans. Can't criticize much, but surely wasn't expecting them to really go deep into it.

One thing is certain, Soulstorm is wildly ambitious and the studio Oddworld Inhabitants really did create a massive world. You can expect a very similar gameplay to its traditional formula, but this time around I found myself always on the move, constantly dealing with unpredictable dangers, and there was little, to almost no safe spots during intense scenarios.

Level structure is pretty original, with many instances where players can use multiple solutions to surpass their obstacles, usually resulting in clever and original takes. Expect some trial and error, as it's already common among the series, and with levels being extremely big, don't feel ashamed if you might need to check some guides.

Difficulty plays an important role in the mechanics, and it's directly tied up to the Quarma, which is basically a karma/morality system attributing points based on how many Mudokans you can save or take care of. One thing is to survive alone, but making sure your companions escape, that's another story. To make things a bit easier, the game uses a Crafting system, where simple items can be built as you collect source materials. Antidotes, home-made explosives and smoke devices are just some examples and they can make your journey much easier.

One of the less positive aspect, at least for me, is the lacking interactivity of the fellow Mudokans. In the original games they were more than just fellow slaves looking for a way out, and they helped by being useful. The main player still had complete control over them, but their engaging presence was welcoming. In Soulstorm they are basically followers, with no other purpose, except dictating which ending you might get based on how many you saved. To me, that's pure laziness.

Time to mention another concern we all share. It's well known that the original Soulstorm version had its problems. I know many users encounter a terrible time dealing with broken AI, terrible hit detection and some wild bugs. Thankfully, based on my experience, this Enhanced edition is exactly how the game should have been released.

A.I was revamped to act and behave as expected, with enemies being more coherent, and Mudokans less stupid. The overall performance is far less glitchy and the movement fluidity was also touched a bit. It's a far more polished result, so that's a good thing in my book.

It's no major news the game uses Unity (I know, I know...) and the optional settings are... Well, very poor. It's recommended to use a controller, and if that's not enough warning, Cutscenes are limited to 30fps. Anti-aliasing (x8) is active by default, same with Anisotropic filtering. We might see some files being modded later on, but we sure could use more settings.

Visually, Oddworld: Soulstorm looks as it feels: wide and huge, with a diverse set of locations and areas quite well designed and looking very appealing. The game still preaches a dark and grim reality, despite the scenes not always depicting a bleak aesthetic.
We came a long way from pre-rendered backgrounds, and although I miss the goofyness of the classics, I couldn't help but emerge myself in the new visuals.

Either you miss Abe, or you're feeling up to a challenging adventure, Oddworld: Soulstorm is for you. The endeavors of the poor Mudokans are far from ending, but this time we get to see even more of this treacherous world, one we can just hope it's now going forward, instead of consisting in remakes.
A solid, defying and entertaining title, now with improved performance.

[url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/32296668-Casual-Game-Reviews/]More reviews on our Curator Page[/url] [i]Oddworld[/i] was one of the first platformer games I experienced in the original Playstation. At the time I couldn't really understood what was going on, but as years went by, the franchise got my utmost respect and admiration for being so unique and different from everything else. We came a long time from the late 90's and Abe's adventures have gone through several different titles, and we're still far away from the complete pentalogy, which the original creator always intended so. [b]Oddworld: Soulstorm[/b] is an expended re-creation of the original second title "[i]Abe's Exoddus[/i]", which somehow was rushed and pushed too soon by the publisher. With a reinvigorated opportunity to release a complete new projection, is [i]Soulstorm[/i] everything fans wanted, or better yet, deserve? Let's find out! [b]Oddworld: Soulstorm[/b] starts immediately after [b]Oddworld: New 'n Tasty[/b], as it's a direct sequel. I won't dwell too much into spoilers, as I rather focus on the external pinpoints of the narrative, instead of spoiling it away for those who, like me, had to wait for this new Oddworld on Steam. There is no doubt [i]Soulstorm[/i] is a special release and a grand return to the series. If you have only played the originals, you'll quickly notice a change in the overall theme. The series has now a less goofy and comical wave, and are far more emotional with a great emphases on the main character, Abe. This can easily be witnessed in cutscenes. I can't help but have a feeling Abe is being intentionally trying to resonate with the public target: Humans. Can't criticize much, but surely wasn't expecting them to really go deep into it. One thing is certain, [i]Soulstorm[/i] is wildly ambitious and the studio [i]Oddworld Inhabitants[/i] really did create a massive world. You can expect a very similar gameplay to its traditional formula, but this time around I found myself always on the move, constantly dealing with unpredictable dangers, and there was little, to almost no safe spots during intense scenarios. Level structure is pretty original, with many instances where players can use multiple solutions to surpass their obstacles, usually resulting in clever and original takes. Expect some trial and error, as it's already common among the series, and with levels being extremely big, don't feel ashamed if you might need to check some guides. Difficulty plays an important role in the mechanics, and it's directly tied up to the Quarma, which is basically a karma/morality system attributing points based on how many Mudokans you can save or take care of. One thing is to survive alone, but making sure your companions escape, that's another story. To make things a bit easier, the game uses a Crafting system, where simple items can be built as you collect source materials. Antidotes, home-made explosives and smoke devices are just some examples and they can make your journey much easier. One of the less positive aspect, at least for me, is the lacking interactivity of the fellow Mudokans. In the original games they were more than just fellow slaves looking for a way out, and they helped by being useful. The main player still had complete control over them, but their engaging presence was welcoming. In [i]Soulstorm[/i] they are basically followers, with no other purpose, except dictating which ending you might get based on how many you saved. To me, that's pure laziness. Time to mention another concern we all share. It's well known that the original Soulstorm version had its problems. I know many users encounter a terrible time dealing with broken AI, terrible hit detection and some wild bugs. Thankfully, based on my experience, this Enhanced edition is exactly how the game should have been released. A.I was revamped to act and behave as expected, with enemies being more coherent, and Mudokans less stupid. The overall performance is far less glitchy and the movement fluidity was also touched a bit. It's a far more polished result, so that's a good thing in my book. It's no major news the game uses Unity (I know, I know...) and the optional settings are... Well, very poor. It's recommended to use a controller, and if that's not enough warning, Cutscenes are limited to 30fps. Anti-aliasing (x8) is active by default, same with Anisotropic filtering. We might see some files being modded later on, but we sure could use more settings. Visually, [b]Oddworld: Soulstorm[/b] looks as it feels: wide and huge, with a diverse set of locations and areas quite well designed and looking very appealing. The game still preaches a dark and grim reality, despite the scenes not always depicting a bleak aesthetic. We came a long way from pre-rendered backgrounds, and although I miss the goofyness of the classics, I couldn't help but emerge myself in the new visuals. Either you miss Abe, or you're feeling up to a challenging adventure, [b]Oddworld: Soulstorm[/b] is for you. The endeavors of the poor Mudokans are far from ending, but this time we get to see even more of this treacherous world, one we can just hope it's now going forward, instead of consisting in remakes. A solid, defying and entertaining title, now with improved performance.