Oddworld: Soulstorm - Review
When I was in high school, a friend had a PlayStation and he invited me over to check out this new game he got, Abe’s Odyssey and over the course of a few weeks, we played through it. Soon after there was another game it was just as fun, but then the series turned away from Abe and started to expand the world and gameplay. It has been a number of years since Abe was the star and now that Oddworld Soulstorm has finally come to Switch, it was my chance to get back in and see if the game brings back happy memories.
The game picks up after the events of New and Tasty, the remake of the first two games that released a few years ago, thankfully if you have not played that it does provide some explanation. After helping free a host of Mudokons, Abe discovers that he has a much larger destiny than what was hinted at in the past games. Before he can get a full explanation, the hideout is attacked by Mullock, the owner of RuptureFarms and now embarrassed Glukkon. While some of the Mudokons make their escape, Abe is forced to take the long way around, keeping out of sight of Mullock and his hunting party. As Abe ventures further, he comes across trials, which when completed give him assess to a power that is divine in origin. Events take a turn soon after Abe returns to the RuptureFarms location, but I won’t say any more.
The story here is basic and follows the basic gist of the past Abe games, you start out basic and as you explore and learn more, you get more details. The big change here is that, as a direct sequel you really have to have some knowledge of the events of the past game, for anything to make sense of this one. The game does a decent job of trying to explain things, just don’t feel bad if they make little sense to you. As for how the story progresses, there are some dedicated cutscenes – which can be quite long, but most of it is delivered at the start or end of stages.
The gameplay is the reason to keep pushing through the game, if you have played the recent New and Tasty, or even the PlayStation 1 originals, then you will have an idea on what to expect here. Everything plays out on a 2d plane, meaning that you move side to side, but now the world will rotate, giving you the illusion of depth. In each location there will usually be a handful of Mudokons that you can opt to save, by escorting them to a bird portal. Unlike the original games, you can now tap to say hi to a single being or press and hold to speak to all of them. The same can be used when telling them to follow you or wait, which is perfect for when you want to bring one with you. As you progress into the levels the game will start giving you tools to use, smoke bombs, water bombs and so on, with each one having a singular purpose. Smoke bombs allow you to create walls of smoke that let you hide in the open, but they don’t last forever, so using them before they dissipate is crucial. While the game is pretty generous in providing pre-made items, it does offer a crafting system so you can always make more items if needed, you just have to scavenge supplies from every bin, locker and Slig you can.
The games visuals are solid, but you can definitely tell that it was developed originally for a more powerful console than the Switch. The game is able to run smooth most of the time, the only real time that things lagged was if I was running past check points or the action on screen was just insane. The biggest downside to playing on the Switch, at least visually, is the draw distance. The game keeps the world geometry in place, so you can see buildings, mountains and such, but it limits the detail. This was really noticeable when I entered the train station location, all over the outside of the building were a heap of details, signs and such. The game only rendered them in when I got to a set distance, take a step back and it started to remove those elements. You will see that effect happen in countless places and while it is noticeable, it doesn’t impact the games fun.
The sound is solid, the music is just as wonderful as the series has delivered in the past and while there are no farting noises and giggles now, Abe is still fun to hear talk. While Abe is fine, some of the baddies are not as easy to enjoy, due to the lack of variety in their lines, the number of coffee breaks in this world is staggering.
If you have not enjoyed the game on other platforms or you only have a Switch, Oddworld: Soulstorm on Switch is a great port. The gameplay doesn’t stray to far from the series roots and while that will be comforting to some, newcomers may not like the rigidness of that. The scavenging mechanic is interesting, but there are times when it gets in the way, with you having to scrounge up Moolah to unlock a door. Performance wise, I never encountered major slowdown that stopped me from playing the game, but there are moments when it does appear. With this release, all of the Oddworld stories are now playable on Switch and they are all fun to experience, but this one is truly one for the fans, rather than newcomers.
The Score
8.0
Review code provided by Microids
The Pros
+The world is vast and feels more alive than ever before
+Gameplay is solid and has a very familiar feel to it…
The Cons
-… but that old school gameplay may not appeal to new gamers
-The games visuals do suffer at times, with the draw distance the most
