The original Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey for PlayStation 1 was, at the time, a tour de force in graphics and gameplay innovation.

Oddworld Soulstorm is a direct sequel to 2014’s Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty!, (and technically a reboot of Oddworld: Abe’s Exodus) but is welcoming enough to people new to the series, like me, to get to grips with it’s systems.

Oddworld Soulstorm was released last year for PC (via the Epic Games Store), and PlayStation 4 and 5, but with this new Enhanced Edition it now comes to Xbox consoles as well.

The Enhanced Edition adds new patches and platform-exclusive content, and is generally a more polished experience than the original release. For the many who picked it up as the first PlayStation 5 PlayStation Plus title, you’ll be pleased to see it has been updated automatically to this new version for no additional cost.

If you haven’t played it before, Oddworld is a 2D puzzle platformer where you play a weak, 1960’s inspired alien-like lifeform called Abe as he makes his way across dangerous environments, hiding from his overlords who previously enslaved him. Through a combination of potions, mysterious chanting abilities, and sneaking, Abe, a reluctant leader, shows his followers the path to freedom.

And make no mistake, this is a difficult game. You can’t just tank damage from enemies and hope to move on. Mistakes are punished, death is usually instant and Abe time and again shows that he is fragile. While it is usually clear what to do, there is still a strong element of trial and error before you can progress in any level. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, mind you, I liked the strong puzzle focus, and it’s unique combination with platforming elements. Still, I would have preferred a quick save system in place of the checkpoints, which induce a large amount of stutter as you pass them by, but this is a minor complaint and I can see that it is a creative design decision not to include them.

I was also impressed with the extensive use of background elements in what the developers call a “2.9D” system. There are lots of interactions with background elements, with a hugely dynamic camera that moves in and out, and alongside Abe in a way that is innovative for a 2D platformer.

Levels are massive, and what may be a remote background element at one point can eventually become your play space later as the level progresses.

Both Xbox and PlayStation have exclusive content for their platforms in this new Enhanced Edition.

Vykkers Labs will be available to the Xbox versions of the game, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to test that version to see what it’s like.

Toby’s Escape instead is available for PlayStation players, and focuses on a slightly different set of platformer puzzles set in the basement of Rupture Farms as he makes his way out after Abe destroys the joint. It’s a neat addition, and totally separate from the main game.

Platform exclusive content is always frustrating to see, and despite the overall console exclusivity coming to an end it is disappointing to see elements of this remaining in the release program.

Hopefully Vykkers Labs appears on PlayStation and Toby’s Escape makes its way to Xbox consoles after the briefest of time windows.

A solid, updated release of an excellent 2020 game, Oddworld Soulstorm: Enhanced Edition is a worthwhile update that provides new reasons to come back for new and old players.

Even after all this time, the Oddworld series is still unique in the gaming space, and I hope to see more of Abe and his adventures in the future.

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Last night, during PlayStation’s State of Play, Oddworld: Soulstorm revealed its digital release date through a brand new trailer (above).

The bigger, badder, bolder action-adventure platformer sequel of the renowned video game series, will launch digitally on April 6th, 2021 exclusively on PS4, PS5, and PC (Epic Games Store).

Additionally, the game will be the PS5 PlayStation Plus free game of the month for April. More information about the retail versions will be shared soon.

“When I start the creative process, I sometimes find myself dreaming of the day when I can share my creation with you.” says Lorne Lanning, co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants. “That dream is nearly a reality as the digital launch date is upon us! All of us at Oddworld are excited to share the second chapter in Abe’s quintology with you.”

“I’ve said this before, but it is worth repeating, your support helped us more than I can put into words. Not only has your support helped us, but the support we have received from PlayStation, Epic Games, Unity, and Microids has been vital. To all of you, thank you!”

In Oddworld: Soulstorm, you reprise the role of Abe the Mudokon, accidental hero turned leader of a growing revolution.

We first met Abe in the first game of the quintology, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty. Abe is a floor-waxer at Mullock the Glukkon’s RuptureFarms meat packing plant. He accidentally learns about Molluck’s plan to turn Mudokons into tasty treats. He wants to save himself, but he’s compelled himself to try to save everyone. His selfless act is the spark that sets the revolution ablaze.

In Soulstorm, the second game in the quintology, you will explore massive cinematic scale and weird but wonderful 2.9D environments filled with breathtaking visuals. 2.9D lets you venture into the world. It creates greater scale and action by adding depth and immersion.

The sense of immersion is even greater thanks to game changing haptic feedback. You can feel Abe’s heartbeat during suspense filled action sequences, made possible by PlayStation’s revolutionary DualSense wireless controller.

Try to save the more than 1,000 Mudokons. There is power in many: They will help you solve puzzling puzzles and you can also harness their collective energy.

As you traverse the 2.9D environments, you will scavenge for necessary resources by pickpocketing enemies, looting lockers, and sifting through trash cans. Exchange them at vending machines to get products that you can use or even, for the first time in Oddworld history, give to your followers. This gives you more agency in how you chose to conquer the game’s many challenges.

And there will be times when you need an armed army of Mudokons behind you. The oppressive Glukkons have other plans and will use every means at their well-funded disposal, from propaganda to brute force.

Abe’s most iconic ability, his mystic power of possession will allow you to take control of your foes and use their strength and weapons against them. Possession can be used to activate locks and switches to gain entrance to restricted or hidden areas in the game.

The Oddworld universe is diverse.

Some areas will require hard core action and others will demand stealth and planning. From dark and dangerous caves to heavily fortified industrial sites or ancient lands and ruins, there are plenty of opportunities for you to decide if you need to employ force or take a more passive approach. The choice is yours.

Soulstorm won’t be easy. You and Abe will be hunted by a powerful army, backed by a shady and wealthy corporation. If that wasn’t bad enough, you will face even more dangers in the form of natural obstacles, ancient traps, and industrial hazards to dodge, cross and avoid if possible.

Abe’s journey is one of hope and freedom. The game has a rich and engaging narrative that is very dark with a twisted sense of humor that shines a light on the ironies that exist in the human condition.

Your actions in-game will decide the fate of Abe and all you manage to liberate along with way.

Save them Abe! Save them all!!!!

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Oddworld: Soulstorm, the bigger, badder, bolder action adventure platforming sequel is coming in spring 2021. You can pre-purchase the PC version right now at Epic Games Store. PlayStation pre-orders will be announced later.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is the second game in a quintology. We first met our reluctant hero, Abe the Mudokon, in Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty.

Abe was born in a system that relegated his kind to the bottom of the food chain. He and others quietly slaved away at RuptureFarms, the world’s biggest meat processing plant run by Molluck the Glukkon (part of the Magog Cartel). That changed in an instant after he accidently overhears a sinister plan to increase profits at RuptureFarms by turning Mudokons into food.

Abe, like any of us would after hearing we were going to become food, tries to quietly escape but along the way something inside of him awakens. He just can’t leave behind his fellow Mudokons. His actions create a spark that ignites a movement and maybe a revolution.

Oddworld: Soulstorm continues Abe’s evolutionary story. You will learn that revolutions start small, but real and lasting change requires the power of many and the power of hope. And that opposing forces will use every means at their well-funded disposal, from propaganda to brute force, to beat back even the smallest uprising.

And here is a list of gameplay features just released today:

Action Adventure Platforming: Evolving the platforming genre by adding RPG-lite elements with player agency to play as they like, whether aggressively or passively.

Narrative: A dark storyline with a twisted sense of humor that shines a light on the ironies that exist in the human condition.

2.9D: Epic environments with massive scale to explore by going into the world, rather than being limited to the traditional side scrolling platformer sense.

Quarma (think Karma): Quarma is a real time feedback feature that reflects your actions in the game and will influence Abe, his followers, his abilities, and your score throughout the game.

Scavenger’s Economy: Pickpocket enemies, loot lockers, sift through trash cans to acquire resources. Exchange them at vending machines to get products that give you more agency in how you chose to conquer the game’s many challenges.

Crafting: Use scavenged resources and vending machine products to craft items to use as weapons or tools against characters and obstacles.

Strength in Numbers: The more followers you save, the stronger the uprising becomes. Gift crafted items to followers. It’s up to you to decide whether they will be aggressive or passive.

Gameplay: A 2.9D action adventure platformer. Expected first time playthrough is estimated at 15 hours. Achievement hunters and perfectionists can easily play for dozens of hours.

Leaderboards: All levels offer a tallying system, leaderboards, achievements, and badges.

Stay tuned as we get more info on a release date real soon.

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Oddworld Inhabitants, Inc. and Microids team up to announce a May 14th, 2020 release date for the classic game Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee.

Initially available on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch, Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee is the classic action adventure game with an ecological heart ported to the world’s most innovative and popular handheld, tabletop, and traditional all-in-one gaming console. The physical version will be released later this year.

The story begins with you playing as a Gabbit named Munch, the hero of the Oddest Oddysee of all. Munch’s luck is about to change – for the worse!

How would you feel if you broke your leg in a scrab trap, were abducted by soulless scientists, had an alien device implanted in your skull, and found out your race had been hunted to extinction?

Due to the rich variety of consumer products derived from the Gabbit species, their legacy has nearly come to its end. For the amphibious Gabbit, there is only one lonely individual that survives. However, it won’t be spotted where one might typically find such a Gabbit. This one is currently an entrapped test subject within the horrible testing facility known as Vykkers Labs.It’s up to you to help guide Munch in efforts to rescue fellow test creatures. These critters will be forever loyal to Munch and in turn enable his escape.

Once free, Munch teams up with Abe and together they are guided by the wisdom of the Almighty Raisin. They are informed as to how to accomplish their goals, but in order to do so, they must work together. For Munch, his dream is to bring back his species from the brink of extinction. For Abe, it is to rescue his Mudokon buddies.

You can “switch” between Munch and Abe depending on the situation. Using special psychic powers, cool power-ups, and other special abilities to deliver payback to the Vykkers, Abe and Munch set out to reclaim the last gabbit eggs on Oddworld, which have been packaged in a can of gabbiar.

May Odd help you!

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The years was 1997 when PlayStation gamers first met Abe, an inhabitant of Oddworld.

An iconic game of it’s time and still revered as one of the best games of it’s kind (puzzle / platformer) it also started an Oddworld saga which saw five titles produced and a sixth (Soulstorm) due for release this year (2020).

Of the series there was one game that stood out from the rest due to it’s diversity in play – when compared to the other four. This was Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath.

Released in 2005 exclusively then for the original Xbox, you play as a newly introduced character only known as Stranger.

A bounty hunter, Stranger roams from town to town picking up jobs to bring in, dead or alive, outlaws.

He soon discovers a plot taking place by a chap known as Sekto, where he is tormenting a race who were once guarded by a now extinct set of Skeefs.

Stranger takes it upon himself to free the civilians and take down Sekto.

Played in both first and third person view Stranger himself is a humanoid creature, a being with few words spoken but where his limited vocabulary ensues his actions and the originality of play make Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath one of the best in the series to play.

Now ported over to Switch, you can take Stranger everywhere with you with his penchant for critters and hatred for baddies.

In a first ever – that has yet to be repeated in any game yet, you will use small creatures found within the Oddworld environment as your ammunition for your crossbow.

From bees as bullets, Stunkz for stunning, Boombats as rockets and more you will have a menagerie of small critters at your disposal providing that you explore and find them.

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath has an RPG-like element in the sense that you will converse with many NPC’s in differing locations usually in relation to either finding an outlaw, collecting your Bounty, buying items and some that you come across may have a side quest or at the very least offer a nugget of helpful info.

With a signature ‘Oddworld’ humour Stranger’s Wrath was a game that was ahead of it’s time – which, like the very original Abe game, has made it a legendary title in it’s own right.

It successfully broke away from the puzzle / platform genre the other titles in the franchise are and could easily be a winning stand alone game.

Stranger’s Wrath for Switch has had a HD graphical do-over with enhanced visuals for the portable console – even in docked mode on a large screen it looks like a current gen title.

Also released on Xbox Live, PSN, iOS and Android Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath has really found it’s home on Nintendo’s Switch.

One of my personally most played games of all time, Stranger’s Wrath is one that even after completing it, you go back for more.

The post Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath (Switch) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The French publisher Microids and Oddworld Inhabitants are delighted to announce a co-publishing deal for three classic Oddworld titles, all coming to Nintendo Switch in 2020. 

The first game is Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD and it will release digitally on January 23, 2020. It will retail both with a standard and a limited edition, in the first quarter 2020. The limited edition will include some nice exclusive collectibles.

“We are very happy about this new collaboration with Oddworld Inhabitants regarding the publishing of these three classic titles! We are going to help as much as we can to ensure these masterpieces get the spotlight they deserve. These three games will fit quite nicely in our catalog where retro gaming has a prominent place. These games captivated an entire generation of gamers and some Microids employees, formerly working with the GT Interactive team, got to work on the original launch of the first Oddworld games more than 20 years ago,” said Stéphane Longeard – CEO of Microids.

“Microids champions the Oddworld brand and our goal to create entertainment properties that balance beauty, empathy, creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship. They understand the classic games and indie space. This partnership is a great fit for us, and we are excited to have them onboard as we bring three classic Oddworld games to the Nintendo Switch in 2020,” said Sherry McKenna, co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants.  

Oddworld Inhabitants is an independent video game developer and publisher, co-founded by special effects and computer animation veterans Sherry McKenna and Lorne Lanning. The award-winning team of storytellers and artists at Oddworld are known for creating indelible entertainment properties that speak to millions of fans worldwide. The team will release four games in 2020 including the highly anticipated Oddworld: Soulstorm, which is scheduled for a 2020 release on Epic Game Store and consoles.

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