Oddworld: Soulstorm Reviews
Oddworld: Soulstorm offers a refreshing take as a reimagining of an old classic. It provides platforming goodness, a bit of trial-and-error with situations, lots of secrets to find, and thousands of Mudokons to save. Sadly, it does have some noticeable shortcomings related to its controls, friendly AI movement, and save system.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is an imperfect game, like many other, but unlinke most of them it accepts the idea of taking risks to achieve something different. Unfortunately, it only sometimes happens, but it was worth trying. As Abe knows well, there's no way other than fighting (or jumping, or chanting…) to achieve what you want.
Review in Italian | Read full review
With an excellent stage and puzzle design, an engaging story that takes some unexpectedly dark turns, and a great presentation, Oddworld: Soulstorm is as good as the first entries in the series if not even better thanks to some new gameplay mechanics. The high challenge level and some other issues here and there may put off some players, but don't let them stop you, even if you just have a passing interest in the series, or the genre as a whole: a game like Oddworld: Soulstorm hasn't been released in a very long time.
Oddworld: Soulstorm presents itself well and shows a grand vision for the series, but as a modern game in 2021, it's just not where it needs to be. It can be extremely awkward to pull off even basic manoeuvres, some new features miss the mark, and certain levels made us want to quit altogether. Bugs exacerbate some of the gameplay frustrations with wonky AI, and ultimately the play experience can be frustratingly rigid. Fans will love this reimagining of a classic, and the franchise's unique charm shines through, but it's a tough sell for anyone coming to the series fresh.
We like the Oddworld series, and we wish Soulstorm were better. The ingredients are there: the world itself and Abe's story have a uniquely grimy charm. No section of Soulstorm's 15-hour adventure feels quite like the last, with enough new enemies and mechanics introduced to keep things both interesting and challenging. Yet at the same time, technical issues mar the experience much like the dirt and rust that covers Oddworld, and small inconveniences add up to make completing the game much more trying than it should be. We hope one day an Oddworld game will be a must-play adventure worthy of the series' late-'90s prestige, but Soulstorm on Switch hasn't quite freed Abe and the Mudokons from the fetters of poor performance and archaic design.
If you’re looking for a new Oddworld experience, then Soulstorm will likely scratch that itch. However, Soulstorm is far from being the 1997 sequel you might know and love. While a lot of what makes Oddworld wonderfully “odd” is still intact, Soulstorm’s experimental nature is almost a detriment. Nevertheless, being able to step into a new Oddworld experience in 2021 is something to behold. Soulstorm might be a little rough around the edges, but hopefully, the game serves as an experiment to determine the best direction for a brand new Oddworld quintology.
Oddworld: Soulstorm should have been the definitive version of the second entry in the Oddworld quintology, while the new story and characters hold their own, the gameplay lets it down. A plethora of bugs make the game far more difficult and frustrating than it should be, ranging from inconsistent enemy movement and teleportation to traces of elements no longer in the final product. There are more than 1300 Mudokons needing your help, but it might be worth waiting a while before you take on this mammoth task.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is an adventure platformer of yest, which manages to modernize its playful formula only at times, with the addition of some guessed tricks aimed at perfecting the frame of Abe's Exoddus. Not everything flows with the right fluidity, and the consistent difficulty of the game is aggravated by unhappy game design choices: yet, when it works, oddworld inhabitants' work manages to guarantee a good deal of contentment, thanks to a substantial content and the immortal fascination a little grotesque by Abe. The same that leads us, more than twenty years after the first episode, to arm ourselves with so much stubbornness to save the Mudokon people, again and again...
Review in Italian | Read full review
Oddworld Soulstorm is a strong follw-up to New'n'Tasty!. It's bigger, very clever, offers some some great new mechanics and its world is still incredibly charming and relevant. But, sadly, it lacks some polish and can be very frustrating because of its bugs or A.I. issues. Only the bravest will succeed in saving all the Mudokons, But in the end, it will be worth it.
Review in French | Read full review
Oddworld: Soulstorm's repetitive gameplay doesn’t make it a bad game, but it does limit the demographic of players that will thoroughly enjoy the game all the way through. Its story and visuals are very impressive and help carry a lot of the game's weight, but playing through hour-long levels with little story elements in between can make Oddworld: Soulstorm a very slow burn. Fans of the Oddworld franchise and 2D platforming games won't be disappointed, but Oddworld: Soulstorm won't keep everyone hooked for very long.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is undoubtedly the best-looking entry in the series yet, with dazzling cutscenes and beautiful environments. However, when it comes to gameplay, Oddworld: Soulstorm comes with a lot of bugs, and clunky and confusing controls. This made the overall gameplay more sluggish and cumbersome than it ought to be, and, in turn, made tricky levels frustrating and tedious rather than pleasantly challenging. If you’re keen on the Oddworld franchise and are looking to get lost in Abe’s world once again, Oddworld: Soulstorm will have plenty on offer. However, if you’re looking for an immersive platform adventure with straightforward controls, Oddworld: Soulstorm might not be your best bet.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is a big, beautiful puzzle platformer with the spirit of Abe's adventures intact and some interesting new ideas, but it's all very quickly undone by imprecise controls, tedious level design and a shocking lack of polish. Oddworld fans will definitely want to check it out, but they may be better off waiting for a few more updates before investing their time, and even then might come away just a tad disappointed.
A darker retelling of an outspoken hero, thrust into his role. With a few kinks to iron out, Oddworld Inhabitants have given Abe life anew.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is a very good and very compelling game, which veers on the verge of being an all time classic so often, you can't help but be angry at it for not following through. Its stumbles do not take away from all that the game achieves, and just how well it achieves it, and Soulstorm is without a doubt the most rounded out, best playing, and most accessible game in the long running Oddworld series.
Oddworld: Soulstorm isn't without its issues, but the good far outweighs the bad. Its crafting system will prove controversial, but it is an overall boon to the game. A visual treat through and through that hits its stride after the first few levels.
Even with some technical issues and a lack of originality, Oddworld: Soulstorm is still one of the ideal games of what Abe's adventures should be. Good.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This change in priorities is felt through out the entirety of the game. While Oddworld: Soulstorm is no means a bad game, it’s a profoundly misguided one that fails to capture what made its progenitor so wonderful. For a remake to make such a drastic change to the original, Oddworld Inhabitants missed the opportunity to include the original Abe’s Exodus as a bonus unlockable feature.
This is a triumphant return to Oddworld. Soulstorm does fantastic things with Abe's story and shows some real advances with the developer's designs. Utterly excellent look, and a world that oozes with consumerist evils make this the definitive new Oddworld experience. There are absolutely no obstacles to heartily recommending this game to all players new and old. Can't wait to see what comes next!
The game tries to entertain the player with its story and sensitive moments, but the successive deaths that occur due to bugs and other game problems make you unable to enjoy Oddworld: Soulstorm in any way.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Abe is back, still so cute, but with new skills and sometimes very hard obstacles.
Review in Slovak | Read full review