Oddworld: Soulstorm

Oddworld: Soulstorm is an upcoming platform game developed and published by Oddworld Inhabitants. It will be the continuation of 2014's Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! and a re-imagining of 1998's Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus. It is scheduled for a release in Spring 2021 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Oddworld: Soulstorm
Developer(s)Oddworld Inhabitants
Publisher(s)Oddworld Inhabitants
Director(s)Lorne Lanning
Producer(s)Benny Terry[1]
SeriesOddworld
EngineUnity[2]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
ReleaseQ1/Q2 2021
Genre(s)Cinematic platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Similar to its predecessor, the game is a 2.5D side-scrolling platform game. Protagonist Abe returns in the game and his goal is to save his fellow mudokons from slave labor. The game features a new crafting system in which Abe can craft and customise different weapons. While the game is mostly linear, it features a massive train hub area where players can access new levels and areas.[3]

Development

On March 14, 2016 it was announced via a press-release that a new game titled Oddworld: Soulstorm is in development and is slated to be released later in 2017,[4] later delayed to 2019. Then again delayed to 2020. The game has been described by Oddworld Inhabitants as "a complete story retake [of Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus] inspired by our original tale."[5] A team of 30 people was working on the game.[3] Due to the commercial success of New 'n' Tasty!, the game had a larger budget, and the developer collaborated with Frima Studio in Canada, and Fat Kraken Studios in England.[6]

Before the announcement, it was announced in April 2015 that a remake of Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus was in the planning stages. Lorne Lanning, the director of Abe's Exoddus, said that Exoddus's success would contribute significantly to future Oddworld titles, and would be marketed more broadly than New 'n' Tasty!.[7] During the development of Oddworld: Soulstorm, Oddworld Inhabitants have started an alternate reality game in which they encourage fans to look for clues within files and websites they upload.[5]

In September 2016 at the EGX Expo, Oddworld Inhabitants game designer Matt Glanville said that Oddworld: Soulstorm would be a bigger version of Abe's Exoddus, featuring some areas and game mechanics from Exoddus as well as entirely new areas. He said that some parts from Abe's Exoddus will look 'completely different to the original'. The Quarma system from Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee would return and the path that the player takes would depend on the storyline. He also stated that Oddworld: Soulstorm would be a sequel to Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty and will be what Abe's Exoddus should have been.[8]

In February 2019, there was a Q and A session on Discord with Lanning on the Oddworld Official Discord server. He said that if Soulstorm sells well, then he will be able to work on the third game of the Oddworld series.[9] On 13 May 2019, Oddworld Inhabitants launched a gameplay teaser trailer for Soulstorm, revealing it as the true second part of the planned 5-game series. The game is now expected to be released in early 2020.[10]

The game made an appearance before E3 2019 during E3 Judges Week where gaming judges were able to play a short demo of the game and interview Lorne Lanning. The demo showcased a small section of the game which was about 60% of the way through the game. The demo showed off several of Soulstorm's new gameplay mechanics. In the screen that was showcased, there is a train that moves across the screen regularly that can kill Mudokons.[11]

At Gamescom 2019, Lanning announced that the game will be coming to consoles and PC in 2020 or 2021 with the PC version being an Epic Games Store exclusive release. He stated on Twitter that the reason behind this is that as indie developers they had self-financed the game and required additional financial resources in order to deliver the high quality AAA game they set out to create.[12] It was further showcased during Sony's PlayStation 5 event in June 2020, confirming that the game will be a console exclusive for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.[13] At The Game Awards 2020, a new trailer revealed the release date was postponed for Spring 2021 and pre-purchase for the PC version became available.[14]

References
  1. Takahashi, Dean. "Oddworld: Soulstorm How the Devs created an industrial nightmare in 2.9D". Venture Beats. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  2. Takahashi, Dean (March 18, 2019). "Oddworld: Soulstorm visuals debuted at Unity event". VentureBeat. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  3. Fenlon, Wes (May 13, 2019). "Oddworld: Soulstorm is giving a classic platformer an injection of PC gaming DNA". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  4. Kamen, Matt (March 14, 2016). "Oddworld returns in 2017 with mysterious 'Soulstorm'". Wired. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  5. Devore, Jordan (January 27, 2017). "First Oddworld: Soulstorm image surfaces". Destructoid. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  6. Takahashi, Dean (June 6, 2019). "Oddworld: Soulstorm — How the devs created an industrial nightmare in 2.9D". VentureBeat. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  7. Brenna Hillier (April 14, 2015). "Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus remake in the works". VG247. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. "The Past and Future of Oddworld". EGX via YouTube. September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  9. "Oddworld Lorne Lanning Q and A". Oddwords.hu. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  10. Oddworld Inhabitants. "Oddworld: Soulstorm Gameplay and Teaer Trailer". Twitter. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  11. TAKAHASHI, Dean (2019-06-06). "Oddworld: Soulstorm Hands on Preview - Stealthy Rescues in a Industrial Nightmare". Venturebeat. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  12. Prescott, Shaun (August 19, 2019). "Oddworld: Soulstorm is the latest Epic Games Store exclusive". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  13. Yin-Poole, Wesley (June 11, 2020). "Oddworld: Soulstorm coming to PS5, PS4 and PC". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  14. "Oddworld: Soulstorm Coming Spring 2021". Oddworld Inhabitants. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
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