Oddworld Soulstorm Review – Abe’s New Adventure: Success or Failure? | The Gamer Novelist

Is Oddworld Soulstorm a worthy evolution of Abe’s journey or a step backward? Dive into the full analysis here on The Gamer Novelist.

Watch my complete video review of Oddworld: Soulstorm (PS4)

Introduction

When Oddworld: Soulstorm was released, it arrived with a very specific and ambitious goal: to redefine what the Oddworld series could be in the modern era. Developed by Oddworld Inhabitants, Soulstorm is not simply a remake, nor a sequel in the traditional sense. It is a complete reimagination of the structure, pacing, and emotional weight of the original Abe’s Exoddus, rebuilt with contemporary technology and a much stronger cinematic identity.

Released initially on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and later expanded to PC and Xbox platforms, Soulstorm represents the largest and most technically ambitious project the franchise has ever attempted. It pushes far beyond the boundaries of a classic side-scroller and turns the formula into something closer to a narrative-driven cinematic platformer with strong stealth, tactical, and resource management systems.

The result is a game that feels daring, often brilliant, sometimes frustrating, and occasionally broken. It is not a safe remake. It is a risky evolution, and that is both its greatest strength and its most visible weakness.

Unveiling the Story

The story of Soulstorm takes place immediately after Abe exposes the horrors of RuptureFarms, but rather than celebrating victory, the narrative quickly pivots toward a darker truth. Abe and the Mudokons discover that they were never meant to simply work in the factories. They were always meant to be exterminated and turned into consumer products. What starts as a simple escape story becomes a massive liberation movement.

Narratively, Soulstorm is far more mature than its predecessors. It embraces political satire, dystopian world-building, and environmental themes with far more subtlety. The ruling Glukkons are no longer just grotesque villains, but corporate caricatures of unchecked capitalism, environmental exploitation, and propaganda-driven power systems.

Abe himself evolves from a confused slave into an unwilling revolutionary. He does not begin as a hero, and he never feels invincible. His fear, hesitation, and moral responsibility are part of the storyline. The relationship between Abe and the Mudokons is central, and the game continuously reinforces the idea that they are not simply collectibles, but living beings whose survival changes the emotional tone of the story.

The multiple endings system transforms narrative into consequence. Failing to save enough Mudokons leads to bleak, demoralizing conclusions. Saving them all unlocks additional levels and a more hopeful ending that feels earned rather than gifted. This structure gives emotional legitimacy to every success and every failure.

Exploring Gameplay Mechanics

Soulstorm’s gameplay is built around one central idea: responsibility under pressure. Almost every level is a complex escort scenario in which the player must guide helpless Mudokons through tightly constructed death traps.

Platforming, stealth, enemy manipulation and environmental puzzles are tightly interwoven. Levels rarely allow brute force solutions. Instead, they demand pattern learning, timing mastery and precise execution. Death is not only expected, it is designed into the learning curve.

The checkpoint system is extremely generous and intelligently placed, which transforms repeated failure into a learning loop rather than punishment. However, the inability to perform manual saves creates friction when paired with technical inconsistencies. When a player dies, they often retain progress through dangerous sections, but sometimes lose access to previously collected resources, forcing repetitive re-looting sequences.

Abe’s possession ability remains the mechanical and thematic heart of the series. By chanting, Abe can control enemies, force them to attack their allies, use their weapons or sacrifice them. This power is restricted by electrical anti-chant devices, which prevent the mechanic from becoming overpowered and force strategic planning.

Combat is intentionally limited. Abe is not a fighter. Confrontation is designed to be avoided more than engaged. This reinforces the tone of vulnerability that defines the series.

Assessing Controls and User Interface

Controls have been modernized significantly compared to previous Oddworld titles. Movement is more fluid, input latency is improved, and the character feels more physically connected to the environment. The double jump is responsive and essential for survival, especially in vertically complex environments.

Mantling and environmental traversal, while improved, still suffer from occasional inconsistency. Ledge detection sometimes fails, and pole swinging can behave unpredictably, which is particularly evident in sequences that require flawless timing.

The user interface is clean and unobtrusive. The crafting wheel and inventory selection feel intuitive and well adapted for controllers. The HUD avoids information overload and focuses on essential data, which keeps visual clarity high even in chaotic sequences.

Where the interface struggles is in communication. Some contextual actions do not clearly communicate when they are available or why they fail, which can create frustration when precision is required.

Gameplay Innovations

Soulstorm introduces a significantly expanded crafting and resource management system. This transforms the game from a purely reactive platformer into a tactical survival experience.

For the first time in the series, progression within a level is heavily tied to scavenging. Players search environments for materials that can be combined into stun devices, smoke bombs, explosive charges, flamethrowers, rubberized projectiles and distraction tools.

This system creates a strong sense of tension because resources are finite and must be used intelligently. Early in levels, limited supplies force stealth-oriented solutions. As the level progresses, tool variety expands and allows more aggressive or creative approaches.

The decision to reset all materials at the beginning of each level is controversial but structurally intentional. It forces every stage to feel like a fresh survival puzzle rather than a power escalation fantasy.

Large-scale sequences involving hundreds of Mudokons introduce cinematic spectacle and mechanical complexity. These moments showcase the ambition of the project and represent some of the most technically impressive set-pieces in the genre, when they function as intended.

Delving into Graphics

Visually, Soulstorm is a dramatic leap forward for the series. Powered by a custom engine, the game uses physically based rendering, advanced lighting systems, dynamic shadows and volumetric fog to create environments that feel oppressive and alive.

Textures are high quality and environments are filled with subtle details that communicate narrative through visual design. Factories feel industrial and suffocating. Mines feel claustrophobic and dangerous. Outdoor environments feel decayed and polluted.

Character animations are expressive and stylized, staying faithful to the grotesque charm of the series while benefiting from modern animation systems.

Performance is generally stable on PlayStation 5 and higher end PCs, but the PlayStation 4 version can suffer from occasional frame instability. Visual bugs, texture pop-in and rare geometry glitches can appear but rarely break the overall experience.

Artistically, the game succeeds in creating a cohesive, dystopian visual identity that is both disturbing and strangely beautiful.

Exploring Sound Design

Sound design is the most inconsistent part of Soulstorm’s presentation.

Voice acting is excellent. Abe and the Mudokons convey genuine fear, hope, confusion and loyalty. The Glukkons sound appropriately grotesque and theatrical.

However, audio mixing is uneven. Dialogue can be too quiet, ambient effects can spike in volume, and environmental noise often overwhelms important sound cues. Machinery, explosions and creature sounds frequently dominate the soundscape.

The musical score is surprisingly sparse. Rather than guiding emotional pacing, the game often relies heavily on industrial ambience. While this supports world-building, it can become fatiguing over long sessions.

Audio settings offer limited solutions. Adjustments rarely produce consistent results, making loudness fluctuations a persistent issue throughout the experience.

The Concept

Soulstorm’s conceptual identity is built on discomfort. It is designed to make players feel stressed, pressured and constantly responsible.

Death is part of progression. Failure is a teaching tool. The game refuses to offer power fantasies and instead forces the player to feel fragile and morally accountable.

Thematically, the game tackles corporate greed, propaganda, consumerism, environmental collapse and the disposability of labor. It does so without heavy exposition, relying instead on visual storytelling and environmental context.

Abe’s journey represents reluctant leadership. He does not seek power. He is pushed into it by circumstance. This gives the narrative emotional authenticity that elevates it beyond standard platformer storytelling.

Comparisons and Inspirations

Compared to the original Abe’s Exoddus, Soulstorm is mechanically deeper, narratively darker and visually far more cinematic. However, it is also more demanding and less forgiving.

When compared to modern narrative platformers such as Inside and Little Nightmares, Soulstorm stands apart for its scale. Few games in the genre attempt levels of this complexity combined with companion management and real-time resource crafting.

Where many modern platformers focus on solitude and atmosphere, Soulstorm focuses on responsibility and consequence.

It does not try to simplify itself for accessibility. It demands player discipline, observation and patience.

Personal Considerations and Final Report

Oddworld: Soulstorm is not a smooth experience, not an easy experience, and not a universally accessible experience. But it is an ambitious, passionate and deeply distinctive one.

It succeeds in modernizing the Oddworld formula. It succeeds in giving Abe a more serious, emotionally grounded journey. It succeeds in expanding the mechanical depth of the series. Where it stumbles is technical reliability and audio consistency.

Bugs, visual glitches and occasional mechanical failures undermine what could have been a near-masterpiece. Yet even with these flaws, the game remains memorable in a way few modern platformers manage.

This is not a safe remake. It is a bold experiment that sometimes breaks, but never feels empty.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a success in vision and ambition, and a partial failure in execution. It delivers one of Abe’s most meaningful journeys, wrapped in a technically unstable but artistically powerful experience. It is flawed, difficult, unforgettable, and ultimately worth playing for those willing to endure its rough edges.

Final Score

Pros

• Ambitious reimagining of the Oddworld formula with strong cinematic identity
• Emotionally engaging story centered on Abe’s evolution and moral responsibility
• Highly creative level design built around timing, stealth, and environmental problem solving
• Deep crafting system that adds tactical depth to every stage
• Excellent character animation and distinct artistic direction

Cons

• Noticeable technical instability, including bugs and occasional level-breaking glitches
• Inconsistent sound mixing that impacts immersion during extended play sessions
• Companion AI can feel unreliable, especially during combat-driven sequences
• Some platforming mechanics lack precision in high-pressure situations
• Repetitive re-collection of resources after death can slow pacing

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