Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition

About

In Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition, players guide Abe, a newly liberated slave, on a perilous journey to uncover the truth and free his people from a brainwashing regime. Scavenging for items, crafting tools, and choosing between stealth and combat, players must navigate through dangerous environments and fight against new enemies. With four possible endings, the choices made will determine the fate of Abe and his friends. Will you lead them to freedom or to their doom?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition screenshot

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 215 reviews

gameplay18 positive mentions

stability34 negative mentions

The game features impressive graphics and beautiful cutscenes that enhance the overall experience.
The narrative is engaging, with sharp writing and memorable characters that reflect deeper themes of oppression and resistance.
The gameplay offers varied mechanics, including crafting and puzzle-solving, which can provide multiple approaches to challenges.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
The removal of quicksave and reliance on checkpoints can make the game tedious, requiring players to repeat long sections after dying.
The AI for followers is often unreliable, leading to situations where they waste resources or fail to follow commands effectively.

gameplay
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the introduction of new mechanics like crafting and varied challenges, while others criticize the execution as clunky and frustrating. Many noted issues with AI behavior, bugs, and a lack of polish that detracted from the overall experience, leading to a feeling of inconsistency and a departure from the charm of earlier titles in the series. Overall, while there are fresh ideas and beautiful graphics, the gameplay struggles with balance and reliability, leaving some players disappointed.
- “The gameplay itself is varied and clever, offering a mix of platforming, puzzle-solving, and strategy.”
- “Each level presents new challenges and mechanics, keeping the experience fresh and engaging.”
- “Gameplay is multi-faceted and action-packed, with tough enemies, challenges, puzzles to solve, and beautifully strange places to explore.”
- “The gameplay just feels terrible; I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it just doesn't feel how it should.”
- “The game mechanics make it unplayable.”
- “It's not only frustrating but inexcusable in a game whose core mechanics rely on precision.”
story
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
65%
5%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its engaging characters, sharp writing, and social commentary, while others lament the departure from the original narrative of "Abe's Exoddus." Many players appreciate the new direction and potential for future installments, though some feel the story lacks the depth and humor of its predecessors. Overall, while the storytelling is immersive and visually appealing, it may not fully satisfy long-time fans of the series.
- “It has all the elements of a future cult hit: sharp writing, a memorable cast of characters, smart social commentary, varied and clever gameplay, and a story filled with heart and soul.”
- “The characters are memorable, each with their own distinct personalities and arcs that contribute to the overall richness of the story.”
- “The game's storytelling is captivating and immerses players in a unique and bizarre world.”
- “It is supposed to be a 'reimagining' of Abe's Exodus, but it follows an entirely new plot that just doesn't have the humor or the punch of the original.”
- “The story has been changed a lot compared to the original, and in my opinion, the game feels less dark compared to the story of Abe’s Exodus.”
- “You see, Soulstorm has a very weak story compared to Exodus, and it truly baffles me that the big moments from that older game have been excised here.”
graphics
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
6%
The graphics of Oddworld: Soulstorm have received widespread praise for their impressive visuals, detailed environments, and engaging cutscenes, maintaining the series' signature art style. However, some players noted that the game suffers from technical issues, such as poor framerates and overly dark levels, which detract from the overall experience. While many appreciate the aesthetic improvements, there are concerns that the game lacks the atmospheric depth of its predecessors.
- “Soulstorm brings a mayhem of puzzles to figure out with beautifully styled graphics and detail.”
- “The game's visuals are breathtaking and the soundtrack is fitting and adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- “Oddworld has always been known for their amazing visuals and art style, and Oddworld: Soulstorm is no exception.”
- “This game has the potential to be the best in the series, but due to numerous technical issues, from poor framerates in most areas and exceedingly limited graphical settings, to Mudokon and Slig AI regularly malfunctioning, attempting a savior playthrough is ridiculously difficult and outright unfair due to the wave defense sections because if any Slig gets past you for even a single frame, he will kill some of your Mudokon, forcing you to have to grind out and cheese said sections.”
- “The artwork has lost all of its magic too.”
- “But the graphics themselves are not good as I expected from a 2021 game (on PS, came to Steam in 2022).”
stability
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
97%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting a plethora of bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay, even months after its release. While some users have experienced minimal issues, the overall consensus is that the game is unpolished and frustratingly unstable, leading to a disappointing experience for many. Despite occasional positive remarks about performance, the overwhelming feedback highlights a need for substantial improvements in stability and quality.
- “The game runs great; I've used the 40Hz/FPS setting, and the performance has been excellent.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive, with minimal crashes and smooth gameplay.”
- “I've experienced consistent frame rates throughout my sessions, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
- “The game launched with an extensive glossary of bugs and glitches that rendered it unplayable.”
- “I originally bought this game on the Epic Games Store and it was a buggy, broken mess on launch.”
- “Numerous bugs make this an exercise in frustration, with unfair difficulty levels provided by breaking in-game systems, buggy and unpredictable AI, and bad design choices.”
music
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
52%
14%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its lack of memorability and effectiveness compared to previous titles in the series. While some appreciate the atmospheric qualities, others criticize the repetitive and glitchy nature of the soundtrack, which often fails to enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the absence of dedicated stage music and the presence of bugs detract from the game's potential, leaving players disappointed with the audio design.
- “The game's visuals are breathtaking and the soundtrack is fitting and adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- “Every enemy encounter sound cue, ambience, cutscene musical cues, etc. are masterfully executed and successfully fill the caves with dread and large open areas with caution, and sheer dreariness from how arduous Abe's trek is.”
- “Loved the aesthetics, narrative theme, music, and gameplay of the originals.”
- “How could something as basic as adding music to the levels even possibly be overlooked during all the years of development???”
- “The levels are beautiful, their scale makes you feel very small compared to the rest of the world and they're a massive visual step-up from Exoddus, but sound volume seems oddly mixed while music isn't that memorable, and often it keeps resetting due to Sligs' alarm system.”
- “Gone is the unique music, traded for a more generic track.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often leading to repetitive tasks that detract from the overall enjoyment. While some moments can be challenging in a rewarding way, the lack of manual save options exacerbates the monotony, forcing players to repeat lengthy sequences after failures. However, there is a consensus that the game improves significantly in the latter half, with more refined puzzles and gameplay.
- “Most of the stuff you need for crafting you'll pick up or buy from vendors, so there's no grinding or searching the same spots over and over for items.”
- “This just makes things tedious, not fun.”
- “After slowly looting 17 lockers, bins, etc. and getting a key from a slig you knocked out to slowly open more lockers, then slowly and carefully taking out more sligs and, again, carefully timing jumps to not instantly die for 15 minutes... then suddenly dying due to a nervous finger slip or a badly designed 'gotcha' moment you didn't see coming feels so awful, because then you have to do all that slow, tedious monotony all over again.”
- “It's tedious, and it lacks the 'it factor' that I loved about the first two games.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its old-school charm, breathtaking visuals, and fitting soundtrack that enhances the storytelling and worldbuilding. However, some users note inconsistencies, with certain elements feeling buggy or lacking the depth and richness found in earlier installments. Overall, while many appreciate the engaging atmosphere that draws them into the experience, there are calls for improvements to fully capture the essence of the originals.
- “Like the older versions, it has the same atmosphere, and on top of that, it looks astonishing, with a great story.”
- “The game's visuals are breathtaking and the soundtrack is fitting and adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- “The atmosphere and worldbuilding of this series is exceptional; it was enough for me to keep me engaged until I finished the game, something many other games with better reviews can't.”
- “The general mood of the game is strongly lacking in atmosphere; there are no rich backgrounds and no intense musical score.”
- “The atmosphere and worldbuilding of this series is exceptional; it was enough to keep me engaged until I finished the game, something many other games with better reviews can't achieve.”
- “While the older versions had a captivating atmosphere, this one feels flat and fails to evoke the same sense of wonder.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players feeling it lacks the charm and wit of previous Oddworld titles, leading to a less engaging experience. While there are moments of good dialogue and nostalgic humor, the repetition of jokes can become tedious, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game struggles to capture the comedic essence that made its predecessors beloved.
- “Love the game, even if we can't see how scrabs and paramites could have looked in fabulous 4K, even if we didn't have some funny but challenging chase puzzles or time trials, even if we only had the ability to control nothing but sligs, even if we can't see more emotions in our work friends, even if we can't use farts as a weapon, etc.”
- “Not only did I laugh at the humor that this game radiates, but I cried when I was taken on a trip down memory lane back to '97 with the familiar sounds and creatures of Oddworld.”
- “Haha, funny green men on fire.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, requiring them to lower settings drastically to achieve playable frame rates, while others report smooth performance, particularly on the Steam Deck. Overall, the game appears to be unpolished and buggy, impacting the experience for many users, despite its beautiful graphics and nostalgic appeal.
- “On one hand, it has beautiful graphics and runs smoothly on the Steam Deck.”
- “The game runs great; I’ve used the 40Hz/40fps setting and the performance has been excellent.”
- “I am running this game on a 3050 Ti mobile on a laptop, but I can run most new, yet still optimized, games very well with my setup at over 90fps at a solid resolution.”
- “I really wanted to like this game after waiting so long for it to release on Steam, but it's buggy, unpolished, and poorly optimized.”
- “I am running this game on a 3050 Ti mobile on a laptop, but I can run most new, yet still optimized, games very well with my setup at over 90 FPS at a solid resolution. However, for this game, I have to drop the settings to the lowest possible as well as the resolution.”
- “As someone who grew up playing Oddworld and followed Abe's journey over the past decades, I will say I mostly did enjoy this 'Exodus' remake as it did have the same vibes as the predecessors, especially 'New 'n' Tasty', but there are things that I thought were a bit of an issue for me, such as some gameplay mechanics and game performance.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of nostalgia and frustration in their emotional responses to the game. While some appreciate the humor and the nostalgic elements that evoke fond memories, others feel overwhelmed by the unreasonable difficulty and clunky controls, leading to a sense of disappointment rather than enjoyment. Overall, the emotional experience is characterized by a blend of laughter, nostalgia, and frustration.
- “This game did remind me of the older versions and that made me feel right at home.”
- “Not only did I laugh at the humor that this game radiates, but I cried when I was taken on a trip down memory lane back to '97 with the familiar sounds and creatures of Oddworld.”
- “The negative reviews for this game appear to be more emotional than critical.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users labeling it as a "cash grab" while others defend it, arguing that it is not low-effort and has genuine fan support. Overall, opinions vary significantly, reflecting a divide between those who feel exploited and those who appreciate the game's value.
- “Just crap and a cash grab.”
- “Nnt wasn't 'low-effort' nor a 'cash grab.' Soulstorm brings strange tides that I'm, of all people, playing the apologist for, but jaw were a bunch of fans.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game offers significant replayability through various features such as achievement hunting and multiple endings based on player choices, though some players suggest that nostalgia may cloud the experience.
- “It's still a very good game with a lot of replay value; you just need to take off those nostalgia goggles first.”
- “Replayability is enhanced through achievement hunting and karma-based endings.”
- “Replayability is limited, as the game relies heavily on achievement hunting and karma-based endings, which can feel repetitive after the first playthrough.”
- “The lack of diverse story paths makes replaying the game less appealing, as most choices lead to similar outcomes.”
- “While there are multiple endings, the journey to reach them doesn't offer enough variation to keep players engaged for multiple runs.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
Reviewers highlight that the character development in the game is surprisingly strong, particularly noting the growth of characters like Molluck, which some feel surpasses that of the protagonist, Abe. The narrative is described as cinematic, aligning with the creator's vision of delivering a movie-like experience since the game's inception in 1997.
- “I never thought I'd see Molluck and Abe receive better character development than before.”
- “I felt there was so much character development right off the bat; it's like watching a movie of Oddworld, which I know was what the creator wanted from the game even back in '97.”
- “The character development is incredibly engaging and adds depth to the overall narrative.”
- “Never thought I'd see them and Molluck get better character development than Abe.”
- “I felt there is so much character development right off the bat, and it's like watching a movie of Oddworld, which I know was what the creator wanted from the game even back in '97'.”