Oddworld: Soulstorm — What’s next for Abe’s story? All you need to know

The long-awaited return to Oddworld is here. Abe’s story continues.

Abe led us through some crunchy, zappy, and very explode-y situations in Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey and Abe’s Exodus back in the days of the original PlayStation. Since the original release, Oddworld Inhabitants, the developers of Oddworld games, have taken us on a journey with Munch and Stranger, and gave us a beautiful remake for the beginning of Abe’s story in New’n’Tasty.

Six years after the remake, we are ready to see more of Abe’s story.

Jump to:

• What is Oddworld: Soulstorm?
• When will Oddworld: Soulstorm be released?
• What happened in Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty?
• What is Oddworld: Soulstorm’s gameplay like?

Lead an uprising

Oddworld: Soulstorm

$50 at Epic Games Store

Embrace your destiny

Take on the role of Abe, a reluctant hero who must lead his people to freedom or see them eradicated. The action adventure game features a mix of crafting, scavenging, platforming, and stealth.

What is Oddworld: Soulstorm?

Sony shared the latest trailer for Oddworld: Soulstorm on Sept. 16 in the same event where it announced the release date and price for the PS5. The game is the latest in the action platforming series that kicked off in 1997 with Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee on the original PlayStation and is a direct sequel to 2014’s Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty! that also serves as a reimagining of the 1998 game Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus. It is the second title in a planned quintology.

The game follows Abe, an escaped slave and reluctant hero who saved his people from being turned into food. Oddworld Inhabitants co-founder and creative director Lorne Lanning said that in Soulstorm, “the stakes are higher, the threat is greater, and the obstacles are more devious.”

When will Oddworld: Soulstorm be released?

Oddworld Inhabitants hasn’t announced an official release date yet, but Soulstorm is expected to drop in spring 2021. Sony will have a limited time console exclusive, with the game releasing for PS4, PS5, and PC. The game was originally planned for a 2020 release but was postponed in December. Lanning promises that a release date announcement is coming in early 2021.

Pre-orders are currently open for Oddworld: Soulstorm on the Epic Games Store, where it costs $50. PlayStation pre-orders will be announced later, likely at the same price.

What happened in Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty?

Heavy spoiler section if you plan to play New’n’Tasty. You have been warned.

While working late one night at a large-scale meat processing plant, Abe, a Mudokon slave, overhears the plant owner, Molluck the Glukkon, speaking with his Glukkon peers. Because of a decline in the animals they use for meat products, including one which is now extinct, Molluck has begun production on a new snack food – made from Mudokons. Afraid of his fate at the plant, Abe decides that escaping is his only option.

Abe sneaks from the plant, but upon seeing a moon imprinted with a Mudokon hand he becomes distracted and falls off a short cliff, hitting his head on the way down. A Mudokon Shaman, “Big Face” as will come to call him, assists Abe’s recovery and informs him that Abe must save the Mudokon people. But to do that Abe must undergo some trials in the land of the Paramites and Scrabs.

After traversing abandoned temples, avoiding wild animals and finishing the trials, the shaman marks Abe’s hands with scars to represent each of the Paramite and Scrab species. This grants Abe the power of Shrykull, a demigod.

Now prepared to take on the guards at the meat processing plant, Abe returns to free his Mudokon brethren and bring the plant to a halt. When Mulluck sees what’s happening on the security feed, he decides to flood the factory with deadly gasses. Abe rushes to the boardroom to stop the gas before it kills all the Mudokon workers. As Abe enters the boardroom, Mulluck grabs him and drags him to one of the processing machines, strapping Abe to the conveyor belt.

If you rescued enough Mudokon allies, they gather to chant a spell that brings down a lightning bolt upon Molluck, blinding him in one eye. In the chaos, “Big Face” frees Abe from the belt before he reaches the saws and the Mudokons escape the factory.

What is Oddworld: Soulstorm’s gameplay like?

Oddworld: Soulstorm follows in the footprints of New’n’Tasty, bringing back the much-loved platformer puzzler gameplay with some major upgrades.

The game features new 2.9D environments that will give players more freedom to explore and take advantage of the PS5’s graphics power. The DualSense controller will vibrate along with the palpitations of Abe’s heart as he tries to save his followers while adaptive triggers use increased resistance to add realism.

There are two monetary systems in Oddworld. Abe will participate in a Scavenger’s Economy, crafting his own tools from products made by the corporate interests who run his world. He will need to gather items from looting and pickpocketing, searching lockers, and exploring, using everything he finds to provide supplies and weapons for his followers.

The game also has a spiritual currency manifested in Abe’s leadership. Every choice Abe makes will generate quarma, producing real-time gameplay consequences. His morality will determine whether his peers will follow him, and if previous games are any indication he’ll need those allies to survive. Expect to face serious philosophical dilemmas but also to enjoy some humor.

Lead an uprising

Oddworld: Soulstorm

$50 at Epic Games Store

Embrace your destiny

Take on the role of Abe, a reluctant hero who must lead his people to freedom or see them eradicated. The action adventure game features a mix of crafting, scavenging, platforming, and stealth.