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Y'know, after hearing your thoughts on this game, I think you should test Rain World. It's a cinematic platformer set in an expensive, interconnected world with a survival (sometimes horror) aspect enhanced by an adaptive AI for the enemies' behavior, and it'd be interesting to hear your opinion on it. Just... check the player controls on a wiki or online tutorial or something, 'cause the in-game tutorial is abysmal and only explains half of the slugcat's innate moveset.
My favorite part of the game is where Abe is shown the truth that we don’t see , his character is both horrified and scared but now also motivated to survive and also find out why what he saw in his vision happened
It was satisfying to hear your thoughts on this frustrating experience of a game for me. Honestly the severe lack of any tonal respite was what struck me the most in Soulstorm. The original Abe games taught me that even the darkest, most grim, horrific life and situation could be met with problem-solving, calm determination and a good chuckle admidst it all. It didn't paint nature as "beautiful" but realistically ruthless with some beauty residing within. The buggy experience I got in soulstorm was exhaustingly humourless with none of that perfect tonal balance from the original games. I kept re-opening this game level-by-level to try and finish this, desperately wanting to see the continuation of my hero Abe's story, but having to rescue every single mudokin to not get the absolute worst ending is ridiculous. The original games allowed for mistakes. 50 mudokins required to rescue in original game. This encouraged players to allow themselves a couple of casualties. Because realistically, you can't go back in reality to save everyone every time you screw up. It destroyed my immsersion having to continually re-load. Sorry so many frustrations about this game I wanted to love. But thank you for giving me a place to hear others thoughts on it. Kudos.
As a little girl, I used to get a little spooked watching the first Oddworld game because my Dad would yelp loudly after being chased by a slig. I had no idea how much detail, story lore and clever gameplay was put into this series. I picked up New n' Tasty to play it for the first time ever. I do genuinely want to play this game too despite its flaws. I really admire it's gorgeous artwork so much that I asked my sister to get me the Oddworld:Abe's Origins book which is basically the art and making of the series. I am only so very saddened that this new game didn't do well in sales...Could this mean we won't get another Oddworld game? :(
Surprised such a critical review neglected to mention that almost all of the original creatures were removed from this remake. No paramites, scrabs, fleeches, slurgs, pantsless sligs, and even glukkons are only seen in cutscenes now. The Sleeches were added but they feel like a placeholder since they don't really have any kind of visual design. I was very disappointed by this.
@@Goldman200 Glukkons are in cutscenes only as far as I know. I think you just fight sligs and slogs for a majority of the game and "sleeches" are briefly encountered but are just black shapes with glowing eyes. The alien variety was a big reason I loved oddworld initially, removing so much makes it feel way less odd.
Respect on finishing Soulstorm. I seriously love the old games, but I can't bring myself to finish this one. Even though it's still Oddworld, it feels as a generic 3D platformer with the way it plays. I just wish they could bring "every frame a painting" back, even if it means go back to 2D.
Totally. I was so much looking forward to what soulstorm could have been... Even bought the collectors oddition and now I am frustrated about the fact I can't finish this experience because of the gameplay design choices.
I agree! I'd recommend Rain World, a more recent game that does go for the 'every frame a painting' style, with some stunning backgrounds because of it
Same, even down to the sounds used the old sound fx were so unique...oddworld just feels like something that should look the way it does in the old games, I really don't think it works as it is now.
@@ChezzyKnytt I had no idea this game existed. Nobody even suggested it to the people looking for something similar to Oddworld. This one seems great! Thanks for the tip!
I've been a fan of Oddworld since the beginning, watching my mom play Abe's Oddysee on our computer back in '98 or '99. I watched her play, giving advice when I can before playing myself. Years later, we got Abe's Exoddus, also on PC. Those two games solidified my love for the series, thus allowing us to get Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath (both of which we didn't really care much for at the time, but I grew to love them as the years passed. Just as I said, I've been a fan of Oddworld since the beginning and absolutely adored the series. I even picked up the ports of Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee, and Stranger's Wrath, despite still having some of the original releases. And I got New N' Tasty when it came out and loved it as well. Not as much as the original, but I still enjoyed it. Then, Soulstorm came out and I bought it Day 1. I thought it was really cool and interesting at first, but issues began to surface as early as Stage 3, The Blimp. I would get hit by bombs while still hiding behind cover, I couldn't enter a door for some baffling reason, and despite really not wanting to, I had to kill a few Sligs. Later, I died countless times against Slig Mama and its stressful fight and wonky controls. But the biggest issue came near the end, at FeeCo Depot, when you have to ride a crane while be assaulted by Flying Sligs from all sides. I died so many times, I very nearly gave up on the game entirely because of that one level. In the end, I managed to succeed after about an hour and a half and even though, I didn't feel triumphant. I went into this game expecting to adore it like the others, but was met with disappointment and frustration. As someone who's been playing Oddworld since I was, like, 4 years old, I know what Oddworld is like; it's tough, but fair. You can get through any challenge with patience and careful observation (for the most part). This? No. The game gets way too strict and chaotic at times, made even worse by awkward controls (I really wish you could use the D-Pad for movement). Not only that, but the game was full of glitches. There was one time in the level where you can use Shrykull for the first time, to kill some machine gun Sligs and destroy a wooden barrier. When transforming, I killed 2 out of the 3 Sligs and destroyed the barrier, but one was still alive. I didn't have any items to deal with it, so I had no choice but to suicide and doing the beginning part all over again. I had another moment when I fell into one of the bottomless pits, but rather than dying, Abe was just constantly falling, forcing me to start from the last checkpoint. Sure, it wasn't a big deal, but still. It also does a very poor job of explaining things, like the Supply Delivery Cannon. It took me a number of deaths before I learned that it uses items in your inventory as ammo. And that door I mentioned that I couldn't enter? I learned it closes after a certain amount of time, to which it's the only one in the entire game and there's no hint regarding the invisible time limit. Not only that, but it leads to the only Mudokon in the level and if you don't get him, you're not getting the good ending, even if you save all other Mudokons in all other levels. And there's the Greeters. In the original, all you have to do is stand still and they won't notice you. When I saw one, I thought it would function the same way, only to suddenly get shocked while I wasn't moving. I learned you need to use the smokescreen to get past it. And Passive and Aggro commands? I finished the game and I still have absolutely no idea what it does and I couldn't find guides to tell me. Which brings me to my issues with Quarma. I recall hearing that killing Sligs will affect your Quarma, but no. Yeah, you can do a pacifist run if you want to, but that makes the game incredibly difficult unless you have tape or a Bouncy Binding Candy to get rid of them altogether. If not, they'll wake up and continue to cause trouble. Honestly, you're better off just killing them because from what I can tell, it has no effect on your Quarma. But still, you can refrain from killing them if you want to. But that brings another issues; some levels have Sligs in danger and may very well get killed without you doing anything. The Blimp, which as I said, has bombs being thrown and it's not uncommon for a Slig to get hit multiple times, thus killing them. And it still counts against you. I can respect the more serious story, but at times, it feels a little too serious with very little of the usual Oddworld humor or dark comedy to balance it out. While the comedy added levity, it didn't take away from what it wanted to tell. I won't knock the game or Lorne for being more serious, even if it's not what I would prefer. If anything, there were parts of the more serious story I enjoyed, especially focusing more on Sam, the Mudokon Queen that was hinted at the end of Abe's Exoddus and supposed to appear in Munch's Oddysee. I previously mentioned that I nearly gave up at the FeeCo Crane. This relates to what I was talking about regarding Oddworld being tough, yet fair. The FeeCo Crane was what Oddworld isn't; a barrage of assailants with little time to react and a single mistake is almost impossible to recover from. Unless you're really good with throwing items, the Flying Sligs will just avoid them, not to mention Abe is incredibly vulnerable during that time, leaving him unable to move quickly or jump. Doesn't help that a direct hit from a rocket will instantly kill him and machine gunners will eviscerate Abe in about a second. I played tons of games across my years, from about '99 (when I was 4) to today, being 26 and this game made me want to quit in frustration and drop the whole thing. I'm afraid that at the end of the day... I didn't like Soulstorm. I don't think it's a bad game, nor do I hate it. But I think it has a lot of problems. Biggest ones being the aforementioned glitches and the insane difficulty spikes, especially when you hear about levels being patched to make them easier. To me, that tells me this game wasn't properly tested. The game was announced in 2017 and released in 2021. That's a four-year development cycle. And I know COVID made production difficult and pushing the release date from 2020 to 2021. But still, it feels like the game wasn't tested beyond making sure it didn't crash. I've heard stories of Muds not jumping into portals or full save files being deleted. I take no pleasure in stating my issues with the game, but honestly, this is the lowest point for Oddworld. What hurts even more is that Abe's Exoddus was my favorite game, so that was all the more reason to be excited for Soulstorm. All I have left to say is this: "I hope the next game does better and I hope Oddworld Inhabitants improves".
Man do I feel you. You expressed quite thoroughly something I am sure a lot of people feel for the series and this mess of a sketchy game. I hope OWI stumbles on this video and your commentary one close day!
@@loudneiv4653 I hope so too. I highly doubt they'll see it or even pay it much mind, but at the end of the day, letting it out, stating how I feel about the lowest point in a series that's precious to me, that's all that matters to me. I know there are some who love the game and think it's the best one yet. I won't say they're wrong. If anything, I wish I had their love for the game, but from my experience? No, sadly. If and when they remake Munch's Oddysee, I hope it controls fine and have the usual dark comedy to balance the serious moments while still being weirdly cute and charming. The intro to Munch's Oddysee is considered one of the most heartbreaking intros in any video game; but Abe and Munch slamming into each other, the Intern screaming in a mix and fear and pain while being torn to shred by the Fuzzles, the Almighty Raisin falling asleep while Abe complains that he's under a lot of stress. All that happens within a few hours of the intro, but isn't a complete mood whiplash, nor does it detract. And I heard someone say that you need comedy to balance the serious stuff; highs and lows.
@@SaiyanGamer95 I respect your endeavour to remain politically correct ; Can't do that myself though. I lost faith in OWI. I am extremely curious to see how they would make everything worse off in a remake Of Munch's Odyssee ! Doing so should prove to be much harder 😅
@@SaiyanGamer95 that game did have quite a lot of problems. Dont even get me started on the final "boss" level. But honestly I am still in love with the game. To me, the game just really says "oddworld." The challenges were not too bad (except for the FeeCo level, I agree with you fully on that one lol) Maybe its because I didn't experience much glitches, but it mostly felt fair. Your points still stand real strong, but soulstorm still holds dear to my heart.
I have spoken with Lorne & Sherry via Facebook a bit about these games. (My own work being inspired by theirs) and I think they’re too distant from the current games. They were intimately and deeply involved in every aspect of the original games and that’s just not the case with JAW and Soulstorm.
I thought they had much more to do with Soul Storm. If you combined the story and cutscenes from Soul Storm with the gameplay style of Exoddus you’d have an all time classic. I really didn’t like how the new games are far more action oriented than cerebral, careful gameplay. That’s not why I love the Abe games. I like Stranger’s Wrath as well, that’s the action character for Oddworld. Abe is the scrappy underdog surviving and winning off his wits, his compassion and his luck. Abe is my guy, and my favorite game character ever.
The first is such a beautifully bizarre game. It had s profound effect on me as a kid. Just the design is incredible, just such a glorious imagination behind it
I have to say. The biggest problem I have with soulstorm, is that I can't remember any of the music tracks. In both of the originals the music was so iconic and memorable. But in soulstorm, it didn't even feel like there was music in it...
I’m gonna have to disagree with you on that one. I remembered a lot of Soulstorm’s music, especially the Escape from Monsaic Lines Medium; Funicular/Sorrow Valley Slog Action, Medium and High; Phat Station Low, Medium and High; and Necrum/Slig Barracks Medium and High music pieces. The music in the original is also really iconic and memorable, but this game’s music is also telling a story of its own.
The soundtrack is absolutely pathetic for an oddworld game. It's like going from a confident rockstar to a nervous kid that always talks real low because he's too scared to offend anybody
I went into this game wanting to love it so fucking bad man, I remember playing the originals PS1 games on my dad's musty PS2 and having to try to beat the whole game in one sitting cuz we'd lost the PS1 memory card. This game unironically broke my heart. At least I still got the originals.
I know I'm late to the comment section but I genuinely am confused about this criticism. The original game feels a lot more massacistic to me than the newer soulstorm. Soulstorm also has more options to go about things, quality of life improvements and a double jump. You can also control where chi power goes remotely rather than it being fixed in the original. There's less moments preventing your power too. Nearly every room in the original I struggled with and in soulstorm I can not say the same.
One of the coolest parts about Lorne Lanning's interview was his goal to make the oddworld series an interactive movie. I have to agree that Strangers Wrath was the one that came so close that goal. 🎮📽
I was honestly hoping that at some point in the video you'd share your thoughts on New n Tasty's approach as well, but this was a delightful upload regardless. I appreciate the initiative you took to play the older games for comparison, and found this video much more informative and representative of the Soulstorm experience than any conventional "review" I've seen of it so far. Many thanks for this
I came here to talk about this! New 'n' Tasty is excellent comparison because the game is a "modern" remake of the old ones. It has some frustrating moments that I didn't encounter in the old games but at the same time I liked it enough to actually get the best ending and save all the Mudokons. It was very very weird he didn't even mention it!
I had originally planned a segment on it but found it wouldn't really bring much to the piece because, well... It seemed to have a lot of the same issues I was finding with Soulstorm. After making this I went and watched Matthewmatosis' comparison of the two versions and yeah, seems to line up with my experience. Just not particularly into it when the original, better version is right there.
@@WritingOnGames I agree with you 100% and your experience is similar to mine. Nonetheless,I think mentioning it is important to make the discussion complete precisely because it shares many issues with Soulstorm. It isn't the first time they do this and the voices that echo your review were also present when New 'n' Tasty was released. I love this franchise so much and I want it to succeed so badly I find myself harsh on the developers at times.
I hate to say it, but I feel the exact same way about Soulstorm. Exoddus was my very first Oddworld experience growing up. So dark, yet just brimming with character. Too much of it was carved away in Soulstorm. And frankly, I'm kind of bitter about the gutting of the GameSpeak puzzle mechanics. Especially the parts where you possessed the Executive Glukkons and got to experience Oddworld through their powerful but fragile shoes.
I think platformers have always controlled better using a D-pad. In fact, I have this pet theory that platformers largely died out for so many years because analogue controls are nowhere near as predictable or precise as simple D-pad controls, and this makes them less satisfying. You take a single step in Oddyssey or Exoddus, and the response is always the same; you run and jump, you will always clear the same distance. Similarly, the jumping and movement mechanics in old Tomb Raider games - while 'clunky' and 'dated' - are also highly responsive and built for mastery. You feel totally in control of the game. A lot of newer platformers compensate for this loss of control by adding in features like double jumps, automatic grabs, invisible walls, context-sensitive actions, etc. -- If the game isn't almost playing itself, it becomes this unwieldy struggle to predict how much force to use to make it to the next platform, or whether and when to apply pressure mid-jump so you don't overshoot or misjudge the landing. I don't know, maybe I'm old.
you might be on to something, when I play Mario 3 on the switch , I gravitate to the d pad rather than the stick and if I'm dying a bunch for seemingly no reason I realize I've just come from a game using the stick and have carried that habit over
Pretty much. It's something I hate in the modern TR titles, where it feels like you're praying Lara's automatic jump height when she locks onto a ledge and the auto-graph works, while it's 100 percent consistent in the older titles.
I dont really agree. Analog controls are only unpredictable if the controller is faulty or if you aren't pushing the full way on the stick, which is what you're usually doing. _(as a sidenote, I would also argue in your examples, the games would be equally precise with an analog stick. IIRC the original Tomb Raider games ran on tank controls, and Odyssey/Exoddus ran on grid-based movement, both of which obviously lend themselves towards precision) Not to mention that most of the control intricacies of, say, Mario Odyssey would be genuinely impossible without sticks. I prefer an "unwieldy" toolbox of mobility options I'm using to achieve things the devs never thought possible, over making the exact same jump that's at the precise distance the developer knows I can jump several dozen times.
So I appreciate you bringing up just how well the rigidity and movement in the old games plays well to the almost puzzle-like sequences you have to go through. I do think there's a fair share of moments where you can't allllwayyyys tell where you're supposed to go and what you're supposed to do, but you even said it yourself: Trial and error games. It's always a fascinating design thing where an older game permits better design structures and mechanics. With the Oddworld games it's extra weird because you can feel the strength in these designs when replaying the old Abe's games, and you can feel the fluidity and loose mechanics working impressively well with Munch's Odyssey's room puzzles and character tag team gameplay (a co-op version would be great!). And yet when trying to impose that same sense of 3D freedom of movement, it all crumbles in your hands when playing both of the Abe's game remakes. New & Tasty features some of the same exact problems once you go far enough and the puzzles start getting complex enough. I recall spending something like 10-15 minutes trying to sort out why this one floor mine kept going off when I tried to deactivate it. I even recorded it on my phone to rewatch my failure and I was swearing up and down the game was getting the frames wrong or something. I think it turned out to be because I wasn't holding the sneak button while crouched or something dumb like that. 14:27 Oh my gosh are you serious? Crafting? Nope. Too many cooks. That's too far.
Thank you and everyone who made the video happen, I'll sound like a sore loser but I really needed to hear other people being as disappointed as I am in this, to make sure I'm not going crazy :D
This is by far the best and most comprehensive review I have seen on Soulstorm so far. As a fan of the series myself, I really wanted to love Soulstorm, but there are just too many frustrating elements in it (not even including the bugs, most of which have been patched out as of now) to where I can only recommend it if you are already a fan of the series at it's current price. I think this game is at it's best when it focuses on being traditional Oddworld, but it generally goes downhill fast when trying almost anything new that has been brought in, because it really feels like Abe isn't built for that type of fast paced gameplay. I didn't like any of the breakout missions for numerous reasons, and the final section of The Yards was not fun, to put it very lightly. I actually don't mind the crafting as much as other people seem to have, since it generally allows for some creativity and agency on the player's end. That being said, I did love how the game looked with some awesome backdrops and the cutscenes were great to watch, it's kind of shame the gameplay of Soulstorm just isn't as consistently good.
My main problem with the crafting (besides being tedious to look through every single locker and trash bin relentlessly) is how suggestive it is. Like, every time I find flares, I now there's a cave coming up. Everytime I find brew bottles, there's probably fire to manage. It doesn't feel creative or gives you a reason to work out a puzzle, because you found the solution moments earlier in A FUCKING DUMPSTER!!!
I watched that full ars teknica interview and it is extremely fascinating. He is one of the most cool people to listen to talk, it’s worth hearing all the way through, don’t skip anything. Listen to the 3 hour interview btw, not the shortened one. I wish I could work under that guy, he’s probably got so much knowledge to teach
Well, I don’t know about working for him. He likes to remove people from the credits for no reason, starting with Abe’s Oddysee and all the way to Soulstorm. Look up the interview with William Anderson on Magog On The March.
I liked new n tastys movement, it felt like old oddworld but just a little more precise, also i enjoy the idea of abe after oddysee and hell after exodus being less cartoony and happy and more sad and bleak, hes saved atleast 400 mudokons in the cannon endings (600 if you count new n tasty) and after that it feels non optimistic, that he cant do anything more yet he is still dubbed savior of the world.
Oh... That's disappointing... :/ But Oddworld inhabitants is just like Revolution Software or Pyranha bytes, you can't get mad at them for failing and when they miss the mark, you wish there was something you could do about it, crossing your fingers that the mishap won't make them disappear. I'd be sad if any of these studios were to disappear when Activistion, Ubisoft and EA could all die on the same day and I would probably not notice or care.
Just keep your head out for some of the glitches. Most of them have been patched out, but some are really annoying. The game is really good, but I would suggest being a bit careful.
You really lit my fire to play the original 4 Oddworld titles soon this summer. Something about Soulstorm is mystifying that a game as niche as it is exists in the modern era where it’s even granted free to PS+ subs, but elements you mentioned here have been echoed elsewhere in other assessments of the game that, I feel, really mine to the core of what’s so middling about this title. It’s interesting how a reimagining/remake isn’t able to coast on tricky inclusions like the relative unresponsive AI or oppressive new take on the atmosphere due to its legacy of the titles it originates from. Where smaller, unknown or completely new games would shine in controversial elements like that which can be used to the game’s defense and even tie-in with the themeing, you can’t so easily slink on by when the game you’re leaping from feels better almost 2 decades prior. I say all this while extremely enjoying RE3make, so maybe there’s some merit in my eventual visit to Soulstorm! All I know is I’m very much looking forward to chewing through Oddworld super soon, great video as always.
It's quite unfortunate. I think the reason this game turned out this way was that they split the development out between quite a few different studios with a pretty iffy budget. Mix that with the pandemic and it's probably a miracle this game came out in this state at all. I'm hoping it did well enough for them that they can justify another game with a bit more polish.
Yes and no the plan was for each to have a main game and side game for each character but now they want to focus more on Abe while still telling a similar story in fact now not only will munch return but Lorne said he wants to bring stranger into the Quintology
You are speaking directly out of my mind... I am a huge Abe fan from the past and I really really wanted to love the new soulstorm, but it is so frustrating that they forgot in some kind of way what made exoddus so great. I have to bite my way through every single level and it is absolutely not a fun good time like it was back then, but I still love this clumsy mudokon... So hard to get enjoyment out of this game I was looking forward to for such a long time.
Well, this will be met with frowned faces but I honestly don't see how anyone who fully appreciates the originals can appreciate this. It has a grand total of zero Oddworld in it past the title, from the generic looking goa-hippie graphic while Abe chants, to the generic world design, to the generic user interface. It's just generic and uninspired and.. meh why do I even waste words. Back to replaying Exoddus in glorious emulator graphics.
When you said the originals were clunky at the start i was already up in arms, glad you went back to them to see that it wasn't clunky movement but precise and deliberate. I loved those games as a kid and i was so excited about soulstorm just to see the gameplay completely stripped of its identity and it even tramples over Exodus which i loved even more than Oddysee...
This is an amazing review; i agree with everything you are saying. The IGN review is so utter bs they say the old games 'dont stand up' and that the sound design was bad etc etc..
The greatest disappointment for me was that they had already succeeded updating Oddworld for a new generation of hardware, New 'n' Tasty in 2016 was pretty perfect IMO. It was a remake of Abe's Oddysee in the same way Soulstorm is a remake of Exoddus, the visuals are great but still clear, the controls are tight, the added quick save feature was a godsend, and I absolutely loved it. The ways Soulstorm falls short of the previous game, compounded with the difficulty and general level of perseverence needed to beat these hour long levels has caused me to give up even finishing the game, let alone 100%ing like I did New 'n' Tasty. Real shame.
I will say this until the day I die: I _cannot believe_ they took away the Quicksave option. That is _so_ not cool. It was one of those things that always made it a bit harder to go back to Oddysee after playing Exoddus, so needless to say, I was psyched that they installed it for New 'n' Tasty. But in Soulstorm it's gone. I know Abe connoisseurs needed some new challenges, but there's a difference between challenging and nearly throwing something at your TV because a scene is infuriatingly hard.
I had to stop playing half way through and look up a play through on CZcams. It was way to stressful and chaotic for my taste. I'm not really an expert gamer per se, but daamn this game is hard. So much shit on the screen at all times. Makes Silver Surfer on NES look like a point and click game
@@passionoflovers Hear hear. A game should not be impossible to navigate without the help of a guide. There's a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment in figuring out some of the puzzles yourself. But in Soulstorm I'm constantly having to stop and look up walkthroughs because I keep getting stuck. And the fact that you're given FIVE MINUTES to rescue that _one_ mudokon in The Blimp? That is criminal! 😤
Been subscribed for a few years but am usually on and off as far as which of your videos I watch. That said, I really enjoyed the insight in this video, really definitely one of my favorite of your videos
At first I felt this way, but replaying the levels I realise the crafting system is a way to allow players to solve problems in different ways. The other thing is the old rigid controls are in the game. Tilting the left stick half way has Abe do his signature walk. But who ever tilts the left stick 'half way' in games these days. My only annoiance was the sanctum Sleech level being very uninspired. I missed the lack of Paramites and scrabs from exodus.
I had a similar reaction. I really wanted to love Soulstorm, but the original two games are far better - clearly more carefully and meticulously crafted. All the bugs and randomness to the puzzles in Soulstorm made it really difficult for me to stay immersed, and the simplification of gamespeak is pretty sad as it was one of the most memorable quirks of the original two games. The original two also had very brief but concise and effective exposition with the cutscenes, whereas the dialog in Soulstorm is drawn out without much substance, which feels like they’re just flexing the visuals - which, don’t get me wrong, are beautiful - but it makes watching the cutscenes a chore rather than a treat. It feels like they were prioritizing technical ambition over a solid gameplay experience. I’d still buy the next Oddworld game, but I hope they learn from this and shift priorities to substance over presentation.
This was a good review, and I hope most of the problems have been updated by now. Thank you for a good informative review (as opposed to people on steam giving New 'n Tasty a bad review because they couldn't pet the slig).
The problem ultimately with Soulstorm is that it's difficult to hate on it. It's a truly beautiful looking game, and you can tell everyone behind it put their heart and soul into it. It just screams of a project brimming with ambition and ideas. Full to bursting with them. But I think there's a lesson here of simply trying to do too much. Of shoving so much stuff into a project that it all ends up being a bit of a mess. What I find baffling most of all is that they had years to work out the kinks and make sure the game was the strongest it could be. It suggests that maybe the entire concept of it was flawed from the get to, I dunno. But when you look at Exodus, the rushed one, the difference in quality is just insane. Exodus, for me, is everything a perfect sequel should be. Bringing back everything from the first game that worked. Introducing loads of really cool, new things (like possessing Scraps and Paramites, Glukkons and farts), expanding the story and mythology, going to loads of new places and worlds... it's a damn masterpiece. Soulstorm is just nowhere near as good by comparison.
Very well said, I feel the same about this game. It doesn't have that special feel other Oddworld games have. I'm only a few levels in and I'm tired of it. I don't regret buying it though, I'll support Oddworld Inhabitants every chance I get.
To be serious for a second, I'm actually really glad theirs a games channel like yours on CZcams. Someone who not just talks about the games mechanics and story as thise two separate entities, but more as one whole experience. In addition, you also always make it about *your* experience, and how you felt while playing through it. Which is something I don't feel most other gaming channels do, keyword being most. they'll just critique the game from this pseudo objective perspective where everything feels very black and white. Not in the sense that everything is either good or bad, they do have degrees of how much they enjoy the games they talk about. It's more that we don't get the context for why it made them feel the way it did. So it becomes hard (at least for me) to connect with their opinion. And I'm not saying this to shit on anyone. It is like most things, about taste. A lot of people really enjoy that style, me included some of the time. So I'm not saying it should be removed or anything. Just that I, in the last year especially have really enjoyed coming back to this channel for every review, except one. (haven't played yakuza 7 yet, so I'm waiting to watch the video.) Which I do for very few CZcams channels. The very last thing I'll say is, whenever we get nuggets of your fears or anxieties. It always makes me feel both really sad and kinda relieved. Sad because it means other people are going through the same kinda shit I am, relieved because I'm not the only person going through it. It was especially the top 5 games of 2020 video that made me feel this way. After watching it I actually spend most of my free time for a week trying to write a comment not to dissimilar to this one. But in the end it became to much for me, so I'm glad I could say some of it here. So In conclusion, I love your videos, I'm looking forward to whatever you do next, and it won't disappoint me as long as you speak honestly.
Great video!! Speaking as someone that earned the Platinum, I was extremely disappointed in this reimagining. It took everything I loved about the original game and turned it into a tedious, unfun mess. No farts, no Paramites, no Scrabs, no Bonewerkz... The cutscenes are pretty enough, but I actually enjoyed the original take on the story much more.
@IKARUS-RG: Well done on gaining the Platinum for this one, that must of been tough. The Platinum Trophy looks beautiful but, I don't think I can do it.
I'm glad they made this game for the artwork alone but the gameplay just doesn't capture what odyssey and exodus taught us about mudokons. Abe was a guy that couldn't slap a ghost trap without getting knocked off his feet and that made him awesome.. now he's smashing through wooden crates like Donkey Kong and eating bullets for breakfast :/
I apologise for my naivety, but what's wrong with Epic? They spoke about giving developers a larger cut than Valve does with Steam which is good, or were they lying about that?
@@LuchM it used to be that the epic store just sucked, but now it’s mainly just the principle of epic just paying devs shit loads of money for exclusivity
@@stanners1714 Sure, that makes sense, as it does go against consumer convenience and potential accessibility if Epic is shut down. However obviously more money going to developers is a good thing, and it might mean that Epic Store competitors may raise their dev cut. Furthermore, (though i dont know the minutiae), wasn't Hades a game made as an exclusive for Epic, yet it eventually came to Steam? idk. Also, i think that the technical monopoly Steam has, has more potential to lead to anti-consumer practices. Although, i can see why it's easier to look at Epic with their more obvious micro-transactions and loot boxes and worry about what they may do with a plethora of exclusive titles. idk, i think there are some good points on both sides, i guess people will just conclude for themselves what behavioural decision (s) they make. Anyways, thanks for responding and i hope you have a wonderful day
@@SaskDuder its not boycotting its the fact its literally an inferior platform with a launcher that is broken half the time edit: also no linux support and since steam now has Proton its a no brainer to use it.
@@SaskDuder because a bunch of man children want valve to have a monopoly on PC games for some reason. Mommy probably drank while she was pregnant, idk.
I disagree. I really feel like AI can only do so much and in my eyes it would muddy the visuals too much. AI has really come a long way, but it can't replace artists. I do think that a 2D version that essentially runs on the same engine as the first game with faithfully redrawn higher resolution sprites (or even just uncompressed versions) would look really good though
I think oddworld is suffering from a case of being WAY to iconic for its own good. The originals were so unique, so different and out there that it immediately demanded your attention from the get go, from the visuals to the sound fx to the music..I can hear it all in my head even after not playing them for a long long time...I remember nothing from soulstorm..It was the same with new and tasty...It's like something masquerading as abe and oddworld, I hated n&t so much because of the things they had changed, if it ain't broke don't fix it, silly things like sound effects but mainly the overall tone of the old games has been stripped away. It's like they aren't even trying to keep that uncanny vibe about it anymore, it used to feel so mysterious and gritty, like you were always in danger with very little comedic relief...what was there you created yourself with the fart button and obviously some of the cut scenes. I think the original games work to well that anything else just won't work now, they should have focused on making a film or a series instead cause the visuals in soulstorm were great but playing through it...Meh not so much, and the fact that oddworld is so big I think it would just be better as an animated series. Better graphics does not always mean a better game and the originals prove that by a clear mile.
I really miss the humor and the puzzle elements from the first two games. They are so much fun! Whether I'm laughing or my brain is hurting, they are worth returning to, again and again. Soulstorm actually made me rage quit. It's very pretty but it lacks the charm.
My thoughts exactly. I laughed my ass off for simple things like accidentaly running into a wall with Abe just falling back and then grunting out of frustration. Or when you fart in front of another Mudoken's face and he'll go "PHOOF!" and take two steps back. That slapstick comedy was what made me fall in love with these games. Well, that and the puzzles too. Especially the ones with the Scrab temple and that spider thingie that'll only attack when he's backed up into a corner or when there's too of em And the atmosphere in the older games were also amazing. When you started up the game those nature sounds are just eargasmic :3 Soulstorm had too many gimmicks and I just found my self not returning to it without even noticing. I haven't played in weeks now. I hope they would give Exoddus the same treatment as New N Tasty but I know that'll never happen :(
@Kula Productions Both games are absolute gems. And then expanding gameplay in Exodus by adding the ability to possess scrabs and paramites was so cool. I probably had too high expectations for Soulstorm. Are there other good games with the combo funny/quirky/unique/platforming/hard puzzles? I'm guessing 'no'.
Thank you for verbalising my thoughts. I finished a few levels but wasn't compelled to keep playing.... I wanted to like it .... But it just didn't hold me.
Abes Exoddus will always hold a special place in my gaming collection. It was the very first game i ever witnessed my dad playing on our playstation 1 back in 1999 and he absolutely sucked at it lmao, but i would pick it up when he wasnt playing and i learned to absolutely conquer the game and ive played it on n off ever since. the tone of the original games is just amazing, and i feel like the new games just left all that magic behind.
Honestly one of my problems with Soulstorm is that Abe felt a little too capable with the inventory, I mean you can craft a freaking flamethrower with infinite ammo in the latter levels of the game. Outside the final boss, in levels where the Shrykull can be obtained I never felt like I needed to use it because the items I picked up along the way were more than enough to deal with obstacles.
New n Tasty, Soulstorm and, to a certain extent, Munch's Oddysee, are all clear evidence that the original two abe games could only have been made in their time. A bit later and it's early 3d open world that feels vacant and not as scary. Much later and the charm and atmosphere is removed through bloom effects, sligs singing songs from the wizard of oz and removal of loading screens meaning a massive reduction in fear. A perfect example of how the limits of the ps1 resulted in outstanding game making.
In Bionic Commando you couldn't jump (just had your grappling hook) and they kept that for the reimagined version. In the next game they introduced jumping, but they also made the game possible to beat without it. I could accept double jump in this game if it wasn't needed to proceed.
I liked the game and i saved all the mudokons. Now, Things they need to do for to improve it. 1, Fix all bugs. 2. Make the Menu screen (and loading screens dont show the controller) similar to the previous games, to give this ODDworld feeling (with gamespeak).... not be a generic menu like all the other console games. 3.Bring back the Fart, and the Gamespeak, and interactions with other mudokons.(like the slaps) 4. Remove the annoying timed door from closing early at level 3. I wanna take my time when playing such games... dont like the forced speed run they did on this. 5. Fix the monkey bars, so you can catch them normal. ( i hope they fixed that after the patch) 6. Include Scrabs, and Paramites... and the Elum. The game had this Oddworld feeling.. but not quite there.... but for other things it has improved for sure... visuals, and 3D level design. I think they are on a good road for the next in the series.. if they take care of some things.
Definitely! Abes Oddysee is a good place to start. Though it's tough! Stranger's Wrath is also a favourite of some and it's more of a 1st person shooter.
In Exoddus you get quick saves, where as Oddyssee only have checkpoints. If you have the patience you should really play Oddyssee first, but if you don't think you can handle all the deaths starting ar Exoddus is fine too I'd say.
while the gameplay definitely could've used some work, and there were some bugs here and there, I thought the cutscenes in this game more than made up for that. they're absolutely beautiful.
The puzzles could've been better optimized I think. There were so many times I finished a level with nearly a full stack of inventory because I was trying to be strategic with my supplies during encounters.
This is honestly how I felt about the remake of Abe's Odyssey, New N Tasty. It seems that in bringing Oddworld to the modern era, Oddworld Inhabitants would rather dumb things down instead of challenging its players to think on their feet.
@@HolySok Maybe that is a harsh reading, but I'm not sure why the newer games lack mechanical depth. There are neat bits, sure, but the originals nailed pretty much everything about their settings and mechanics while the new games have fumbled around with them.
@KingSigy: I loved New N Tasty, it was a little glitchy but not as glitchy as this one. I didn't think that JAW dumbed it down either, in fact I think dropping down between two Scrabs is far more scarier than falling into a barrel of guts and banging his head like in the original. They removed the fart ability from Soulstorm, and I used to love that particularly in Exoddus when you could use it to blow things up. New n Tasty still had the humour of its original, this one doesn't.
Even though it's a simpler game, mechanically, I remember thinking Inside really felt like a modern, spiritual successor to Oddysee and Exoddus. A similarly oppressive, industrialised atmosphere, 1 hit deaths, even the weird Monsters following you and solving puzzles like Mudokons. Moreso than even "New n Tasty" despite it almost literally being a modern recreation of Abe's Oddysee on newer systems.
The funny thing is that Exodus has later areas that also feel a little janky and inconsistent. The difference is that Exodus is one of those sequels made in the same engine that assumes you played the original and sets about stretching it's mechanics and design to breaking point. It's a lack of polish born of pushing the boundaries of old puzzles to see what's possible
Soulstorm was the first Oddworld game in which I encountered severe glitches. I'm also not very fond of the gauntlet sections... I think it deviates a bit from the original concept.
I agree with everything in this review. EVERYTHING. The old Oddworld games are incredible and the only problems I had with playing them was on ME, MY OWN failure at controlling Abe with the designated controls. Soulstorm is an insane mess of bugs. Today I watched sleeping Sligs float through the air, I rode a cart outside of the map, I got trapped in an unplayable spot which threw me to an old save point from like 20 minutes before, got stuck in mid-air, had mudokons vanish from following on a straight path with no enemies or obstacles around, had mudokons that weren't sick or in danger yet refused to follow for multiple reloads and then magically did follow.... It's a GIGANTIC MESS.
It's just the tonal changes in Soulstorm and New N Tasty that I don't like especially in the cutscenes. The Dark Humour has been replaced with cinematic seriousness and it's ironically harder to take it seriously.
Wait i just realized something...past the opening areas....why are the sligs after abe...like they establish that everyone thinks moulluk was lying...so why do they kill abe on sight ? , also whats stopping the sligs at slig barracks from reactivating the coms tower and altering the other lines ?.... honestly this game has way to many plot holes to take the story seriously as it trys to take itself
I loved this game and was both frustrated at the same time the ending is amazing it finally gives closure to something and opens up more doors I am exited to see what’s next it’s definitely gotten better since release it’s also obvious they we’re playing it safe I actually enjoyed the second half more once I played it Twice
The fact that I was interested in this game, but only realized it came out b/c this video popped up in my recommended makes me sad. Hopefully, it will improve some patches, or maybe just get another chance if they make next entry. I'm still happy though, can't wait to play it.
As someone who just recently bought the game I can safely say I didn't encounter the bugs that were shown in this video. I still encountered a good amount of bugs but none that really halted progress. At least on ps5.
I like the Oddworld franchise with the world and art design but I just dont like their platform gameplay. I only enjoy Strangers Wrath but Im glad the franchise isn't dead. But I REALLY appreciate all Oddworld cinematics.
I will never play this game and could see this train wreck coming a mile away after completely New N Tasty. It's been 25 years since Abe's Odyssey.. I have no sympathy and will make no excuses for the companies that handled these remakes. OVER DESIGNED & LIGHT POLLUTED. The cutscenes are incredible. Lorne should've just made a movie!
I like the new character designs for Abe and the rest of the cast a lot, and I don't mind Abe himself being less goofy and more emotionally vulnerable either (that guy has been through a lot). But the overall grimdark and dramatic presentation is still pretty jarring. Even the bad endings of the previous games had a tongue-in-cheek "better luck next time, shoulda put in some effort!" quality to them, while Soulstorm's is positively heartbreaking. Combine that lack of emotional relief with the frantic messy unpredictable gameplay, and the game just feels _exhausting._ You're never in a position to observe, experiment, and then confidently execute your plan, the way you could in Oddyssee and Exoddus. You mention survival horror, that sounds about right.
pretty funny that "the exoddus the team wanted to make" has a drastic shift in tone and art direction (and bugginess) compared to odyssey and even new & tasty
Very fair and balanced review. Thanks for making this ! There were some aspects of the game's aesthetics that I liked a lot. The cutscenes were well scripted, and gave Abe a sense of wholesomeness and vulnerability. Voice acting in general was great from everyone. Sadly though, the gritty art style and sound design of the previous games wasn't there. There was something very eery, creepy and yet mystical about Abe's Odyssey and Exodus. I think that Soulstorm was a bit cartoony in comparison. The puzzles and platforming, however, were really underwhelming. It's very difficult for me to enjoy a game when a new mechanic is introduced every level. The inventory just felt like unnecessary bloat. I'd be interested to hear if anyone felt different about them. Hopefully they take on critiques for the next game in the series. Oddworld has such incredible lore and themes. It really deserves a next-gen game that does it justice.
I'm getting a serious Mandela Effect here; I was sure that Stranger's Wrath was cancelled before pre-production. I played through Odyssey and Exodus on PC and remember playing through all of Munch's Odyssey sometime after 2005. Over a decade since and I'm watching this video excited that there was another new Oddworld release after New N' Tasty and then at the very end you show scenes of Stranger's Wrath and my mind gets blown 🤯 All I can think is that I missed the release in 2005 and at some point in the 2010s I looked at a random article explaining why Stranger's Wrath was cancelled for XBLA and assumed it was cancelled altogether. The fact that I could spend basically 2 decades of my life with a false memory and apparently living under a rock is simply an existential crisis. I mean I'd have played these games repeatedly by now, I love Oddworld 😭
As a random aside, and not a criticism of you, you're just an unfortunate springboard for a small rant. I can't stand the word "contemporary". It can mean "modern" or "historical" (because it means "at the same time as", either us or people in the past), and society can't seem to make up its mind on whether the word should mean "modern" when not given an extra context (the way I believe you are using it, which imo is the correct way) or should imply "past" in such situations. For clarity, whether "contemporary writing" should by itself mean "writings contemporary to us" OR "writings contemporary to an undefined space in the past". Clearly if we say "his contemporaries argued", we mean people who lived when "he" did, and clearly if we said "our contemporaries", we mean people living at the same time as us (which means the present). But without any temporal context it has become too ambiguous whether a given writer means "contemporary to us" or "contemporary to something before now which I believe is clear from context (but was badly formulated so their belief on that was wrong)". And more recently, some people seem to have been assuming the word itself is a synonym for "historical", probably because of the ones using it poorly. It's become an almost useless word because it is too ambiguous unless extra context is provided. A bit like the word "literally", which has a literal meaning that is literally out of this world!!1! Literally. I'm not a language prescriptivist by any stretch, but even so, surely the line ought be drawn when we begin to use words to mean their antonyms? Le sigh. Thank you for provisioning a vector for my expression of incredulity at contemporary usage of vocabulary. :) i feel better now I've gotten it off my chest. Edit: autocorrect changed "temporal" for "temporary" so I had to fix it. Edit2: also, assuming I was correct in my interpretation of your usage of "contemporary", then I agree. It does look like a contemporary imitation. A rather bad one..
@@wulfherecyning1282 Wow, you are offended and/or hate the word contemporary - lets remove it from the Dictionary for you, like others want to remove the rest of our English language🙄 Contemporary: 1. Living Or Occurring At the Same time. " The Event was recorded by a Contemporary Historian". Dating from the same time. "This series of paintings is contemporary with other works of an early style" 2. Belonging to or occurring in the present "The Tension and Complexities of our Contemporary Society" Following modern ideas in style and design " Contemporary ceramics by leading potters" Noun: Contemporary; plural noun: Contemporaries A person or living thing or living or existing at the same time as another. "he was a contemporary of Darwin". A person roughly the same age as another. "My contemporaries at school". None of our language is useless, if it were then Dr Johnson would have never have created the Dictionary in the first place. Yes we do have words that have other meanings, but that doesn't make them useless and we use double entendre's as well [ a French word of course ]particularly in comedy. In fact our language is a mixture of Anglo Saxon, Norman [ technically a Scandinavian-French dialect ], Indian [ words like Tiffin, Bungalow and Pyjamas ] and some Malay as well apparently and Latin from the Roman eras. It's a massive hodgepodge of different languages that have been anglicised overtime, all of our swear words are Saxon terms and they meant what they said, now they are just used in exclamation or as rebukes.
I’ll always have such fond memories of this series. My grandmother (you read that correctly) owned a PlayStation back in the day and only had Oddworld, Resident Evil 1, and Pitfall 3D, so I would play it all the time when I was over at her house before I started bringing my own games over. A lot of it went over my head at the time and I was godawful at it, but it left me with a lifelong appreciation for the art style and pre-rendered backgrounds and even 20 years later I can’t say “Follow me” without doing it in Abe’s voice. I eventually went back and played the whole series when the remake came out and found out it wasn’t just nostalgia that made me love those games, they were just really good. Munch’s Odyssey, despite it’s very different style from the original two, might actually be my favorite. It sucks to say, but I believe I’ll pass on this one though.
It's because Lorne keeps going back and forth with the old school sidescroller methodology. Munch's is My favorite honestly. It still possessed that Larger than life groundbreaking feeling the games before it had. I think Lorne got lost in the sauce once he went over to Strangers Wrath. I remember thinking why is he doing a completely new characters Saga as oppose to sticking with Abe. Eventually I gave In and bought it for the companys brand Oddworld Inhabitants. Which is what they wanted, to make Moolah. There was a lot of pressure back then for him at E3 to live up to the potency the competition had in Video Games in 2006. Also, changing Abes identity was a mistake in my opinion. But again, I buy it because of the allegance i had for the Brands history more than anything.
If the next game is a reimagining of Munch’s Odyssey, then I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be concerned about glitches and clunky AI. Cause if there’s one thing that any programmer will tell you, it’s that making a 3D game is FAR more complex than making a 2D one. Yikes.
dont feel bad trust me. they knew they released a garbage video game when soul storm finalized. if you knew the deal they cut with hasatan in the matter they did and the reasons why you wouldnt be as sappy about it, you be furious.
does anyone remember heart of darkness, never beat it cause i was to young to understand anything lol, but this game give me those same vibes, should start looking for a way to go back and play it
Thanks so much for watching! If you enjoy the videos and would like to directly help me continue to make more, consider heading to patreon.com/writingongames and pledging only what you're comfortable with. Doing so gets you access to things like early, completely ad-free video uploads (right now there's a video on Descenders exclusive to patrons for the next wee while)! Your support is what allows me to keep doing this and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. Stay safe everyone!
Y'know, after hearing your thoughts on this game, I think you should test Rain World.
It's a cinematic platformer set in an expensive, interconnected world with a survival (sometimes horror) aspect enhanced by an adaptive AI for the enemies' behavior, and it'd be interesting to hear your opinion on it.
Just... check the player controls on a wiki or online tutorial or something, 'cause the in-game tutorial is abysmal and only explains half of the slugcat's innate moveset.
soulstorm made me wish they just updated the graphics of exoddus like they did with odyssey becoming new n tasty
Awesome video
My favorite part of the game is where Abe is shown the truth that we don’t see , his character is both horrified and scared but now also motivated to survive and also find out why what he saw in his vision happened
It was satisfying to hear your thoughts on this frustrating experience of a game for me. Honestly the severe lack of any tonal respite was what struck me the most in Soulstorm. The original Abe games taught me that even the darkest, most grim, horrific life and situation could be met with problem-solving, calm determination and a good chuckle admidst it all. It didn't paint nature as "beautiful" but realistically ruthless with some beauty residing within. The buggy experience I got in soulstorm was exhaustingly humourless with none of that perfect tonal balance from the original games. I kept re-opening this game level-by-level to try and finish this, desperately wanting to see the continuation of my hero Abe's story, but having to rescue every single mudokin to not get the absolute worst ending is ridiculous.
The original games allowed for mistakes. 50 mudokins required to rescue in original game. This encouraged players to allow themselves a couple of casualties. Because realistically, you can't go back in reality to save everyone every time you screw up. It destroyed my immsersion having to continually re-load.
Sorry so many frustrations about this game I wanted to love. But thank you for giving me a place to hear others thoughts on it. Kudos.
Very interesting perspective, and even more interesting in how it ties to real life
@@OGPimpin
How does it tie?
As a little girl, I used to get a little spooked watching the first Oddworld game because my Dad would yelp loudly after being chased by a slig. I had no idea how much detail, story lore and clever gameplay was put into this series. I picked up New n' Tasty to play it for the first time ever. I do genuinely want to play this game too despite its flaws. I really admire it's gorgeous artwork so much that I asked my sister to get me the Oddworld:Abe's Origins book which is basically the art and making of the series. I am only so very saddened that this new game didn't do well in sales...Could this mean we won't get another Oddworld game? :(
If you want to see more, support the team and purchase it based on your desire to play it.
Surprised such a critical review neglected to mention that almost all of the original creatures were removed from this remake. No paramites, scrabs, fleeches, slurgs, pantsless sligs, and even glukkons are only seen in cutscenes now. The Sleeches were added but they feel like a placeholder since they don't really have any kind of visual design. I was very disappointed by this.
wait really? no paramites, fleeches and scrabs? you cannot possess Glukkons in this game?
@@Goldman200 Glukkons are in cutscenes only as far as I know. I think you just fight sligs and slogs for a majority of the game and "sleeches" are briefly encountered but are just black shapes with glowing eyes. The alien variety was a big reason I loved oddworld initially, removing so much makes it feel way less odd.
I just started playing it and after not being that impressed by the first level , ive seen this comment and now im uninstalling. Dumb.
This comment shook me to my core honestly. Made it through about 80% and I can't believe I didn't notice this.
Goddamn man...
Ok that's a deal breaker... What were they thinking???
Respect on finishing Soulstorm. I seriously love the old games, but I can't bring myself to finish this one. Even though it's still Oddworld, it feels as a generic 3D platformer with the way it plays. I just wish they could bring "every frame a painting" back, even if it means go back to 2D.
Totally.
I was so much looking forward to what soulstorm could have been... Even bought the collectors oddition and now I am frustrated about the fact I can't finish this experience because of the gameplay design choices.
I agree! I'd recommend Rain World, a more recent game that does go for the 'every frame a painting' style, with some stunning backgrounds because of it
Same, even down to the sounds used the old sound fx were so unique...oddworld just feels like something that should look the way it does in the old games, I really don't think it works as it is now.
@@ChezzyKnytt I had no idea this game existed. Nobody even suggested it to the people looking for something similar to Oddworld. This one seems great! Thanks for the tip!
@@Mattfication No problem!
Golly those cutscenes look phenomenal
@@GAHAHAHH It was due to hardware restraints. They wanted the cutscenes to look the same on all platforms without downgrading the quality.
Looks great, but has completely lost the cinematic and eerie genius of Odyssey and Exoddus.
@@fazman72 Agree. Except fo the bad ending, compared to Exodus, Soulstorm's is darker. Abe getting burned alive screaming oof
@@GAHAHAHH Oh i read your post wrong. They are pre-rendered
Which cutscenes?
I've been a fan of Oddworld since the beginning, watching my mom play Abe's Oddysee on our computer back in '98 or '99. I watched her play, giving advice when I can before playing myself. Years later, we got Abe's Exoddus, also on PC. Those two games solidified my love for the series, thus allowing us to get Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath (both of which we didn't really care much for at the time, but I grew to love them as the years passed. Just as I said, I've been a fan of Oddworld since the beginning and absolutely adored the series. I even picked up the ports of Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee, and Stranger's Wrath, despite still having some of the original releases. And I got New N' Tasty when it came out and loved it as well. Not as much as the original, but I still enjoyed it.
Then, Soulstorm came out and I bought it Day 1. I thought it was really cool and interesting at first, but issues began to surface as early as Stage 3, The Blimp. I would get hit by bombs while still hiding behind cover, I couldn't enter a door for some baffling reason, and despite really not wanting to, I had to kill a few Sligs. Later, I died countless times against Slig Mama and its stressful fight and wonky controls. But the biggest issue came near the end, at FeeCo Depot, when you have to ride a crane while be assaulted by Flying Sligs from all sides. I died so many times, I very nearly gave up on the game entirely because of that one level. In the end, I managed to succeed after about an hour and a half and even though, I didn't feel triumphant.
I went into this game expecting to adore it like the others, but was met with disappointment and frustration. As someone who's been playing Oddworld since I was, like, 4 years old, I know what Oddworld is like; it's tough, but fair. You can get through any challenge with patience and careful observation (for the most part). This? No. The game gets way too strict and chaotic at times, made even worse by awkward controls (I really wish you could use the D-Pad for movement). Not only that, but the game was full of glitches. There was one time in the level where you can use Shrykull for the first time, to kill some machine gun Sligs and destroy a wooden barrier. When transforming, I killed 2 out of the 3 Sligs and destroyed the barrier, but one was still alive. I didn't have any items to deal with it, so I had no choice but to suicide and doing the beginning part all over again. I had another moment when I fell into one of the bottomless pits, but rather than dying, Abe was just constantly falling, forcing me to start from the last checkpoint. Sure, it wasn't a big deal, but still.
It also does a very poor job of explaining things, like the Supply Delivery Cannon. It took me a number of deaths before I learned that it uses items in your inventory as ammo. And that door I mentioned that I couldn't enter? I learned it closes after a certain amount of time, to which it's the only one in the entire game and there's no hint regarding the invisible time limit. Not only that, but it leads to the only Mudokon in the level and if you don't get him, you're not getting the good ending, even if you save all other Mudokons in all other levels. And there's the Greeters. In the original, all you have to do is stand still and they won't notice you. When I saw one, I thought it would function the same way, only to suddenly get shocked while I wasn't moving. I learned you need to use the smokescreen to get past it. And Passive and Aggro commands? I finished the game and I still have absolutely no idea what it does and I couldn't find guides to tell me.
Which brings me to my issues with Quarma. I recall hearing that killing Sligs will affect your Quarma, but no. Yeah, you can do a pacifist run if you want to, but that makes the game incredibly difficult unless you have tape or a Bouncy Binding Candy to get rid of them altogether. If not, they'll wake up and continue to cause trouble. Honestly, you're better off just killing them because from what I can tell, it has no effect on your Quarma. But still, you can refrain from killing them if you want to. But that brings another issues; some levels have Sligs in danger and may very well get killed without you doing anything. The Blimp, which as I said, has bombs being thrown and it's not uncommon for a Slig to get hit multiple times, thus killing them. And it still counts against you.
I can respect the more serious story, but at times, it feels a little too serious with very little of the usual Oddworld humor or dark comedy to balance it out. While the comedy added levity, it didn't take away from what it wanted to tell. I won't knock the game or Lorne for being more serious, even if it's not what I would prefer. If anything, there were parts of the more serious story I enjoyed, especially focusing more on Sam, the Mudokon Queen that was hinted at the end of Abe's Exoddus and supposed to appear in Munch's Oddysee.
I previously mentioned that I nearly gave up at the FeeCo Crane. This relates to what I was talking about regarding Oddworld being tough, yet fair. The FeeCo Crane was what Oddworld isn't; a barrage of assailants with little time to react and a single mistake is almost impossible to recover from. Unless you're really good with throwing items, the Flying Sligs will just avoid them, not to mention Abe is incredibly vulnerable during that time, leaving him unable to move quickly or jump. Doesn't help that a direct hit from a rocket will instantly kill him and machine gunners will eviscerate Abe in about a second. I played tons of games across my years, from about '99 (when I was 4) to today, being 26 and this game made me want to quit in frustration and drop the whole thing.
I'm afraid that at the end of the day... I didn't like Soulstorm. I don't think it's a bad game, nor do I hate it. But I think it has a lot of problems. Biggest ones being the aforementioned glitches and the insane difficulty spikes, especially when you hear about levels being patched to make them easier. To me, that tells me this game wasn't properly tested. The game was announced in 2017 and released in 2021. That's a four-year development cycle. And I know COVID made production difficult and pushing the release date from 2020 to 2021. But still, it feels like the game wasn't tested beyond making sure it didn't crash. I've heard stories of Muds not jumping into portals or full save files being deleted. I take no pleasure in stating my issues with the game, but honestly, this is the lowest point for Oddworld. What hurts even more is that Abe's Exoddus was my favorite game, so that was all the more reason to be excited for Soulstorm. All I have left to say is this: "I hope the next game does better and I hope Oddworld Inhabitants improves".
Man do I feel you. You expressed quite thoroughly something I am sure a lot of people feel for the series and this mess of a sketchy game. I hope OWI stumbles on this video and your commentary one close day!
@@loudneiv4653 I hope so too. I highly doubt they'll see it or even pay it much mind, but at the end of the day, letting it out, stating how I feel about the lowest point in a series that's precious to me, that's all that matters to me.
I know there are some who love the game and think it's the best one yet. I won't say they're wrong. If anything, I wish I had their love for the game, but from my experience? No, sadly. If and when they remake Munch's Oddysee, I hope it controls fine and have the usual dark comedy to balance the serious moments while still being weirdly cute and charming. The intro to Munch's Oddysee is considered one of the most heartbreaking intros in any video game; but Abe and Munch slamming into each other, the Intern screaming in a mix and fear and pain while being torn to shred by the Fuzzles, the Almighty Raisin falling asleep while Abe complains that he's under a lot of stress. All that happens within a few hours of the intro, but isn't a complete mood whiplash, nor does it detract. And I heard someone say that you need comedy to balance the serious stuff; highs and lows.
@@SaiyanGamer95 I respect your endeavour to remain politically correct ; Can't do that myself though.
I lost faith in OWI. I am extremely curious to see how they would make everything worse off in a remake Of Munch's Odyssee ! Doing so should prove to be much harder 😅
@@loudneiv4653 Politically correct? I'm not even sure where that came from. But for me, I consider Soulstorm to be the only bad game in the series.
@@SaiyanGamer95 that game did have quite a lot of problems. Dont even get me started on the final "boss" level. But honestly I am still in love with the game. To me, the game just really says "oddworld." The challenges were not too bad (except for the FeeCo level, I agree with you fully on that one lol) Maybe its because I didn't experience much glitches, but it mostly felt fair. Your points still stand real strong, but soulstorm still holds dear to my heart.
I have spoken with Lorne & Sherry via Facebook a bit about these games. (My own work being inspired by theirs) and I think they’re too distant from the current games. They were intimately and deeply involved in every aspect of the original games and that’s just not the case with JAW and Soulstorm.
I get the same impression. It feels like the teams working on Oddworld don’t really understand Oddworld.
JAW?
What’s JAW?
Just Add Water (the devs behind New ‘n’ Tasty) most likely.
I thought they had much more to do with Soul Storm. If you combined the story and cutscenes from Soul Storm with the gameplay style of Exoddus you’d have an all time classic. I really didn’t like how the new games are far more action oriented than cerebral, careful gameplay. That’s not why I love the Abe games. I like Stranger’s Wrath as well, that’s the action character for Oddworld. Abe is the scrappy underdog surviving and winning off his wits, his compassion and his luck. Abe is my guy, and my favorite game character ever.
The first is such a beautifully bizarre game. It had s profound effect on me as a kid. Just the design is incredible, just such a glorious imagination behind it
I have to say. The biggest problem I have with soulstorm, is that I can't remember any of the music tracks. In both of the originals the music was so iconic and memorable. But in soulstorm, it didn't even feel like there was music in it...
I completely forgot there was music until I saw this comment.
I’m gonna have to disagree with you on that one.
I remembered a lot of Soulstorm’s music, especially the Escape from Monsaic Lines Medium; Funicular/Sorrow Valley Slog Action, Medium and High; Phat Station Low, Medium and High; and Necrum/Slig Barracks Medium and High music pieces.
The music in the original is also really iconic and memorable, but this game’s music is also telling a story of its own.
The soundtrack is absolutely pathetic for an oddworld game. It's like going from a confident rockstar to a nervous kid that always talks real low because he's too scared to offend anybody
Agreed the music was horrible 😂
I went into this game wanting to love it so fucking bad man, I remember playing the originals PS1 games on my dad's musty PS2 and having to try to beat the whole game in one sitting cuz we'd lost the PS1 memory card. This game unironically broke my heart. At least I still got the originals.
Same, I'm almost done with it but it's taking me a while cause after playing a level I get bored or frustrated with the game.
@GogoTee agreed, I feel like they could have told whatever story they wanted to without taking away so much stuff from the original.
@I am tired of humanity sales do not equate to quality
So glad to find people here that feel the same.
The old games are still my favourite games of all time.
I know I'm late to the comment section but I genuinely am confused about this criticism. The original game feels a lot more massacistic to me than the newer soulstorm. Soulstorm also has more options to go about things, quality of life improvements and a double jump. You can also control where chi power goes remotely rather than it being fixed in the original. There's less moments preventing your power too. Nearly every room in the original I struggled with and in soulstorm I can not say the same.
One of the coolest parts about Lorne Lanning's interview was his goal to make the oddworld series an interactive movie. I have to agree that Strangers Wrath was the one that came so close that goal. 🎮📽
I was honestly hoping that at some point in the video you'd share your thoughts on New n Tasty's approach as well, but this was a delightful upload regardless. I appreciate the initiative you took to play the older games for comparison, and found this video much more informative and representative of the Soulstorm experience than any conventional "review" I've seen of it so far. Many thanks for this
I came here to talk about this! New 'n' Tasty is excellent comparison because the game is a "modern" remake of the old ones. It has some frustrating moments that I didn't encounter in the old games but at the same time I liked it enough to actually get the best ending and save all the Mudokons.
It was very very weird he didn't even mention it!
I had originally planned a segment on it but found it wouldn't really bring much to the piece because, well... It seemed to have a lot of the same issues I was finding with Soulstorm. After making this I went and watched Matthewmatosis' comparison of the two versions and yeah, seems to line up with my experience. Just not particularly into it when the original, better version is right there.
@@WritingOnGames I agree with you 100% and your experience is similar to mine. Nonetheless,I think mentioning it is important to make the discussion complete precisely because it shares many issues with Soulstorm. It isn't the first time they do this and the voices that echo your review were also present when New 'n' Tasty was released.
I love this franchise so much and I want it to succeed so badly I find myself harsh on the developers at times.
@@WritingOnGames makes sense, thanks for explaining!
@@heysamesam you're welcome to make your own video on it if you want!
I hate to say it, but I feel the exact same way about Soulstorm. Exoddus was my very first Oddworld experience growing up. So dark, yet just brimming with character. Too much of it was carved away in Soulstorm. And frankly, I'm kind of bitter about the gutting of the GameSpeak puzzle mechanics. Especially the parts where you possessed the Executive Glukkons and got to experience Oddworld through their powerful but fragile shoes.
I wanted to possess a glukkon so bad in this game and it never came. I agree with everything you said
I think platformers have always controlled better using a D-pad. In fact, I have this pet theory that platformers largely died out for so many years because analogue controls are nowhere near as predictable or precise as simple D-pad controls, and this makes them less satisfying. You take a single step in Oddyssey or Exoddus, and the response is always the same; you run and jump, you will always clear the same distance. Similarly, the jumping and movement mechanics in old Tomb Raider games - while 'clunky' and 'dated' - are also highly responsive and built for mastery. You feel totally in control of the game.
A lot of newer platformers compensate for this loss of control by adding in features like double jumps, automatic grabs, invisible walls, context-sensitive actions, etc. -- If the game isn't almost playing itself, it becomes this unwieldy struggle to predict how much force to use to make it to the next platform, or whether and when to apply pressure mid-jump so you don't overshoot or misjudge the landing.
I don't know, maybe I'm old.
you might be on to something, when I play Mario 3 on the switch , I gravitate to the d pad rather than the stick and if I'm dying a bunch for seemingly no reason I realize I've just come from a game using the stick and have carried that habit over
Well said
I find this really depends on the game. Analog controls can very much provide a greater deal of control. It just depends how it's implemented.
Pretty much.
It's something I hate in the modern TR titles, where it feels like you're praying Lara's automatic jump height when she locks onto a ledge and the auto-graph works, while it's 100 percent consistent in the older titles.
I dont really agree. Analog controls are only unpredictable if the controller is faulty or if you aren't pushing the full way on the stick, which is what you're usually doing. _(as a sidenote, I would also argue in your examples, the games would be equally precise with an analog stick. IIRC the original Tomb Raider games ran on tank controls, and Odyssey/Exoddus ran on grid-based movement, both of which obviously lend themselves towards precision)
Not to mention that most of the control intricacies of, say, Mario Odyssey would be genuinely impossible without sticks. I prefer an "unwieldy" toolbox of mobility options I'm using to achieve things the devs never thought possible, over making the exact same jump that's at the precise distance the developer knows I can jump several dozen times.
So I appreciate you bringing up just how well the rigidity and movement in the old games plays well to the almost puzzle-like sequences you have to go through. I do think there's a fair share of moments where you can't allllwayyyys tell where you're supposed to go and what you're supposed to do, but you even said it yourself: Trial and error games. It's always a fascinating design thing where an older game permits better design structures and mechanics. With the Oddworld games it's extra weird because you can feel the strength in these designs when replaying the old Abe's games, and you can feel the fluidity and loose mechanics working impressively well with Munch's Odyssey's room puzzles and character tag team gameplay (a co-op version would be great!). And yet when trying to impose that same sense of 3D freedom of movement, it all crumbles in your hands when playing both of the Abe's game remakes. New & Tasty features some of the same exact problems once you go far enough and the puzzles start getting complex enough. I recall spending something like 10-15 minutes trying to sort out why this one floor mine kept going off when I tried to deactivate it. I even recorded it on my phone to rewatch my failure and I was swearing up and down the game was getting the frames wrong or something. I think it turned out to be because I wasn't holding the sneak button while crouched or something dumb like that.
14:27 Oh my gosh are you serious? Crafting? Nope. Too many cooks. That's too far.
Thank you and everyone who made the video happen, I'll sound like a sore loser but I really needed to hear other people being as disappointed as I am in this, to make sure I'm not going crazy :D
This is by far the best and most comprehensive review I have seen on Soulstorm so far. As a fan of the series myself, I really wanted to love Soulstorm, but there are just too many frustrating elements in it (not even including the bugs, most of which have been patched out as of now) to where I can only recommend it if you are already a fan of the series at it's current price.
I think this game is at it's best when it focuses on being traditional Oddworld, but it generally goes downhill fast when trying almost anything new that has been brought in, because it really feels like Abe isn't built for that type of fast paced gameplay. I didn't like any of the breakout missions for numerous reasons, and the final section of The Yards was not fun, to put it very lightly. I actually don't mind the crafting as much as other people seem to have, since it generally allows for some creativity and agency on the player's end.
That being said, I did love how the game looked with some awesome backdrops and the cutscenes were great to watch, it's kind of shame the gameplay of Soulstorm just isn't as consistently good.
My main problem with the crafting (besides being tedious to look through every single locker and trash bin relentlessly) is how suggestive it is. Like, every time I find flares, I now there's a cave coming up. Everytime I find brew bottles, there's probably fire to manage. It doesn't feel creative or gives you a reason to work out a puzzle, because you found the solution moments earlier in A FUCKING DUMPSTER!!!
It was to ambitious. Which isn’t a bad thing . It’s just needs to go back to basics .
Smash that Fart Button, Writing on Gamers!
Press Fart to pay respects
Irony when knowing that the creator of the serie himself hate this action
argh...wth....as soon as I read this, my dog just farted...o.o
I watched that full ars teknica interview and it is extremely fascinating. He is one of the most cool people to listen to talk, it’s worth hearing all the way through, don’t skip anything.
Listen to the 3 hour interview btw, not the shortened one. I wish I could work under that guy, he’s probably got so much knowledge to teach
Well, I don’t know about working for him. He likes to remove people from the credits for no reason, starting with Abe’s Oddysee and all the way to Soulstorm. Look up the interview with William Anderson on Magog On The March.
Lorne was my hero back in the day
I liked new n tastys movement, it felt like old oddworld but just a little more precise, also i enjoy the idea of abe after oddysee and hell after exodus being less cartoony and happy and more sad and bleak, hes saved atleast 400 mudokons in the cannon endings (600 if you count new n tasty) and after that it feels non optimistic, that he cant do anything more yet he is still dubbed savior of the world.
Oh... That's disappointing... :/ But Oddworld inhabitants is just like Revolution Software or Pyranha bytes, you can't get mad at them for failing and when they miss the mark, you wish there was something you could do about it, crossing your fingers that the mishap won't make them disappear. I'd be sad if any of these studios were to disappear when Activistion, Ubisoft and EA could all die on the same day and I would probably not notice or care.
best way to make sure they don't disappear is to buy the game.
Can't wait to get this. Always loved the franchise. So unique. And they have raised the bar even further ❤️❤️❤️
Just keep your head out for some of the glitches. Most of them have been patched out, but some are really annoying. The game is really good, but I would suggest being a bit careful.
You really lit my fire to play the original 4 Oddworld titles soon this summer. Something about Soulstorm is mystifying that a game as niche as it is exists in the modern era where it’s even granted free to PS+ subs, but elements you mentioned here have been echoed elsewhere in other assessments of the game that, I feel, really mine to the core of what’s so middling about this title. It’s interesting how a reimagining/remake isn’t able to coast on tricky inclusions like the relative unresponsive AI or oppressive new take on the atmosphere due to its legacy of the titles it originates from. Where smaller, unknown or completely new games would shine in controversial elements like that which can be used to the game’s defense and even tie-in with the themeing, you can’t so easily slink on by when the game you’re leaping from feels better almost 2 decades prior. I say all this while extremely enjoying RE3make, so maybe there’s some merit in my eventual visit to Soulstorm! All I know is I’m very much looking forward to chewing through Oddworld super soon, great video as always.
I'm excited for you, it definitely helped that I played them while I was younger, but I would love to experience those games for the first time again
@@tyler2913 Yeah I’m super excited! The first-time experience is definitely one of envy and I’m happy to cash mine in soon :)
It's quite unfortunate. I think the reason this game turned out this way was that they split the development out between quite a few different studios with a pretty iffy budget. Mix that with the pandemic and it's probably a miracle this game came out in this state at all.
I'm hoping it did well enough for them that they can justify another game with a bit more polish.
Budget is a nonissue since they took Epic store deal.
Wait, they changed the plan for the Quintology? I swear it used to be Abe's and Munch's Oddysee as the first two parts.
Yes and no the plan was for each to have a main game and side game for each character but now they want to focus more on Abe while still telling a similar story in fact now not only will munch return but Lorne said he wants to bring stranger into the Quintology
yes there was squeeks odyssey
You are speaking directly out of my mind...
I am a huge Abe fan from the past and I really really wanted to love the new soulstorm, but it is so frustrating that they forgot in some kind of way what made exoddus so great.
I have to bite my way through every single level and it is absolutely not a fun good time like it was back then, but I still love this clumsy mudokon...
So hard to get enjoyment out of this game I was looking forward to for such a long time.
Well Caddicarus and Pupbenny liked it so that’s all that matters to Lorne.
How dare you to say that from legendary limitless luscious Lorne Lanning, even if it's true
Well, this will be met with frowned faces but I honestly don't see how anyone who fully appreciates the originals can appreciate this. It has a grand total of zero Oddworld in it past the title, from the generic looking goa-hippie graphic while Abe chants, to the generic world design, to the generic user interface. It's just generic and uninspired and.. meh why do I even waste words. Back to replaying Exoddus in glorious emulator graphics.
@cornchipsRpunk: Their voices are in the game in the game though so yeah it stands to reason they would enjoy the game if their voices are in it.
@@jane1975
That explains a lot.
When you said the originals were clunky at the start i was already up in arms, glad you went back to them to see that it wasn't clunky movement but precise and deliberate.
I loved those games as a kid and i was so excited about soulstorm just to see the gameplay completely stripped of its identity and it even tramples over Exodus which i loved even more than Oddysee...
This is an amazing review; i agree with everything you are saying. The IGN review is so utter bs they say the old games 'dont stand up' and that the sound design was bad etc etc..
once again ... a great video
@9:20 I think the pre-rendered backgrounds are one of the best parts of the old games
You did come back to it I see now lol
5:43 I didn't expect to cry today.
The greatest disappointment for me was that they had already succeeded updating Oddworld for a new generation of hardware, New 'n' Tasty in 2016 was pretty perfect IMO.
It was a remake of Abe's Oddysee in the same way Soulstorm is a remake of Exoddus, the visuals are great but still clear, the controls are tight, the added quick save feature was a godsend, and I absolutely loved it.
The ways Soulstorm falls short of the previous game, compounded with the difficulty and general level of perseverence needed to beat these hour long levels has caused me to give up even finishing the game, let alone 100%ing like I did New 'n' Tasty. Real shame.
Well said I thought soulstorm was messy as shit compared to new n tasty
NNT was 2014...
New and Tasty was far from perfect.
@Vasy do you have your own opinion on it? or only someone else's?
I will say this until the day I die: I _cannot believe_ they took away the Quicksave option. That is _so_ not cool. It was one of those things that always made it a bit harder to go back to Oddysee after playing Exoddus, so needless to say, I was psyched that they installed it for New 'n' Tasty. But in Soulstorm it's gone. I know Abe connoisseurs needed some new challenges, but there's a difference between challenging and nearly throwing something at your TV because a scene is infuriatingly hard.
I had to stop playing half way through and look up a play through on CZcams. It was way to stressful and chaotic for my taste. I'm not really an expert gamer per se, but daamn this game is hard. So much shit on the screen at all times. Makes Silver Surfer on NES look like a point and click game
@@passionoflovers Hear hear. A game should not be impossible to navigate without the help of a guide. There's a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment in figuring out some of the puzzles yourself. But in Soulstorm I'm constantly having to stop and look up walkthroughs because I keep getting stuck. And the fact that you're given FIVE MINUTES to rescue that _one_ mudokon in The Blimp? That is criminal! 😤
Been subscribed for a few years but am usually on and off as far as which of your videos I watch. That said, I really enjoyed the insight in this video, really definitely one of my favorite of your videos
At first I felt this way, but replaying the levels I realise the crafting system is a way to allow players to solve problems in different ways.
The other thing is the old rigid controls are in the game. Tilting the left stick half way has Abe do his signature walk. But who ever tilts the left stick 'half way' in games these days.
My only annoiance was the sanctum Sleech level being very uninspired. I missed the lack of Paramites and scrabs from exodus.
I had a similar reaction. I really wanted to love Soulstorm, but the original two games are far better - clearly more carefully and meticulously crafted. All the bugs and randomness to the puzzles in Soulstorm made it really difficult for me to stay immersed, and the simplification of gamespeak is pretty sad as it was one of the most memorable quirks of the original two games. The original two also had very brief but concise and effective exposition with the cutscenes, whereas the dialog in Soulstorm is drawn out without much substance, which feels like they’re just flexing the visuals - which, don’t get me wrong, are beautiful - but it makes watching the cutscenes a chore rather than a treat. It feels like they were prioritizing technical ambition over a solid gameplay experience. I’d still buy the next Oddworld game, but I hope they learn from this and shift priorities to substance over presentation.
This was a good review, and I hope most of the problems have been updated by now. Thank you for a good informative review (as opposed to people on steam giving New 'n Tasty a bad review because they couldn't pet the slig).
The problem ultimately with Soulstorm is that it's difficult to hate on it. It's a truly beautiful looking game, and you can tell everyone behind it put their heart and soul into it. It just screams of a project brimming with ambition and ideas. Full to bursting with them.
But I think there's a lesson here of simply trying to do too much. Of shoving so much stuff into a project that it all ends up being a bit of a mess.
What I find baffling most of all is that they had years to work out the kinks and make sure the game was the strongest it could be. It suggests that maybe the entire concept of it was flawed from the get to, I dunno.
But when you look at Exodus, the rushed one, the difference in quality is just insane. Exodus, for me, is everything a perfect sequel should be. Bringing back everything from the first game that worked. Introducing loads of really cool, new things (like possessing Scraps and Paramites, Glukkons and farts), expanding the story and mythology, going to loads of new places and worlds... it's a damn masterpiece.
Soulstorm is just nowhere near as good by comparison.
Very well said, I feel the same about this game. It doesn't have that special feel other Oddworld games have. I'm only a few levels in and I'm tired of it. I don't regret buying it though, I'll support Oddworld Inhabitants every chance I get.
Two Writing On Games videos in one week. Christmas came early this year...
I think, it's been kinda hard to keep up with calendar this year.
To be serious for a second, I'm actually really glad theirs a games channel like yours on CZcams.
Someone who not just talks about the games mechanics and story as thise two separate entities, but more as one whole experience. In addition, you also always make it about *your* experience, and how you felt while playing through it.
Which is something I don't feel most other gaming channels do, keyword being most. they'll just critique the game from this pseudo objective perspective where everything feels very black and white. Not in the sense that everything is either good or bad, they do have degrees of how much they enjoy the games they talk about. It's more that we don't get the context for why it made them feel the way it did. So it becomes hard (at least for me) to connect with their opinion.
And I'm not saying this to shit on anyone. It is like most things, about taste. A lot of people really enjoy that style, me included some of the time. So I'm not saying it should be removed or anything. Just that I, in the last year especially have really enjoyed coming back to this channel for every review, except one. (haven't played yakuza 7 yet, so I'm waiting to watch the video.) Which I do for very few CZcams channels.
The very last thing I'll say is, whenever we get nuggets of your fears or anxieties. It always makes me feel both really sad and kinda relieved. Sad because it means other people are going through the same kinda shit I am, relieved because I'm not the only person going through it. It was especially the top 5 games of 2020 video that made me feel this way. After watching it I actually spend most of my free time for a week trying to write a comment not to dissimilar to this one. But in the end it became to much for me, so I'm glad I could say some of it here.
So In conclusion, I love your videos, I'm looking forward to whatever you do next, and it won't disappoint me as long as you speak honestly.
Was on the fence about playing this one. After having watched your video...I'm still on the fence.
For real though love your content friend!
Great video!! Speaking as someone that earned the Platinum, I was extremely disappointed in this reimagining. It took everything I loved about the original game and turned it into a tedious, unfun mess. No farts, no Paramites, no Scrabs, no Bonewerkz...
The cutscenes are pretty enough, but I actually enjoyed the original take on the story much more.
@IKARUS-RG: Well done on gaining the Platinum for this one, that must of been tough. The Platinum Trophy looks beautiful but, I don't think I can do it.
@@jane1975 I didn't enjoy the game that much if I'm honest, and I definitely didn't enjoy going for the Platinum.
@@IKARUS-RG At least you have it though, much respect for you going through that pain.
I'm glad they made this game for the artwork alone but the gameplay just doesn't capture what odyssey and exodus taught us about mudokons. Abe was a guy that couldn't slap a ghost trap without getting knocked off his feet and that made him awesome.. now he's smashing through wooden crates like Donkey Kong and eating bullets for breakfast :/
Oh this came out already ???? God i gotta play this
Edit: oh right Epic... Never mind
I apologise for my naivety, but what's wrong with Epic? They spoke about giving developers a larger cut than Valve does with Steam which is good, or were they lying about that?
@@LuchM it used to be that the epic store just sucked, but now it’s mainly just the principle of epic just paying devs shit loads of money for exclusivity
@@stanners1714 Sure, that makes sense, as it does go against consumer convenience and potential accessibility if Epic is shut down. However obviously more money going to developers is a good thing, and it might mean that Epic Store competitors may raise their dev cut.
Furthermore, (though i dont know the minutiae), wasn't Hades a game made as an exclusive for Epic, yet it eventually came to Steam? idk.
Also, i think that the technical monopoly Steam has, has more potential to lead to anti-consumer practices. Although, i can see why it's easier to look at Epic with their more obvious micro-transactions and loot boxes and worry about what they may do with a plethora of exclusive titles.
idk, i think there are some good points on both sides, i guess people will just conclude for themselves what behavioural decision (s) they make.
Anyways, thanks for responding and i hope you have a wonderful day
@@SaskDuder its not boycotting its the fact its literally an inferior platform with a launcher that is broken half the time edit: also no linux support and since steam now has Proton its a no brainer to use it.
@@SaskDuder because a bunch of man children want valve to have a monopoly on PC games for some reason. Mommy probably drank while she was pregnant, idk.
The old games would be visually gorgeous with an AI upscaled version.
I disagree. I really feel like AI can only do so much and in my eyes it would muddy the visuals too much. AI has really come a long way, but it can't replace artists. I do think that a 2D version that essentially runs on the same engine as the first game with faithfully redrawn higher resolution sprites (or even just uncompressed versions) would look really good though
Idk, I kinda really liked the way it looked already. Maybe that would improve it tho
I think oddworld is suffering from a case of being WAY to iconic for its own good. The originals were so unique, so different and out there that it immediately demanded your attention from the get go, from the visuals to the sound fx to the music..I can hear it all in my head even after not playing them for a long long time...I remember nothing from soulstorm..It was the same with new and tasty...It's like something masquerading as abe and oddworld, I hated n&t so much because of the things they had changed, if it ain't broke don't fix it, silly things like sound effects but mainly the overall tone of the old games has been stripped away.
It's like they aren't even trying to keep that uncanny vibe about it anymore, it used to feel so mysterious and gritty, like you were always in danger with very little comedic relief...what was there you created yourself with the fart button and obviously some of the cut scenes.
I think the original games work to well that anything else just won't work now, they should have focused on making a film or a series instead cause the visuals in soulstorm were great but playing through it...Meh not so much, and the fact that oddworld is so big I think it would just be better as an animated series. Better graphics does not always mean a better game and the originals prove that by a clear mile.
Yeah… those original games on the Ps1 were so incredibly atmospheric.
I really miss the humor and the puzzle elements from the first two games. They are so much fun! Whether I'm laughing or my brain is hurting, they are worth returning to, again and again. Soulstorm actually made me rage quit. It's very pretty but it lacks the charm.
My thoughts exactly. I laughed my ass off for simple things like accidentaly running into a wall with Abe just falling back and then grunting out of frustration. Or when you fart in front of another Mudoken's face and he'll go "PHOOF!" and take two steps back. That slapstick comedy was what made me fall in love with these games. Well, that and the puzzles too. Especially the ones with the Scrab temple and that spider thingie that'll only attack when he's backed up into a corner or when there's too of em
And the atmosphere in the older games were also amazing. When you started up the game those nature sounds are just eargasmic :3 Soulstorm had too many gimmicks and I just found my self not returning to it without even noticing. I haven't played in weeks now.
I hope they would give Exoddus the same treatment as New N Tasty but I know that'll never happen :(
@Kula Productions Both games are absolute gems. And then expanding gameplay in Exodus by adding the ability to possess scrabs and paramites was so cool. I probably had too high expectations for Soulstorm. Are there other good games with the combo funny/quirky/unique/platforming/hard puzzles? I'm guessing 'no'.
This was a very interesting video. Thank you.
Thank you for verbalising my thoughts. I finished a few levels but wasn't compelled to keep playing.... I wanted to like it .... But it just didn't hold me.
Abes Exoddus will always hold a special place in my gaming collection. It was the very first game i ever witnessed my dad playing on our playstation 1 back in 1999 and he absolutely sucked at it lmao, but i would pick it up when he wasnt playing and i learned to absolutely conquer the game and ive played it on n off ever since. the tone of the original games is just amazing, and i feel like the new games just left all that magic behind.
Is no one mentioning the crafting system icons and design and style is THE EXACT SAME USED IN HORIZON ZERO DAWN???
Honestly one of my problems with Soulstorm is that Abe felt a little too capable with the inventory, I mean you can craft a freaking flamethrower with infinite ammo in the latter levels of the game. Outside the final boss, in levels where the Shrykull can be obtained I never felt like I needed to use it because the items I picked up along the way were more than enough to deal with obstacles.
New n Tasty, Soulstorm and, to a certain extent, Munch's Oddysee, are all clear evidence that the original two abe games could only have been made in their time.
A bit later and it's early 3d open world that feels vacant and not as scary.
Much later and the charm and atmosphere is removed through bloom effects, sligs singing songs from the wizard of oz and removal of loading screens meaning a massive reduction in fear.
A perfect example of how the limits of the ps1 resulted in outstanding game making.
9:21 Totally agree. I miss the rigidity and sectors of the old games. Double jump? Seriously!
In Bionic Commando you couldn't jump (just had your grappling hook) and they kept that for the reimagined version.
In the next game they introduced jumping, but they also made the game possible to beat without it.
I could accept double jump in this game if it wasn't needed to proceed.
Yes I too was hoping it wouldn't be required.
I liked the game and i saved all the mudokons.
Now, Things they need to do for to improve it.
1, Fix all bugs.
2. Make the Menu screen (and loading screens dont show the controller) similar to the previous games, to give this ODDworld feeling (with gamespeak).... not be a generic menu like all the other console games.
3.Bring back the Fart, and the Gamespeak, and interactions with other mudokons.(like the slaps)
4. Remove the annoying timed door from closing early at level 3. I wanna take my time when playing such games... dont like the forced speed run they did on this.
5. Fix the monkey bars, so you can catch them normal. ( i hope they fixed that after the patch)
6. Include Scrabs, and Paramites... and the Elum.
The game had this Oddworld feeling.. but not quite there.... but for other things it has improved for sure... visuals, and 3D level design.
I think they are on a good road for the next in the series.. if they take care of some things.
spot on review. And lets not forget the game crashing bugs on ps4 at least
I agree with this 100%. I played Odyssey & Exoddus a lot back in the day.
its crazy that lanning said that they were making exodus as "originally intended".
I couldnt believe when he said that
I’ve never played any of these games, but now I’m compelled to check some out!
They're great!
Definitely! Abes Oddysee is a good place to start. Though it's tough! Stranger's Wrath is also a favourite of some and it's more of a 1st person shooter.
In Exoddus you get quick saves, where as Oddyssee only have checkpoints.
If you have the patience you should really play Oddyssee first, but if you don't think you can handle all the deaths starting ar Exoddus is fine too I'd say.
while the gameplay definitely could've used some work, and there were some bugs here and there, I thought the cutscenes in this game more than made up for that.
they're absolutely beautiful.
The puzzles could've been better optimized I think. There were so many times I finished a level with nearly a full stack of inventory because I was trying to be strategic with my supplies during encounters.
This is honestly how I felt about the remake of Abe's Odyssey, New N Tasty. It seems that in bringing Oddworld to the modern era, Oddworld Inhabitants would rather dumb things down instead of challenging its players to think on their feet.
I wouldn't say it's dumbed down. What you're seeing is a deliberate change in art directions, gamefeel and atmosphere.
@@HolySok Maybe that is a harsh reading, but I'm not sure why the newer games lack mechanical depth. There are neat bits, sure, but the originals nailed pretty much everything about their settings and mechanics while the new games have fumbled around with them.
@@KingSigy I'd agree with that
@KingSigy: I loved New N Tasty, it was a little glitchy but not as glitchy as this one. I didn't think that JAW dumbed it down either, in fact I think dropping down between two Scrabs is far more scarier than falling into a barrel of guts and banging his head like in the original. They removed the fart ability from Soulstorm, and I used to love that particularly in Exoddus when you could use it to blow things up. New n Tasty still had the humour of its original, this one doesn't.
I don't think I will play this.. Taints the original games. But I did order the CE because of that lovely figure.
Even though it's a simpler game, mechanically, I remember thinking Inside really felt like a modern, spiritual successor to Oddysee and Exoddus. A similarly oppressive, industrialised atmosphere, 1 hit deaths, even the weird Monsters following you and solving puzzles like Mudokons. Moreso than even "New n Tasty" despite it almost literally being a modern recreation of Abe's Oddysee on newer systems.
The funny thing is that Exodus has later areas that also feel a little janky and inconsistent. The difference is that Exodus is one of those sequels made in the same engine that assumes you played the original and sets about stretching it's mechanics and design to breaking point. It's a lack of polish born of pushing the boundaries of old puzzles to see what's possible
Soulstorm was the first Oddworld game in which I encountered severe glitches. I'm also not very fond of the gauntlet sections... I think it deviates a bit from the original concept.
I agree with everything in this review. EVERYTHING. The old Oddworld games are incredible and the only problems I had with playing them was on ME, MY OWN failure at controlling Abe with the designated controls. Soulstorm is an insane mess of bugs. Today I watched sleeping Sligs float through the air, I rode a cart outside of the map, I got trapped in an unplayable spot which threw me to an old save point from like 20 minutes before, got stuck in mid-air, had mudokons vanish from following on a straight path with no enemies or obstacles around, had mudokons that weren't sick or in danger yet refused to follow for multiple reloads and then magically did follow.... It's a GIGANTIC MESS.
They really should have made pre-rendered backgrounds and super high character and model textures, like the Residen Evil 1 remake.
It's just the tonal changes in Soulstorm and New N Tasty that I don't like especially in the cutscenes. The Dark Humour has been replaced with cinematic seriousness and it's ironically harder to take it seriously.
Loved the game, just seemed a bit short for all the hype I had going into it.
Took me 9 years to play New n' tasty, didn't love it, played the demo of Soulstorm afterwards and I thought: WTF? That's not the oddworld I love...
Wait i just realized something...past the opening areas....why are the sligs after abe...like they establish that everyone thinks moulluk was lying...so why do they kill abe on sight ? , also whats stopping the sligs at slig barracks from reactivating the coms tower and altering the other lines ?.... honestly this game has way to many plot holes to take the story seriously as it trys to take itself
I agree with your review. These new games just do not feel as gritty!
I loved this game and was both frustrated at the same time the ending is amazing it finally gives closure to something and opens up more doors I am exited to see what’s next it’s definitely gotten better since release it’s also obvious they we’re playing it safe I actually enjoyed the second half more once I played it Twice
They should of remade Exodus in the style of New n Tasty
Most fans hate Exodus...dunno why, I love that game, it fixed all the problems the first game had.
@@Jose-se9pu I’ve never heard a single fan say they hate Exoddus.
@@Jose-se9pu In my Experience Exoddus is the most beloved oddworld game along with oddysee ... New n' tasty is more hated.
Tbh they should've kept the original gameplay with the new graphics. Realistic movements with weight behind them, more thinking and less frenesy
@@Jose-se9pu Where the hell you get that idea? It's generally regarded as the best of the original Oddworld games
The fact that I was interested in this game, but only realized it came out b/c this video popped up in my recommended makes me sad. Hopefully, it will improve some patches, or maybe just get another chance if they make next entry. I'm still happy though, can't wait to play it.
As someone who just recently bought the game I can safely say I didn't encounter the bugs that were shown in this video. I still encountered a good amount of bugs but none that really halted progress. At least on ps5.
I like the Oddworld franchise with the world and art design but I just dont like their platform gameplay. I only enjoy Strangers Wrath but Im glad the franchise isn't dead. But I REALLY appreciate all Oddworld cinematics.
kind of hope this makes it so its not the death of the studio
I will never play this game and could see this train wreck coming a mile away after completely New N Tasty. It's been 25 years since Abe's Odyssey.. I have no sympathy and will make no excuses for the companies that handled these remakes. OVER DESIGNED & LIGHT POLLUTED. The cutscenes are incredible. Lorne should've just made a movie!
I like the new character designs for Abe and the rest of the cast a lot, and I don't mind Abe himself being less goofy and more emotionally vulnerable either (that guy has been through a lot).
But the overall grimdark and dramatic presentation is still pretty jarring. Even the bad endings of the previous games had a tongue-in-cheek "better luck next time, shoulda put in some effort!" quality to them, while Soulstorm's is positively heartbreaking.
Combine that lack of emotional relief with the frantic messy unpredictable gameplay, and the game just feels _exhausting._ You're never in a position to observe, experiment, and then confidently execute your plan, the way you could in Oddyssee and Exoddus. You mention survival horror, that sounds about right.
I absolutely love the story and visuals of the game..
but i have not finished it due to the ridiculous difficulty and terrible gameplay
I loved it so much, took a month to pass!
pretty funny that "the exoddus the team wanted to make" has a drastic shift in tone and art direction (and bugginess) compared to odyssey and even new & tasty
Very fair and balanced review. Thanks for making this !
There were some aspects of the game's aesthetics that I liked a lot. The cutscenes were well scripted, and gave Abe a sense of wholesomeness and vulnerability. Voice acting in general was great from everyone. Sadly though, the gritty art style and sound design of the previous games wasn't there. There was something very eery, creepy and yet mystical about Abe's Odyssey and Exodus. I think that Soulstorm was a bit cartoony in comparison.
The puzzles and platforming, however, were really underwhelming. It's very difficult for me to enjoy a game when a new mechanic is introduced every level. The inventory just felt like unnecessary bloat. I'd be interested to hear if anyone felt different about them.
Hopefully they take on critiques for the next game in the series. Oddworld has such incredible lore and themes. It really deserves a next-gen game that does it justice.
Abe's oddysee and Abe's exoddus originas were the best to come out of this ip and everything else after that is a mess
I'm getting a serious Mandela Effect here; I was sure that Stranger's Wrath was cancelled before pre-production. I played through Odyssey and Exodus on PC and remember playing through all of Munch's Odyssey sometime after 2005. Over a decade since and I'm watching this video excited that there was another new Oddworld release after New N' Tasty and then at the very end you show scenes of Stranger's Wrath and my mind gets blown 🤯 All I can think is that I missed the release in 2005 and at some point in the 2010s I looked at a random article explaining why Stranger's Wrath was cancelled for XBLA and assumed it was cancelled altogether. The fact that I could spend basically 2 decades of my life with a false memory and apparently living under a rock is simply an existential crisis. I mean I'd have played these games repeatedly by now, I love Oddworld 😭
Soulstorm looks like a contemporary imitation of Oddworld.
As a random aside, and not a criticism of you, you're just an unfortunate springboard for a small rant.
I can't stand the word "contemporary". It can mean "modern" or "historical" (because it means "at the same time as", either us or people in the past), and society can't seem to make up its mind on whether the word should mean "modern" when not given an extra context (the way I believe you are using it, which imo is the correct way) or should imply "past" in such situations.
For clarity, whether "contemporary writing" should by itself mean "writings contemporary to us" OR "writings contemporary to an undefined space in the past".
Clearly if we say "his contemporaries argued", we mean people who lived when "he" did, and clearly if we said "our contemporaries", we mean people living at the same time as us (which means the present).
But without any temporal context it has become too ambiguous whether a given writer means "contemporary to us" or "contemporary to something before now which I believe is clear from context (but was badly formulated so their belief on that was wrong)". And more recently, some people seem to have been assuming the word itself is a synonym for "historical", probably because of the ones using it poorly.
It's become an almost useless word because it is too ambiguous unless extra context is provided.
A bit like the word "literally", which has a literal meaning that is literally out of this world!!1! Literally.
I'm not a language prescriptivist by any stretch, but even so, surely the line ought be drawn when we begin to use words to mean their antonyms? Le sigh.
Thank you for provisioning a vector for my expression of incredulity at contemporary usage of vocabulary. :) i feel better now I've gotten it off my chest.
Edit: autocorrect changed "temporal" for "temporary" so I had to fix it.
Edit2: also, assuming I was correct in my interpretation of your usage of "contemporary", then I agree. It does look like a contemporary imitation. A rather bad one..
@@wulfherecyning1282 Wow, you are offended and/or hate the word contemporary - lets remove it from the Dictionary for you, like others want to remove the rest of our English language🙄
Contemporary: 1. Living Or Occurring At the Same time. " The Event was recorded by a Contemporary Historian".
Dating from the same time. "This series of paintings is contemporary with other works of an early style"
2. Belonging to or occurring in the present "The Tension and Complexities of our Contemporary Society"
Following modern ideas in style and design " Contemporary ceramics by leading potters"
Noun: Contemporary; plural noun: Contemporaries
A person or living thing or living or existing at the same time as another.
"he was a contemporary of Darwin".
A person roughly the same age as another.
"My contemporaries at school".
None of our language is useless, if it were then Dr Johnson would have never have created the Dictionary in the first place. Yes we do have words that have other meanings, but that doesn't make them useless and we use double entendre's as well [ a French word of course ]particularly in comedy. In fact our language is a mixture of Anglo Saxon, Norman [ technically a Scandinavian-French dialect ], Indian [ words like Tiffin, Bungalow and Pyjamas ] and some Malay as well apparently and Latin from the Roman eras. It's a massive hodgepodge of different languages that have been anglicised overtime, all of our swear words are Saxon terms and they meant what they said, now they are just used in exclamation or as rebukes.
@@jane1975
Hmm, my brain has expanded with both of your comments.
I love this video. You get it dude
I liked this game alot and I played the original 2 games too
I’ll always have such fond memories of this series. My grandmother (you read that correctly) owned a PlayStation back in the day and only had Oddworld, Resident Evil 1, and Pitfall 3D, so I would play it all the time when I was over at her house before I started bringing my own games over. A lot of it went over my head at the time and I was godawful at it, but it left me with a lifelong appreciation for the art style and pre-rendered backgrounds and even 20 years later I can’t say “Follow me” without doing it in Abe’s voice. I eventually went back and played the whole series when the remake came out and found out it wasn’t just nostalgia that made me love those games, they were just really good. Munch’s Odyssey, despite it’s very different style from the original two, might actually be my favorite. It sucks to say, but I believe I’ll pass on this one though.
It's because Lorne keeps going back and forth with the old school sidescroller methodology. Munch's is My favorite honestly. It still possessed that Larger than life groundbreaking feeling the games before it had. I think Lorne got lost in the sauce once he went over to Strangers Wrath. I remember thinking why is he doing a completely new characters Saga as oppose to sticking with Abe. Eventually I gave In and bought it for the companys brand Oddworld Inhabitants. Which is what they wanted, to make Moolah. There was a lot of pressure back then for him at E3 to live up to the potency the competition had in Video Games in 2006. Also, changing Abes identity was a mistake in my opinion. But again, I buy it because of the allegance i had for the Brands history more than anything.
If the next game is a reimagining of Munch’s Odyssey, then I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be concerned about glitches and clunky AI. Cause if there’s one thing that any programmer will tell you, it’s that making a 3D game is FAR more complex than making a 2D one. Yikes.
I think Munch might not be coming back and they will focus more on the mudokons themselves.
How did I completely miss this...
dont feel bad trust me. they knew they released a garbage video game when soul storm finalized. if you knew the deal they cut with hasatan in the matter they did and the reasons why you wouldnt be as sappy about it, you be furious.
does anyone remember heart of darkness, never beat it cause i was to young to understand anything lol, but this game give me those same vibes, should start looking for a way to go back and play it