Is Oddworld: Soulstorm A Remake?
Oddworld: Soulstorm is the follow-up to Oddworld: New and Tasty!, 2014's expanded remake of the original Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. The new game drops players into the role of a Mudokon named Abe as he works to save his people from the evil overlords who have enslaves them.
Unlike the meatpacking plant of the original game, Soulstorm takes place largely in an energy drink factory that has kept its employees productive with the titular Soulstorm Brew. Even with the change of scenery, Soulstorm contains that classic Oddworld gameplay that fans know and love — along with a few surprises for longtime followers of the series.
If Soulstorm's storyline sounds a bit familiar, then you may have played 1998's Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus. Much like its predecessor, Oddworld: Soulstorm takes its storytelling cues from an older game in the franchise. Game remakes are nothing new, and sometimes they can be genuinely great or a blatant cash grab. Luckily for the fans, Soulstorm looks to continue on the series' legacy in a way that is exciting for older fans and accessible for new ones.
But is Soulstorm technically a remake of Abe's Exoddus, or something else entirely?
Soulstorm is its own beast, but it may feel familiar
According to developer Oddworld Inhabitants, Soulstorm is less of a "remake" and more of a "retake."
When the game was first announced in a press release, series director Lorne Lanning described Soulstorm as an opportunity to "re-tell the fable from a very different angle." Lorne explained that the story for the new game was "deeper [and] darker" than the original game's, and that it would flesh out the story the way it was originally meant to be told.
In an interview with VentureBeat, series director Lorne Lanning explained that Abe's Exoddus was a rushed production, with the studio pushing the game through development and release in just 9 months. Soulstorm, on the other hand, is the product of years of work. As a result, Soulstorm is much more indicative of Lanning's original vision. He told VentureBeat, "We've just ignored the original [Abe's Exoddus]. This is a completely new game. It's what Exoddus was inspired by, but couldn't be. This gets back to the true inspiration."
While longtime fans will probably recognize many of the basic story elements in Soulstorm, it is intended to stand on its own as a new take on familiar ideas.