As a young gamer, a series that I’d always see in stores but often be afraid of was of the Oddworld franchise. The titles, specifically cover art, were always very unique, with one or two reminding me of Mountain Dew for some strange reason. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I actually purchased a few of the titles and began to dive into this silly-looking, though very dark world.
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is most definitely my favorite of the older games, striking a unique sense of gameplay that’s just as much a puzzle game, as it is a platformer, and stealth title. So you’d imagine my excitement when I learned that the latest installment, Oddworld: Soulstorm would be coming to the Nintendo Switch in an Oddtimized Edition. But upon having played it, I can certainly say this is not the best way to experience Abe’s latest adventure.
Oddworld: Soulstorm – Oddtimized Edition Review Biggest Takeaways
- Oddworld Soulstorm features fantastic gameplay with puzzles and scenarios that require complex strategies to get through.
- The narrative and dialogue have never been so eye-catching in an Oddworld game.
- Oddworld Soulstorm – Oddtimized Edition suffers from performance issues and bugs/glitches that make the game just about unplayable.
- Oddworld Soulstorm’s “Oddtimized Edition” isn’t the best way to play the game currently due to its numerous issues that suck any fun from the gameplay.
Final Score: 4/10
Gameplay That Will Keep Your Attention for Hours
As always, the Oddworld games deliver some of the most interesting, and well, odd gameplay for the genres in which they put their stories. And Soulstorm isn’t any different. Right from the get-go, Soulstorm shows the Oddworld Inhabitants team back in full swing with some of the most innovative gameplay to date.
There are, of course, the detailed puzzles that will keep you scratching your head, excruciatingly tough enemy encounters that warrant many, many retries, and as always, the levels themselves which feel like a character all their own. This is Oddworld in its truest form, in most cases. It’s great to be able to experience the same sort of gameplay that I loved in New ‘n’ Tasty, but with further innovation to make it feel like a true modern title.
Soulstorm also does an amazing job at using its environment in its gameplay in the platforming sense. The worlds you’ll travel to are eye-popping and very well-crafted. It’s so great to see this franchise with some polish.
A Narrative That’s So Inherently Oddworld
One thing that I’ve always loved about Oddworld is that, while its characters look pretty ridiculous, the stories portrayed are some of the darkest you’ll find in the gaming industry. Luckily, right from the start Soulstorm makes sure you remember how gritty this world is because things go wrong from the moment the intro credits end, in true Oddworld fashion.
And as always, the Mudokon’s (Abe’s race) are always out to defend themselves and each other from all of the hateful, vile creatures that oppress them. It’s a story that many people may be able to relate to due to the state of the world. Everyone is just trying to survive another day.
Related: Review: Evil West is a Fresh Throwback to a Bygone Era in Gaming
The Straw That Broke The Mudokon’s Back
When it came to Oddworld: Soulstorm on the Nintendo Switch, I was thrilled at first to be able to play this wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted, comfortably. And the initial couple of hours went by with minimal hitches. But eventually, the seams began to show on what was yet another not-fully ready Nintendo Switch port.
Though this is the Oddtimized Edition of Oddworld: Soulstorm, I ran into multiple issues. Ranging from small stuff to frame loss and game crashed, to a major bug that actually made this title completely unplayable at all.
The bug I’m talking about is one that makes it so you cannot move from your last checkpoint if you die. You’re just stuck in place. I tried everything that I could possibly think of to cure this bug, including deleting the game and redownloading it. But I had no such luck in it disappearing.
And it didn’t matter what level or where, if I died and went back to a checkpoint, it was the same thing again. The only way to fix it would be to close the game entirely and restart it. But if I died again after that, I would have to do the same thing, over and over. It became a nightmare and I eventually had to give up even trying to play it at all.
I will say that Soulstorm actually looks pretty good on the Switch in handheld mode, and was pleased that Oddworld Inhabitants was able to pull off bringing such a great-looking, modern game to it. Many ports to Switch just look terrible, but even with its issues, at least this looks like care was taken in the move to it in that regard.
Soulstorm Is Worth Playing, On Another Platform
It honestly pains me to have to give this game such a low score, because the Oddworld franchise is something I hold in high regard and close to my heart. Soulstorm has some of the best cinematics, story elements, and gameplay mechanics to come from the series, and it’s such a shame that it gets dragged through the mud on Switch because of some technical shortcomings.
If you’re interested in Oddworld: Soulstorm, I really do recommend playing it for yourself, but to do so on a platform that isn’t prone to having such game-ruining bugs and glitches that plague it. This really is one of the best titles in the franchise, and if you have a stronger piece of hardware, I’d say go for it. But if the Nintendo Switch is your only choice, I’d say to at least wait a month or so to give the development team a chance to hopefully fix its issues.
Oddworld: Soulstorm – Oddtimized Edition is available now on Nintendo Switch, and Oddworld: Soulstorm is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.
For more on all things Oddworld, be sure to check out even more of our coverage on this zany classic franchise!
Published: Dec 3, 2022 10:11 pm