Oddworld: Soulstorm gameplay: Abe’s old-school return is a beautiful thing

Enlarge / An odd storm is brewing… (credit: Oddworld Inhabitants)

SANTA MONICA, Calif.—Video game fans of a certain age may remember when pre-rendered sprites dominated every platform in the mid-90s. In the decades since, some of those games (like Donkey Kong Country) have turned out far more timeless-looking than others (like Clayfighter 63 1/3).

1997’s Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssee has arguably aged the best out of all of its peers, with its incredible animations and balanced full-scene lighting, but that’s the silver lining for a series that has otherwise remained pretty dormant (assuming you ignore the series’ uneven attempts to go fully polygonal). I for one remember wondering if an Oddworld game might ever look and feel as exciting on a modern-day platform—not just in remake form (a la Oddworld: New & Tasty) but in having its gameplay and engine supercharged.

And that’s why I’m writing about Oddworld Soulstorm, the series’ first new 2D entry since 1998’s Exoddus.