We all agree that some games just stand the test of time, right? Some are not only classics, but they are good enough to be released again with a new lease of life.
If you’ve heard of the Oddworld series of games, then you will know where I’m coming from and you will want scroll straight to the recent gameplay walkthrough below, but if you haven’t, it’s time for a quick history lesson.
Back in 1997 developers Oddworld Inhabitants created Oddworld; Abe’s Oddysee on Playstation which was a 2D side scroller platform game that followed an adorable little blue character named Abe. Abe was part of the enslaved race of “Mudokons” working in a meat factory, before he realised that the next meat on the menu was his own race! It was the gamers job to help him escape and rescue his fellow mudokons along the way. Abe’s return to Playstation the following year in Abe’s Exoddus saw a bigger adventure with more mudokons to save, tombs to raid, and factories to infiltrate! Both games were very challenging if you wanted to complete them having rescued 100% of Abe’s buddies. I thought the visuals and music were great for their time, perfectly blending industrial factory levels, and beautiful scenery such as forests and sunsets in outdoor levels.
Here is Abe’s Oddysee and the HD remake New N Tasty:
After the success of Oddysee‘s makeover with New N Tasty in 2014 by the developers Just Add Water, Oddworld Inhabitants announced its plans to remaster and rework the sequel (Abe’s Exoddus), which will be titled Soulstorm (after a very unique and suspicious brew). Soulstorm will see new challenges and new elements of gameplay rather than just being a HD a “glow up” of the original game. Lorne Lanning, the mastermind behind the series, has often been quoted as saying Soulstorm will be the sequel they always wanted to make but didn’t get the chance to release.
A teaser of the cinematics dropped in March this year at the Games Developer Conference in San Francisco which you can see below which shows off gorgeous graphics.
So what do we know about the game and what can we expect from Soulstorm that’s new?
Collecting and Crafting
Abe will now be able to find and loot things as he goes, and craft things like bottles into objects such as weapons to use against enemies.
Recycling
Abe will be able to recycle objects at vending machines for money which he can then use to buy products which may aid him in the game
Karma
Or Quarma, as it’s known as it the Oddworld universe is Abe’s karma. The games have always been about doing right by Abe’s friends and saving as many of his fellow mudokons as possible. If Abe has good karma this affects what happens to him at the end of the game. In Soulstorm, gamers are going to be able to see what is happening with Abe’s quarma on screen as it goes up and down.
Replay Value
Players will now get access to statistics at the end of a level, showing what collectables they’ve got and how many “secrets” they’ve collected. This means those die – hard gamers that like to pocket everything are looking at hours and hours of playtime.
Want to see it in action? In June at E3 2019, they revealed some gameplay and a play through, check it out below:
In my opinion, it looks very different to the original game with lots happening on the screen, and it’s visually much brighter. I hope it still keeps some of the parts which stole many hours of my time as a young teenager! That being said, it’s also exciting to know that there is going to be a very new game and experience of an old favourite in a new way. Oddworld has many loyal fans, and it would be amazing for it to gain some new ones.
Release Date: 2020
New N Tasty now available on all of the following platforms; Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita, Xbox One, Wii U, PC (Linux, Microsoft Windows & OS X)
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/314660/Oddworld_New_n_Tasty/
