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The Oddworld series is too deliciously strange and off-kilter to feel like it ever could have outlived the ’90s, so seeing the first trailer for Oddworld: Soulstorm gives even more day-glo wearing, ska-listening joy to my soul. Slated for launch on PC and consoles in 2020, Oddworld: Soulstorm is a direct sequel to Oddworld: New ‘n Tasty (opens in new tab), and it looks like it builds on the side-scrolling, puzzle-solving nature of its predecessor with a new focus on managing crowds and capitalizing on the scant resources of its over-industrialized world.
If you’re an Odd-bod (I don’t think Oddworld fans actually call themselves that but it would be funny if they did), you may have heard “sequel” and started wondering if Soulstorm is an Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus remake. The answer is: yeah, pretty much, though we don’t know if it will follow the original plot as closely as New ‘n Tasty did. Series steward Oddworld Inhabitants is still planning to make a whole “Oddworld pentalogy” (it had a similar, unfinished goal for the originals), meaning Soulstorm will be followed by another three direct sequels if all goes according to plan.
The Oddword: Soulstorm reveal trailer is mostly composed of brief teases for a new factory environment, which looks more dramatic and dynamic than the claustrophobic corridors of the first game (the new camera angles help). A press release teases that Abe’s gang will become stranded in the desert and find comfort in the eponymous Soulstorm drink, a tasty beverage that comes with some “insidious ramifications for their newfound freedom”. In Abe’s Exoddus, Soulstorm was super addictive and brewed from the sacred bones of their ancestors. So pretty insidious, yeah.
While you’re waiting for Oddworld: Soulstorm to arrive in 2020, check out a bunch of games you can play this year with our list of new games 2019 (opens in new tab). Or see what’s coming in games and entertainment this week with our latest Release Radar video.
