Oddworld: Soulstorm

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Oddworld: Soulstorm is the latest videogame developed by Oddworld Inhabitants, released on PlayStation, Xbox and PC in . It is the sixth videogame released by Oddworld Inhabitants and is primarily a retelling of events previously portrayed in Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, although with hugely significant changes to the story, gameplay and levels. It is the second installment in the Oddworld 2.0 Quintology and so can also be considered a replacement of Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, although it contains only small references to the lore of that game and does not feature Munch.

Story

The narrative of Oddworld: Soulstorm diverges from the events of Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, although it focuses on many of the same characters, locations and themes as well as introducing new ones. For instance, in Exoddus, Necrum Mines is the first playable location Abe visits, but in Soulstorm it is one of the last places Abe travels to.

Synopsis

Main article: Plot of Oddworld: Soulstorm

Gameplay

Main articles: Oddworld: Soulstorm gameplay and Levels in Oddworld: Soulstorm

Movement

Chanting

Crafting

Main article: Crafting in Oddworld: Soulstorm

Achievements

Main articles: Achievements in Oddworld: Soulstorm and Badges in Oddworld: Soulstorm

History

Main article: Oddworld: Soulstorm credits

Release

After the Epic Spring Showcase, on , the Oddworld Inhabitants Twitter account shared a message from Oddworld creative director Lorne Lanning addressing Oddworld fans regarding the release date of Oddworld: Soulstorm.[1] In the final part of the four-tweet message, Lanning assured fans that the game's release date would be revealed before .[2]

On , Lanning hosted a 3-minute presentation during Sony's State of Play digital promotional event during which he announced that the PlayStation 5 version of Oddworld: Soulstorm would be free to play for PlayStation Plus members from to . The endslate of the video gave a release date for Oddworld: Soulstorm on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and on Epic Games Store for PC.[3] This was backed up by a post on Oddworld.com and a guest post by Lanning on the PlayStation.Blog.[4][5]

During the lawsuit of Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc. held in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, one document submitted as evidence revealed that Epic Games Store had ‘lifetime exclusivity’ on Oddworld: Soulstorm, at least on PC, at least in the words Epic Games used internally, and at least at the time the document was used internally ().[6]

In , Oddworld: Soulstorm received an ESRB rating for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S,[7] which was shortly thereafter removed from the ESRB website. On ,[8] Oddworld Inhabitants tweeted a photo of Lorne Lanning that prominently showed a gantt chart on a blackboard labelled with ‘Xbox’, with the date of circled for a Release Candidate. On , Oddworld Inhabitants tweeted a video that many interpreted as a teaser for an Xbox release.[9][10] On

Pre-orders

Because Oddworld: Soulstorm was free on PlayStation 5 for PlayStation Plus members at its launch, Oddworld Inhabitants was unable to offer pre-orders on digital copies of the game for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.[12] However, pre-orders for Microids' physical editions were available from (for PlayStation versions) and (for Xbox versions).

Cross Buy

Customers who purchased the digital PlayStation 4 version of Oddworld: Soulstorm would be able to own the digital PlayStation 5 version of the game as well for free. However, because the digital PlayStation 5 version of Soulstorm would be free for PlayStation Plus members at the game's launch, the reverse would not be true, and customers buying the digital PlayStation 5 version of the game would not be able to also own the digital PlayStation 4 version of the game for free.[13]

Physical

On , Microids announced that it was publishing physical editions of Oddworld: Soulstorm for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, to be released by retailers on , with participating retailers offering pre-orders immediately.[14] On , Microids announced that it was publishing physical editions of Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition for Xbox One and Xbox X|S, to be released by retailers on , with participating retailers offering pre-orders immediately.[11]

On both occasions, two physical versions were made available, the ‘Day One Oddition’ and the ‘Collector's Oddition’.

The Day One Oddition features the game in a collectible embossed metal case featuring Abe's scarred left hand on the front and his tattooed chest on the rear. The Collector's Oddition includes the metal case and also comes with

Pre-orders from participating retailers of Microids' physical editions also come with

  • 50-page digital artbook by Pix'n Love
  • digital game soundtrack

Timeline

Collector's Oddition and Day One Oddition for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 (pre-order)
PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 (digital)
Windows (Epic Games Store)
PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 (physical)
Oddworld: Soulstorm — The art of the videogame
Collector's Oddition and Day One Oddition for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S (pre-order)
Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Epic Games Store (digital)
Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S (physical and digital)
Toby's Escape for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Epic Games Store (digital)
Vykkers Labs for Xbox Series X|S (physical and digital)

Updates

Patches

Main article: Oddworld: Soulstorm patches
1.05
1.06
1.07
1.08
1.11/1.10001
1.13

Enhanced Edition

On

Vykkers Labs and Toby's Escape

Main articles: Vykkers Labs and Toby's Escape

As part of Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition, a new challenge game mode will be added to the game, accessible from the main menu. The levels added will vary by platform, with Vykkers Labs being available in Xbox versions of the game, and Toby's Escape being added to PlayStation and Epic Game Store versions. Both Vykkers Labs and Toby's Escape will comprise ‘short puzzle-filled levels’ that are ‘a throwback to classic Oddworld 2.5D gameplay’, with leaderboards for speedrunning times.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Lanning, Lorne (). ‘A message from @lorne_lanning: // To Our Fans, // Thank you for your support. Today we released a new teaser trailer, courtesy of our friends at Epic. If you haven’t seen it yet, click here to check it out:’. Tweet. @OddworldInc. Twitter.
  2. ↑ Lanning, Lorne (). ‘So, with Abe as my witness, before the sun sets on , you will know the official simultaneous release date for Oddworld: Soulstorm’s on PS5, PS4, and Epic Games Store. // Until then, stay safe. Stay odd! // Lorne Lanning’. Tweet. @OddworldInc. Twitter.
  3. ↑ Lanning, Lorne (). ‘Oddworld: Soulstorm at Sony State of Play!’. Oddworld Inhabitants. YouTube. Google.
  4. ↑ Oddworld Staff (). ‘Oddworld: Soulstorm Coming to PC, PS4, and PS5 on April 6’. Community News. Oddworld.com. Oddworld Inhabitants.
  5. ↑ Lanning, Lorne (). ‘Oddworld: Soulstorm arrives on PS4 and PS5 April 6’. PlayStation.Blog. PlayStation.com. Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited.
  6. ↑ Epic Games (). ‘Lifetime exclusivity on select titles (Oddworld: Soulstorm, Auto Chess, 10 Crowns, Ooblets, World War Z)’. ‘2nd Half + MG risk mitigated by evolved deal structure’, ‘Epic Games Store 12 Month Exclusive - Deal Structures’, slide 61. ‘Epic Games Store Review of Performance and Strategy’. Exhibit DX-4361. Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple, Inc., 4:20-cv-05640-YGR (). United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
  7. ↑ Romano, Sal (). ‘ESRB rates Oddworld: Soulstorm for Xbox Series, Xbox One’. Gematsu.
  8. ↑ Oddworld Inhabitants (). ‘Nerds love to nerd! Shoutout to @Microids_off for making @Lorne_Lanning a very happy man with a complete set of the “Black Moon Chronicles” by Francois Marcela-Froideval. What works inspire you to create Inhabitants?’. Tweet. @OddworldInc. Twitter.
  9. ↑ Oddworld Inhabitants (). ‘Abe looks good in green.’ Tweet. @OddworldInc. Twitter.
  10. ↑ Allen, Jen (). ‘‘Oddworld: Soulstorm’ is coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One soon’. Gaming News. News. NME.
  11. ↑ a b c Team Microids(). ‘Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition coming of November’. News. Microids.
  12. ↑ Oddworld Inhabitants (). ‘@QuinnMi96388106 @StanGe205 Hi Quinn, don't worry we received your "lovely" email. Because Soulstorm is April’s free game of the month for PS5 PS+ members, we are not allowed to offer pre-orders for the PS digital versions of the game. But, PC players can pre-order right now at Epic Games Store.’. Tweet. @OddworldInc. Twitter.
  13. ↑ Oddworld Inhabitants (). ‘If you purchase the digital PS4 version, we are offering a FREE PATH to the PS5 digital version. But, because the game is free for PS5 PS+ owners in , we will not be offering a free backward path from to .’. Tweet. @OddworldInc. Twitter.
  14. ↑ Team Microids (). ‘Microids and Oddworld Inhabitants announce Oddworld: Soulstorm’s retail “Odditions”, now available in pre-order’. News. Microids.
  15. ↑ Romano, Sal (). ‘Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition launches in late November’. Gematsu.
  16. ↑ Oddworld Inhabitants (). ‘Hey Inhabitants! Enhanced Edition WILL be a FREE update for all of our PlayStation and PC players. Thanks for supporting us from the start!’. Tweet. @OddworldInc. Twitter.
  17. ↑ Team Microids(). ‘Vykkers Lab for Xbox & Toby’s Escape for PlayStation and Epic Games Store’. News. Microids.

Appendices

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