Game developer Oddworld Inhabitants is revisiting a classic entry in its Oddworld series for a 2017 release, announcing that the upcoming Oddworld: Soulstorm will offer a drastically different take on storyline events previously seen in Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus.
Promising “a fresh narrative [and] a complete story retake inspired by our original tale,” Oddworld Inhabitants notes that Oddworld: Soulstorm will deliver “a dark, twisted trip into Abe’s heart and soul.”
Oddworld: Soulstorm is a direct follow-up to 2014’s Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty, which itself was a remake of the 1998 puzzle-platformer Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. Following his escape from the evil food processing facility Rupture Farms in the original Oddworld game, series protagonist Abe now finds himself among 300 fellow Mudokons who are hungry, tired, and in need of a leader.
While all previous Oddworld games featured a grim sense of humor at their core, Soulstorm will shift the series in a darker, more serious direction compared to previous titles.
“There was a deeper, darker, and more sinister story that we never got to tell,” series creator Lorne Lanning explains. “Soulstorm gives us the opportunity to flesh out more meat on the bones of an original spine, but re-tell the fable from a very different angle. Abe has a long way to go and plenty more adversity ahead. Soulstorm is going to be a much heavier trip for him.”
Oddworld Inhabitants executive producer Bennie Terry adds: “We think Oddworld fans are really going to dig what we’re brewing, and we’ve got some great surprises in store this time around we don’t think anybody’s going to predict.”
Oddworld Inhabitants has teamed up with Québec-based developer Frima Studio to produce Oddworld: Soulstorm. Frima’s previous credits include the co-op platformer Chariot, undead-themed RTS Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov’s Revenge, and a web version of the popular smartphone app Pocket God.
Oddworld: Soulstorm is slated to launch in the second half of 2017. Target platforms are not yet known.
