Oddworld Inhabitants

Cult gaming franchise Oddworld is set to return, with a new entry dubbed Oddworld: Soulstorm announced for 2017 release.

The official site has updated with the earliest teases of a new entry in the series, teasing "Abe's horrifying conflict with a terrifying new machination".


The 'Abe' in question is the same Mudokan hero who debuted in 1997 PlayStation platformer Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. Set on the eponymous alien planet, the Oddworld series offers a mix of dystopian sci-fi and black comedy, wrapped in themes of environmentalism, consumerism, and addiction. The docile (and, usually, hilariously stupid) native races have been enslaved and exploited by corporate overlords known as Glukkons, with Abe an unlikely saviour.

Soulstorm follows 2014's Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty, a high-def remake of the original Oddysee, recreated in the Unity game engine. Developer Oddworld Inhabitants doesn't explicitly say that it's a remake of 1998's Abe's Exoddus, though the descriptions given lead to that conclusion.

Plot details certainly suggest a remake. The developer offers, "having defeated Molluck the Glukkon, his former boss and RuptureFarms' meanest inhabitant, Abe soon finds himself -- along with 300 newly emancipated Mudokons -- without food, water or a place to call home. Stranded alone in the desert, they find solace in a strange new brew -- a delicious drink that has insidious ramifications for their newfound freedom."

It's unlikely to be straight remake in the way New 'n' Tasty was though. The site promises "a fresh narrative -- a complete story retake inspired by our original tale" and "a big visual and cinematic leap aiming to break new ground for Oddworld". It also promises "intelligent new mechanics, twisted new devices enabling highly explosive deviousness," and "a dark parable that tells an epic tale of a volatile society pushed to its limits."


Series creator and Oddworld Inhabitants co-founder Lorne Lanning also suggests it could be going in a new direction. "There was a deeper, darker, and more sinister story that we never got to tell," Lanning said, via statement. "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."

Originally, the Oddworld series was planned as a pentalogy, although to date players have only seen two of the planned core five: the original Abe's Oddysee and 2001 Xbox title, Munch's Oddysee. Abe's Exoddus was another PS1 game, expanding Abe's story, while Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath switched focus from platforming to shooting to explore other parts of the world. Several other side projects have also been planned in the setting.

A viral campaign leading to the reveal of a new-look Abe is also underway for Soulstorm, with the hero revealed once enough people follow the Oddworld Twitter account. The game itself is set for the latter half of 2017. Release platforms have not been confirmed.