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Where did things start to crack?
Oddworld Abe’s Oddysee and Exodus are my all-time favorite games ever created. The series (PURCHASE HERE) has also brought us the criminally underrated Stranger’s Wrath and the New ‘n’ Tasty remake. That being said, it had its highs and extremely low points. At one point, Munch’s Oddysee was considered the bottom of the barrel—not a terrible game, but all around a rushed and mid-tier product.
Bottom of the barrel
That all changed with the release of one of my least favorite games EVER made: Soulstorm. Prior to its release, the Oddworld series was supposed to be a quintology. With four games released, only two were considered main entries in said quintology: Abe’s and Munch’s Oddysee. Exodus was considered a spin-off, and Stranger’s Wrath was never explicitly said to tie into the grander series canon. Soulstorm was supposed to be the big, grand, epic, and grandiose entry that got the series back on track. It fell flat on its face and tore my heart to shreds in the process. This game was buggy, confusing, bloated, and all around just did not live up to expectations. Like all previous games, however, the story and graphical presentation were stellar and top-notch. The story was good; the game itself, not.
The journey must continue
But if we were to pick up the pieces and continue the series, what would be the logical next step? The previous formula seemed to be that each mainline series entry was to introduce a new character, build on the lore, and lead to a grand series epic. However, Munch’s Oddysee was very lukewarm, and as previously stated, Stranger was never confirmed to be the third main character in its canon.
When Soulstorm was released, this was said to be the “Epic Second Chapter” in the Oddworld quintology. This would effectively implement retroactive continuity, and all games in between would be ignored. So this means Munch and Stranger no longer exist in this timeline. It seems that going forward—were they to—the series would solely focus on Abe as the main character and his struggles against the evils plaguing the lands. Is this a good idea? I dare say… maybe? Kind of. But here is food for thought.
The original PS1 titles worked because they were products of their time: simple cinematic platformers with basic controls and gameplay. Over 30 years later, things need to evolve, and things need to change. This was attempted with a very sloppy crafting system that was tedious as all hell and one of my least favorite things about the whole thing. That being said, the one thing I dare say the game got right was the updated movement and AI of your NPC allies. While being able to have your buddies jump, climb, and hide to help them be less of a burden to save, it still doesn’t lend itself to much meaningful innovation.
Bring this guy back into the fold
What made the original concept of the quintology work was that each character’s gameplay was unique and specific. Abe is very nimble and stealthy, with possession abilities. Munch could swim and shock people. Stranger could take apart enemies with just his bare hands. Having only Abe is limiting. Sure, we could have Abe learn a new skill and ability in each title, but how believable would it be? Like, can we honestly see Abe being able to just throw hands like Stranger? Or harness the power of the god Shrykull and just have it play like a God of War title? This is not an easy question to answer. If it doesn’t change, it will become stale. If it changes too much, is it even the same series?
Don’t let these beautiful characters and creatures be forgotten
Oddworld is something I hold dear to my heart. But the series right now is in a state of limbo and basically is right back to square one. Soulstorm was trying to be what helped get the series back on its former footing, but it failed. While the series seems to be on hold for the time being, this is the time to really go back to the drawing board. If we are going to introduce or reboot Munch or Stranger and have him team up with Abe—or just have Abe go solo—we need to try to fix this whole mess. Let’s really plan ahead here and come up with something fresh, exciting, and new. Oddworld came back from the brink before, so let’s not count them out of the fight just yet.
Until then, stay odd, everyone.