Review: Omori

One of 2020's best indie games arrives on console

Overview

Omori is a game unlike any other I've played in recent memory. With a gripping narrative, some incredible music and trippy visuals, Omori had me on the edge of my seat from nearly beginning to end. Originally released on Steam in December 20202, the game finally arrives on consoles with some new content, including a boss rush and new character, adding even more content to an already extensive game for new players, and a reason to play the game again for returning players.

Story

The story of Omori is arguably it's strongest aspect and I would encourage any player with no prior experience to go through the game as blindly as possible. Admittedly it's hard to drop any plot details without spoiling the journey, however, in the briefest plot synopsis I can possibly give, the story is as follows:

The game focuses on Omori, Aubrey, Kel and Hero, who, with the support of their friend Mari, explore the weird and vibrant world of headspace in order to find their missing friend Basil.

Of course the story is filled with many twists and turns, and I urge anyone even remotely considering giving Omori a try, experience the story first hand for themselves. The main characters are delightfully entertaining throughout the progression of the game, and it's rewarding to watch the characters change and develop as new details emerge.

While the game may seem like a fun, whimsical adventure at first, the writing slowly develops into something more captivating than it has any right to be, introducing story elements and themes that hit remarkably close to home.

It should also be stated that Omori is not for the faint of heart, and tackles some heavy themes, and I personally had to take breaks just to have a moment to collect my thoughts before I could keep going.

However, for those willing to embrace those themes and darker elements, what you'll find is a charmingly quirky story that knows when to restrain it's self for it's more serious elements.

Gameplay

Omori wears it's inspiration on it's sleeve, taking notes from games like Earthbound and Yume Nikki. The game is a turn based RPG. This means for the most part, players will spend most of their time exploring headspace, finding items and battling enemies to level up progress.

Throughout most my playtime I found most of my enjoyment coming from the exploration of all the unique and dreamlike locations in headspace. Players will explore forests, castles, space, the ocean and more, each area beautifully designed in a cute pixel art style and funny NPC's with weird dialogue. There's also plenty of secret areas to find that provide extra context to the world around you. The game also features branching paths so although on one playthrough you may find yourself in one area, it can be entirely possible you'll miss a completely different area you may not find until your next playthrough. There are also side quests to encounter and complete, however, some of these I found to be a tad frustrating, inducing backtracking and slowing down progression.

Additionally, I found some of the methods used to progress through the game fairly cryptic and difficult to find out. To some players this may seem fine, but there may be some players finding themselves locked out of certain endings, just because they may have missed something they had no indication they needed to do.

Outside of exploration, players will spend most of their time in combat. Although it starts off fairly basic, with the standard attack, guard and item elements, the game gradually introduces new mechanics that make the combat more strategic.

For example, characters can learn new skills through levelling up and side quests that help determine your next move in battle.

Additionally, as characters take damage an energy bar will fill up during battle. This can then be used between turn for a variety of extra effects, such as dealing extra damage, healing party members, or changing their emotion. Alternatively, you can choose to save your energy for a super move that does tons of damage to the enemy.

The standout mechanic however, is the emotion system. Characters throughout battle have four emotions they can be in at any time, neutral, happy, sad or angry. The emotion a party member is in will effect their hit rate, damage taken, or damage output.

Additionally, these emotions have tiers, for example, a happy character could be ecstatic, a sad character can become depressed, and an angry character can become furious. Throughout battle I found myself switching between emotions to make most battles easier, but determining what emotion to use on which party member at what time is all up to the player to figure out.

Additionally you can make your enemies change their emotions too, adding an extra layer to the combat. I found the game especially tested me on the bosses, which make full use of the emotion system and encourage the player to experiment.

Soundtrack

Omori's soundtrack strives for a dreamlike feel and to that extent it absolutely succeeds. Although music is always subjective, Omori does an incredible job at conveying the moment, whether it be fun, whimsical, silly, or dark, disturbing and unsettling, through it's soundtrack.

Throughout my playtime I came across a number of songs with catchy melodies that added to the setting and moment to moment gameplay.

What is just as impressive as the quality of the soundtrack, is the quantity of it. Omori features an impressive four hour long OST, meaning that throughout the journey, you'll never get bored as new songs are introduced at a fair pace. Each area has it's own unique theme, battle theme, and bosses have their own music too.

Take a listen to some of the soundtrack to see for yourself:

Track - Stardust Diving

Track - Poems In The Fog

Track - Goldenvengence

Visuals

Omori has some of the most gorgeous visuals I've seen from an indie game, mixing both pixel and hand drawn art in a way that makes them pop off the screen. The game is filled with moments that allow the art to shine, such as through Basil's picture book, battle animations and just exploring the world.

While a lot of the pixel art may seem simple at first glance, a lot of the environments shine in selling the dreamlike vibe of the world.

Character portraits are expressive and battle backgrounds are unique to the locations and enemies. The game never needs to go this far to sell its self but it's evident the developers wanted to go the extra mile to sell this world and characters to the player.

Even smaller details like swapping between characters feature unique interactions that sell their personalities.

Needless to say the game oozes style and charm, and players will find themselves appreciating every new location and character moments they'll come across.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Engaging story

• Beautiful hand drawn visual style

• extensive and catchy soundtrack

• fun combat

• Replay value

Cons:

• Slow start

• Some annoying side quests

• Can be occasionally cryptic

Conclusion

If you like turn based RPG's with an emphasis on story, Omori is definitely up your alley. The game may have a slow pace at first but past that remains an enjoyable experience filled with many twists that'll have you laughing, crying, and smiling all the way through to the end.

Omori is available on Steam, Switch, Xbox and PlayStation.

If you want to find out more about all things Omori, stay with KeyItem for future updates and coverage.