OMORI Review
I cannot believe we are already on week six for this spring semester. Man, how time flies, which coincidentally is also one of the themes of the Game Developer’s Association’s game of the week, the RPG maker modern cult classic, OMORI.
OMORI at first glance looks like a game riding on the popularity of Earthbound and indie-hit Undertale. However, this game differentiates itself by exploring life’s themes in only a way a game could.
OMOCAT, developer of OMORI, commented in an interview from Cydonia about how adapting their story, which was originally a comic, into a game was the best option.
I created the blog (comic) because I was dealing with a lot of personal stuff, and it really helped me get through that, by expressing my feelings and all my problems. After a while I wanted to tell his story to other people, but I didn’t know which one was the best option. So then I thought that a game would have probably been the best way.
OMOCAT, OMORI Developer
Sometimes, using a game is the best way to tell your story and themes. OMORI demonstrates that idea fantastically.
Two quick disclaimers before I continue. First, I have only played through the first few hours of the game, which means this review is more of a preview that goes over the feel of the game and not as many story beats.
Second, this game does discuss heavy themes such as depression, anxiety, and a bit more. While I will not try to talk about it much to save readers from spoilers or to trigger any hard feelings, it will come up in this review. The game also does warn players when booting up the game about its themes, which is very nice for accessibility.
OMORI is one of those games that is best played by knowing little about it. But I hope this review-preview will help you know if this game is for you.
The game’s main character is Omori, a boy who sometimes lives in a dream-like world inhabited by his friends and odd creatures, as well as white space, a blank bedroom where Omori has a hard time getting out of.
Omori doesn’t talk a lot but his friends, Kel, Aubrey, Hero, and Basil, do. The game revolves around their journeys throughout the whimsical land.
The artstyle of Omori is gentle on the eyes, with colorful characters and childlike drawings all around. The pixelated landscape is cheery and fantastical as well.
The music is a huge standout for me, with fun bleeps and bloops coming in for the combat, reminding me of Kirby games I played when I was younger. Gentle electronic or piano music follows you as you explore forests, caves, clouds and more.
This all compliments a simple yet engaging combat system. Enemies and friends come to life in charming crayon drawings.
Omori and his friends all have a regular attack and skills, as you would expect. Where it deviates is the emotions system and follow-up system.
There are three different emotions: happy, sad, and angry. Skills can affect a friend or foe emotions, which affects stats. For instance, a sad enemy may not attack as much, but has a higher defense.
There is also an emotion triangle of effectiveness. Happy beats angry, angry beats sad, sad beats happy.
The follow-up system lets characters have the chance to perform an extra move after attacking by using energy. Energy is gained every time someone is hit.
After an attack, a pop-up menu comes up, allowing players to choose a follow-up move. Kel’s follow-ups are my favorite. He pitches his ball to another friend. Depending on who he pitches to, a different thing happens. If he pitches to Omori, Omori gets sad and loses one HP because he can’t catch the ball.
Much of the game also consists of traditional RPG tropes like fetch quests and long dialogue sequences. But to me this plays into that feeling of comfort and nostalgia. I’ve been here before, I know what to do.
If there is one thing all of these aspects make me feel, it’s a dreamy sense of nostalgia. I remember when I spent my days playing games like Kirby and playing outside with my friends. Making up adventures, making friends, and just trying to have fun and do good.
But there is more to this game. This game plays with your nostalgia in a surprisingly unique way. (Minor spoiler warning!)
Omori plays on that nostalgia by bouncing back and forth between the dreamy landscape and reality. When Omori wakes up, he is a normal boy who is about to move away from his hometown near the end of high school.
He hasn’t seen his friends for a while and he suffers from anxiety attacks and depression. The game scares you by causing a sense of dread or fear anytime you wake up from the dream world.
The first time you wake up, hands creep from the walls. You are hungry but too scared to go down the stairs to grab food.
This juxtaposition with the dream world makes the player fear the real world. When you go back to white space after your first encounter with reality, what was a boring and sometimes ominous space now does not seem so bad.
This struck a chord with me. As I grow up, I yearn for things of the past. The joy of playing with my neighbors, of booting up my DS to play Animal Crossing, making up stories to play out.
I miss that sometimes, and Omori tackles those feelings in a way that really hits home for me.
Dealing with hard feelings such as anxiety can really weigh heavy and make you want to escape to an empty space or for the perceived simplicity of childhood. As I continue playing the game, I’m excited to see how Omori explores those feelings.
Omori’s journey is a slow burn, which may frustrate some players, but it works very effectively for me. It plays up both emotions of nostalgia and fear, even if it has familiar trappings of RPGs like fetch quests and long dialogue sequences.
But this game uses those mechanics to really play with your emotions. To put it simply, it’s brilliant.
As I wrap up this review, I would like to say first of all, if you are ever struggling with feelings like anxiety or depression, please reach out to someone. You are not alone in this world and you have someone who wants to see you succeed. Other things such as counseling, journaling, or activities that feel comforting are good options too, whatever makes you feel grounded. OU offers low-cost counseling at https://www.ou.edu/ucc or at (405) 325-2911.
The GDA will also be talking more about OMORI on February 21 at 6:00 p.m. in Gaylord 2030. Stay safe and see you there!
