The music and art are fantastic, but I feel like the game has such a slow start – almost to the level of Kingdom Hearts II – before the combat opens up.
I just got what I assume is the first in several upgrades to the team attacks, and it looks like the combat system is starting to show its potential. It seems like as the game keeps going, a lot of strategies are going to involve quickly cycling between the different emotional states for both your teammates and enemies. There are a lot of ways to induce them, as well as as a lot of skills that gain different properties based on whether the attacker/target has a certain emotion.
I just wish it didn't take so long to get to this point. Because a good chunk of the beginning is just using your regular attacks. The story pacing also feels weird. I've been in a pretty long stretch without anything scary happening – not even anything suggesting that it's coming.
Only an hour in so far, but I like where the combat is going based on the beginning fights. I like how it cherry picks elements from other RPGs and blends them together.
Also, the first time the horror elements start to get brought in - holy shit. I was not expecting to do that so early on.
I've played 4 hours so far, though taking my time with it, exploring, did some grinding.
I like it a lot. The game has kinda' an extended prologue sections, according to the chapter stuff I'm still in the prologue (even though I reached a point that felt like the prologue should've ended and gone onto Chapter 1, but I digress).
The non-spoiler stuff I can express is the game has three basic modes it appears right now.
RPG Mode
The main meat of the game is the RPG game, which is colorful and fun but with whiffs of something darker here that occasionally pops its head. The art style is really cute, the direction in combat looks great.
Exploring the world is actually pretty fun because there's lots of odd, interesting discoveries and secrets, side-quest to do. The game has kinda' a "big explorable world" appeal where some areas turn out to be so much bigger than you think they are, and you may find yourself wandering and just stumbling on thing after thing... Which is interesting. They also interestingly lock progress to certain area by Omori's "fears", IE he has a fear of swimming, a fear of heights, and a few of spiders, which prevent him from going certain places in the world map until he can conquer his fears. But when the world opens up, you'll find a lot of interesting places off the beaten path, and there's an interesting quest that doesn't seem mandatory right now to complete to win the game, but definitely feels like it's really important I won't get into here, but for those who'll play it, it's the "Hangman" thing. World exploration and the quirky world full of details, secrets, and things to find and do is definitely a strength though.
The combat system is kinda set up slowly in the first hour of the game, but it's pretty much a standard RPG turn-based system with two main twists to it:
-Emotions: Characters emotions fluctuate like status effects, certain things change characters emotions during a fight, both who you play as and the enemies have emotional status. There's four main emotions, Neutral, Happy, Angry, Sad, and there's an "elemental" system to the emotions. Neutral is just base states, but a Happy character (either you or the monsters) is weak to Sad characters, but strong to Angry characters. Luck and speed go up when Happy, but hit rate goes down. Anger is strong to Sad, but weak to Happy, attack power goes up, but defense goes down. Sad is strong to Happy, but weak to Anger, defense goes up, but speed goes down and when you take damage to your health, you also lose "Juice" (this game's Magic Points for special moves). Basically due to certain moves from you and enemies to change the emotional status of characters, there's some fun "rock-paper-scissors" elemental change fuckery going on to get into advantageous situations.
-Team Points. Basically in each round every time someone takes damage, you get a "Team Point". You begin each round with 3, and you can spend 3 to use a "special move" after you attack with a character (or save up to 10 points to use your Super attack, only able to be used if you get to 10 team points and everyone in your party is alive though). You spend 3 points after an attack to do a special thing, like the main character Omori can attack a second time, or trip an enemy to slow their speed, and he's the only one that can activate the special attack when 10 points are reached. Each character has different possible attacks fitting their character, like change elemental status, deliver special damage, receive healing, etc.
Then the rest of it is pretty standard, but looks really nice! "Magic" attacks/skills you use with Juice can be very helpful, but the characters work like a Pokemon game where each character can only have four special moves outside of their normal attack, and to learn a new one after you have four means to erase an old one.
The characters are charming, the story hasn't really gone too many places yet, but they do good early work to get you attached to these characters. This is just a theory, not a spoiler, but I think this game is going to end up being very sad. I'm attached to the characters, but there's a very real possibility either none of them are real, or at least none of what's happening is real. Which leads into the second gameplay mode:
White Space Mode
This is like a Yume Nikki exploration game. Now this early in the game I haven't done too much here, but from the trailer I can kinda' tell this part is going to get expanded much further later in. You sorta wander a looping space, find items, and avoid some nightmares that return you to the nexus. If you've played Yume Nikki, that's a good comparison. There's only one world so far, but from the trailer I can tell there's more coming. Things also get a bit... dark here. The RPG Game so far I could say could've been a kids game, but even early in some of the things that have happened in the White Zone would definitely make this a game not for kids specifically. Specifically, early story event spoiler,
Omori stabbing himself in the stomach with a knife to escape the space when he gets trapped there, unable to go back to happier places.
I've not encountered any combat here so far, but there are some enemies who'll chase and return you to the nexus if they catch you.
Which leads into the third main game mode it seems at this point:
Horror Mode
This has a big mood whiplash that comes with it the first time it happens, but I say this in a good way. While White Space has horror-y type things, the game in story moments transitions to a pure RPG Maker Horror game style, where you're alone in a dark house at night, maybe dealing with something real or symbolic. I won't get into specifics, but as a horror fan I really liked the first one of these I experienced. There's also some RPG fighting in these horror sections like the RPG World here, I've only done one battle so far, but they twist the mechanics of the game in an... interesting way I won't spoil.
Definitely interested to see more of these moments though, the first horror moment doesn't pop up until you're about an hour or two into the game.
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So far really liking it, I could see this game becoming very special depending on where they go with it. I've encountered zero bugs outside of the play time being a bit bugged on the save files, but whatever. I'll post more impressions when I get further in.
About 4 hours in and I'm really loving it. Has great vibes so far, even if the horror portion that is occurred is like the antithesis of that lmao. Battle system in engaging and overworld exploration feels good.
I've been following (read: trying to follow) this game for six years, and a good friend of mind gifted me the game for Christmas. I can't wait to finally play this game. I can hardly believe it's finally out.
I've literally never heard of this game and I thought I pretty much knew all the RPGs coming out. So far so good, I usually bounce hard off Earthbound-ish clones mostly cause while I like quirky worlds full of mystery alot of them don't make the gameplay interesting enough for me. I tried Heartbeat and couldn't stand it past a few hours and despite really wanting to play Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass the interesting concept couldn't beat the banal minute to minute stuff. This game at least keeps the combat mildly interesting and there's enough variety with the transitions that nothing overstays its welcome too long.
Finally got past the "Prologue" section and I understand why it was in the prologue for so long.
Was incredibly surprised at the "real world" segment and how large and in depth it was. I was expecting a short thing but no, there is a ton there, even mini games and ways to make money to buy more stuff. Battles aren't as good in the real world and it's kind of annoying to have to buy healing items with limited resources but it's a different feeling so I think this game giving a different playstyle and feeling keeping it fresh.
Current opinion is that the game is fantastic and it's doing a lot and it's doing all of it well. Incredibly impressed and I currently recommend it if you are on the fence. There def seems to be plenty of game left but there is a surprising variety in what has happened. Also in case people are wondering, the game is like only 5% horror which I think is making it more effective.
Also story theory
If you are reading this, it's right before the next dream sequence after hanging with Kel the whole day.
So with the news that Mari is dead and the friend group broke up 4 years ago, Sunny is obviously reliving some of his childhood in his dreams, with some obvious exaggeration of childlike and dreamlike wonder. I'm guessing Basil and Sunny are suffering from severe depression due to Mari's death and breaking up of the friend group afterwards. The "you can see the monster behind you" feels like a metaphor for depression's overwhelming grip on both of them, though Basil's feels sad/darker and Sunny's more like he doesn't feel much anymore and has completely withdrawn himself, thus the white endless room with nothing else in it.
A lot of assumptions but I'm guessing this is what it's going for. Hope they handle the subject matter well.
I'm like 5 hours in and enjoying it a whole lot. Definitely a very slow burn so far but it has managed to both thoroughly intrigue and unsettle me. Haven't done that much combat but it is definitely an interesting battle system.
One thing I'm really enjoying about this game is that the "colorful cute" section is actually really good on its own, it's not just there to be subverted. The writing is genuinely charming, there's that funny, quirky dialogue and scenarios you'd expect from the genre, and I love the character and their banter so far. It's really fun. I just saw something pretty small that made me genuinely smile (not a big deal, but):
the personalized "tag" for each pair when you're changing party leaders is so cute!
Is it me or is fighting in this game all about making your enemies sad and pissing off your friends in order to stomp party on the thing you're fighting?
Like, is fighting in this game really bullying 101?
I don't know how could anyone not expect this by just looking at the art lol
Is the Horror Mode actually scary, with jumpscares and such, or just creepy? I can hold the latter, but I might nope out of the game if it's the former.
I don't know how could anyone not expect this by just looking at the art lol
Is the Horror Mode actually scary, with jumpscares and such, or just creepy? I can hold the latter, but I might nope out of the game if it's the former.
I would say it is more creepy than anything. Also, it makes up a relatively small portion of the game. I hate horror games and while it is a bit unnerving, I've been doing just fine.
About an hour and a half or so in, game just opened up a bit. It's fantastic so far - wonderful art, great music, genuinely charming/unsettling vibes, depending on which of the two the game is going for at the moment. The cast and world have a ton of personality and the battles are gorgeous if simple so far (which, judging by the comments here, that won't change any time soon). Very pleased so far, excited to dig in even deeper this afternoon.
I don't know how could anyone not expect this by just looking at the art lol
Is the Horror Mode actually scary, with jumpscares and such, or just creepy? I can hold the latter, but I might nope out of the game if it's the former.
I've been through one "horror section" and while it does have jumpscares, they're just incredibly brief flashes of vague imagery without a loud startling sound. Definitely think you can handle it.
" Explore a strange world full of colorful friends and foes. When the time comes, the path you’ve chosen will determine your fate... and perhaps the fate of others as well. " Link to Steam Page 19.99$ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1150690/OMORI/ Trailers Launch Trailer 2014 Kickstarter...
