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This review is mostly spoiler free. Only one mild spoiler is mentioned, and it is covered by a spoiler tag.

OMORI is a fascinating game. It's one that caught my attention almost immediately, as the reviews are almost unanimously positive and had that quirky Earthbound-esque feel going for it. And yet, none of the reviews actually do anything other than say "Get it now, go in spoiler free. Amazing game." Which, yes, I'd agree that it's an absolutely amazing game that you should experience as blindly as possible, but OMORI is also a game that should warrant a little discussion to make sure it's for you, because it definitely isn't going to click with everyone. This is my attempt at trying to sell you on one of the most creative RPGs in years with actual information about the game, but without spoiling anything.


The key defining feature of OMORI's visuals is in its hand-drawn style, which I loved almost immediately. I was worried that the drawings were going to look a little too crude at times, or perhaps there'd be too much happening on the screen for me to follow it. However, none of these fears ended up being the case, as OMORI used color in a very brilliant manner to help distinguish things from one another, and you aren't often fighting more than one enemy at a time (unless I just got lucky with my enemy encounters), so I ended up growing to really appreciate the art style. I'm not too keen on the UI personally, and got lost in the menus a few more times than I'd like to admit, but that's more of a nitpick than anything and not something that I'd really hold against the game. Otherwise, I enjoyed the game visually. It would've been cool to see it totally lean into the hand-drawn style, but I'm still very pleased with what's here either way.


While not as impressive overall as the visuals, the gameplay still works very well overall. First, and most importantly, while psychological horror is the most popular tag for this game, I'd say that OMORI is still an RPG first and foremost. The RPG and horror segments tend to be pretty separate from one another overall, but do a good job of transitioning between one or the other. The overworld segments are pretty much your standard RPG affair, and the combat mostly is the same way. However, this game has an emotion system they bring to the table, which I quite like overall. This emotion system functions like rock-paper-scissors, but what makes this system interesting is that you're able to control the emotions of both your party and the enemy, while the enemy can do the same thing. It's a pretty fun system overall, but it is a little too shallow. I wish it was expanded upon a little bit, at least with the bosses. There's a lot of potential in a system like that, but I think most of the bosses are too similar mechanically, as they often just boil down to countering whatever emotion they're stuck as since you're unable to change it. The major exception to this, from my one playthrough, was Sweetheart, who ended up being my favorite fight in the game because I felt they had a lot more control in the battle because they would change my party's emotions far more frequently than the others. I would've liked to see more of that, or perhaps more fights that rely on neutral emotions. As far as everything else goes, it's still just your typical RPG stuff. The side quests mostly boil down to fetch quests, but the appeal in those lies more in the writing and charm, which usually made them worthwhile. Overall, OMORI plays more like an RPG than a horror game, but it's still pretty fun either way.


But, make no mistake. OMORI may be an RPG, but there's still a good reason why that psychological horror tag is as popular as it is. This game is incredibly dark. It makes me think of BoJack Horseman in that it's a story that will absolutely wreck you, and even if you think it won't do much, you'll end up thinking about it for days, if not weeks afterwards. The main cast of characters are all extremely well-written, to a point where I liked every single one of them. I also need to commend OMORI for doing a fantastic job of using the game's mechanics to help tell its story, which I think significantly helped drive home its themes. It's a game that really finds its stride at the end, providing such an emotional payoff that it's no wonder that this game has gotten as much praise as it has. However, in backloading most of the story like this, I discovered one of my only major issues with this game: the pacing. Some people will tell you that you need to get through the first few hours of the game. Others will tell you it's the middle part of the game that isn't as interesting. With the way the story is laid out, the story doesn't really make much actual progress (at least overtly) until the end, so the game is banking on you being sold on the quirky world and silly writing more than anything. While things happen, the story doesn't really move forward until that last act, if that makes sense. I understand why that is the case, but I think the game could've benefited from hinting at the revelations of the finale a little earlier and a little more often, in order to give just enough the player enough breadcrumbs to keep them asking questions. I wish I could expand upon this further, but I wouldn't be able to do so without spoiling the story. Overall, though, the story is still amazing barring the odd pacing, and the ending will still make the game worthwhile no matter how you look at it.


The sound design isn't really relevant here, as the voice acting is nonexistent and it's still an RPGMaker game at its core. However, the music in this game is absolutely incredible. It was pretty good from the get-go, but it just gets better, and better, and better. Each area gets its own overworld music, battle music, and most of the bosses have their own themes as well. I love the variety, and it absolutely nailed whatever mood they were trying to establish. It rivals Undertale in terms of quality, and it wouldn't be hyperbole for most to say that Undertale has one of the best video game soundtracks of all time. The music is one of the best things about the game.


While I've only put a little under 17 hours into this game, don't be fooled. You can get significantly more playtime out of this game, and there's a LOT of secrets and side content to experience. There are quite a few major things that I missed in my playthrough, and it's honestly very impressive to see just how much content is hidden in this game. On top of this, the ending will stick with you one way or another, so on top of actually having a lot of bang for your buck, the story is definitely not one you'll be forgetting any time soon.


There's so much more I'd love to talk about, but I know I can't in order to avoid spoilers. But regardless, OMORI is an absolutely amazing RPG that, while not quite a masterpiece, does come fairly close. It's very much worth your time and money, as long as you know what you're getting into. I highly recommend this game, but be sure to keep some tissues nearby to wipe your sorrows away.

Graphics - 8.0/10
Gameplay - 7.5/10
Story - 9.5/10
Audio - 10/10
Content Value - 10/10

.:9.2/10:.
"Amazing"

**PERSONAL PICK**

+ Phenomenal music
+ Great art style
+ Amazing story and ending
+ Well-written, likable characters
+ Lots of secrets and side content
+ Fun combat mechanics...

- ...but didn't feel fully realized
- Odd pacing

[u]Like my reviews? Go follow my [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/33012112-Gandhi-Talks-Games/]Curator page.[/url][/u] [b]This review is mostly spoiler free. Only one mild spoiler is mentioned, and it is covered by a spoiler tag.[/b] [i]OMORI[/i] is a fascinating game. It's one that caught my attention almost immediately, as the reviews are almost unanimously positive and had that quirky Earthbound-esque feel going for it. And yet, none of the reviews actually do anything other than say "Get it now, go in spoiler free. Amazing game." Which, yes, I'd agree that it's an absolutely amazing game that you should experience as blindly as possible, but [i]OMORI[/i] is also a game that should warrant a little discussion to make sure it's for you, because it [i]definitely[/i] isn't going to click with everyone. This is my attempt at trying to sell you on one of the most creative RPGs in years with actual information about the game, but without spoiling anything. [h1]Graphics[/h1] The key defining feature of [i]OMORI's[/i] visuals is in its hand-drawn style, which I loved almost immediately. I was worried that the drawings were going to look a little too crude at times, or perhaps there'd be too much happening on the screen for me to follow it. However, none of these fears ended up being the case, as [i]OMORI[/i] used color in a very brilliant manner to help distinguish things from one another, and you aren't often fighting more than one enemy at a time (unless I just got lucky with my enemy encounters), so I ended up growing to really appreciate the art style. I'm not too keen on the UI personally, and got lost in the menus a few more times than I'd like to admit, but that's more of a nitpick than anything and not something that I'd really hold against the game. Otherwise, I enjoyed the game visually. It would've been cool to see it totally lean into the hand-drawn style, but I'm still very pleased with what's here either way. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] While not as impressive overall as the visuals, the gameplay still works very well overall. First, and most importantly, while psychological horror is the most popular tag for this game, I'd say that [i]OMORI[/i] is still an RPG first and foremost. The RPG and horror segments tend to be pretty separate from one another overall, but do a good job of transitioning between one or the other. The overworld segments are pretty much your standard RPG affair, and the combat mostly is the same way. However, this game has an emotion system they bring to the table, which I quite like overall. This emotion system functions like rock-paper-scissors, but what makes this system interesting is that you're able to control the emotions of both your party and the enemy, while the enemy can do the same thing. It's a pretty fun system overall, but it is a little too shallow. I wish it was expanded upon a little bit, at least with the bosses. There's a lot of potential in a system like that, but I think most of the bosses are too similar mechanically, as they often just boil down to countering whatever emotion they're stuck as since you're unable to change it. The major exception to this, from my one playthrough, was [spoiler]Sweetheart[/spoiler], who ended up being my favorite fight in the game because I felt they had a lot more control in the battle because they would change my party's emotions far more frequently than the others. I would've liked to see more of that, or perhaps more fights that rely on neutral emotions. As far as everything else goes, it's still just your typical RPG stuff. The side quests mostly boil down to fetch quests, but the appeal in those lies more in the writing and charm, which usually made them worthwhile. Overall, [i]OMORI[/i] plays more like an RPG than a horror game, but it's still pretty fun either way. [h1]Story[/h1] But, make no mistake. [i]OMORI[/i] may be an RPG, but there's still a good reason why that psychological horror tag is as popular as it is. This game is [i]incredibly[/i] dark. It makes me think of [i]BoJack Horseman[/i] in that it's a story that will absolutely wreck you, and even if you think it won't do much, you'll end up thinking about it for days, if not weeks afterwards. The main cast of characters are all extremely well-written, to a point where I liked every single one of them. I also need to commend [i]OMORI[/i] for doing a fantastic job of using the game's mechanics to help tell its story, which I think significantly helped drive home its themes. It's a game that really finds its stride at the end, providing such an emotional payoff that it's no wonder that this game has gotten as much praise as it has. However, in backloading most of the story like this, I discovered one of my only major issues with this game: the pacing. Some people will tell you that you need to get through the first few hours of the game. Others will tell you it's the middle part of the game that isn't as interesting. With the way the story is laid out, the story doesn't really make much actual progress (at least overtly) until the end, so the game is banking on you being sold on the quirky world and silly writing more than anything. While things happen, the story doesn't really move forward until that last act, if that makes sense. I understand why that is the case, but I think the game could've benefited from hinting at the revelations of the finale a little earlier and a little more often, in order to give just enough the player enough breadcrumbs to keep them asking questions. I wish I could expand upon this further, but I wouldn't be able to do so without spoiling the story. Overall, though, the story is still amazing barring the odd pacing, and the ending will still make the game worthwhile no matter how you look at it. [h1]Audio[/h1] The sound design isn't really relevant here, as the voice acting is nonexistent and it's still an RPGMaker game at its core. However, the music in this game is absolutely incredible. It was pretty good from the get-go, but it just gets better, and better, and better. Each area gets its own overworld music, battle music, and most of the bosses have their own themes as well. I love the variety, and it absolutely nailed whatever mood they were trying to establish. It rivals [i]Undertale[/i] in terms of quality, and it wouldn't be hyperbole for most to say that [i]Undertale[/i] has one of the best video game soundtracks of all time. The music is one of the best things about the game. [h1]Content Value[/h1] While I've only put a little under 17 hours into this game, don't be fooled. You can get significantly more playtime out of this game, and there's a LOT of secrets and side content to experience. There are quite a few major things that I missed in my playthrough, and it's honestly very impressive to see just how much content is hidden in this game. On top of this, the ending will stick with you one way or another, so on top of actually having a lot of bang for your buck, the story is definitely not one you'll be forgetting any time soon. [h1]Verdict[/h1] There's so much more I'd love to talk about, but I know I can't in order to avoid spoilers. But regardless, [i]OMORI[/i] is an absolutely amazing RPG that, while not quite a masterpiece, does come fairly close. It's very much worth your time and money, as long as you know what you're getting into. I highly recommend this game, but be sure to keep some tissues nearby to wipe your sorrows away. [b]Graphics[/b] - 8.0/10 [b]Gameplay[/b] - 7.5/10 [b]Story[/b] - 9.5/10 [b]Audio[/b] - 10/10 [b]Content Value[/b] - 10/10 [b].:9.2/10:. "Amazing" **PERSONAL PICK**[/b] + Phenomenal music + Great art style + Amazing story and ending + Well-written, likable characters + Lots of secrets and side content + Fun combat mechanics... - ...but didn't feel fully realized - Odd pacing