Omori review
A whimsical adventure and a surprise RPGmaker cult horror hit.
There's a weird reputation surrounding games made in RPGmaker. The game engine is known for spawning a mix of your basic clunky demakes of classic RPGs and cult horror hits like Yume Nikki, Lisa: The Painful, Mad Father, and The Witch's House - games that surfaced on the fringes of game forums and quietly received overwhelmingly positive reviews on steam.
The RPGmaker scene has dwindled over the years, which is why Omori almost feels like the ghost of a bygone era. Even though seeing the game's blocky visuals is like a blast from the past, this psychological RPG has all the makings of being a modern cult classic.
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It nearly slips into the trope of everything being solved with 'the power of friendship', but thankfully its heartfelt moments are backed up with great storytelling and characters you really feel for. Omori was developed over the course of six years by the Omocat team (originally just one person) and you can feel the passion that the team put into it.
Omori is a kid who is living through sleeping, scared to face the realities and consequences of the real world. Wanting to shut yourself away and hide is a child-like response but it's one that's tempting to carry through to adulthood. The need to escape to another world away from our anxieties is a feeling that's universal, and why Omori wants to protect himself is understandable, even if he is a little creepy. What's important is choosing to take that first step outside, hopefully, the first of many, and Omori captures this sentiment masterfully.
Score: 80/100
