Omno (2021)

Omno is a low polygon adventure game with lots of puzzles, platforming and mini-maps that encourage mini-exploration. The beautiful, fantasy-like art style and soothing soundtrack really set the perfect tone for the chill experience it delivers, and if we want to get philosophical about it, thematically Omno does a very competent job at exploring the line between togetherness and comfortable solitude. The fact that it was made by one person makes it all the more impressive. In this regard, I have nothing but respect for the final product.

Ultimately though, the game has a couple of issues that take away from the experience, precisely because these issues are rooted in the game’s core mechanics. The main one is that platforming isn’t as tight as it needed to be in a game that at times demands significant precision. It is more than serviceable for the most part, but on occasion jumping can be a bit unresponsive to your prompts, which results in several unnecessary deaths. At the same time, I felt the puzzles were also a mixed bag: while most are in that easy to mid-range, a few were too obtuse for me to the point of becoming somewhat frustrating. This rarely happened, but I feel it's still worth mentioning nevertheless.

The drawbacks above could normally be seen as no more than niggles, but they gain a bigger dimension because the game centres its gameplay mechanics around these systems. As contradictory as it may seem, however, don’t let this discourage you from trying Omno if you get a chance. There is a strongly relaxing, heartwarming vibe to this game that never tires, even when it starts to get a bit repetitive - which isn't that big a deal anyway since you can easily finish it in under 4 hours. The game’s beautiful presentation, coupled with its very competent level mapping system and its well executed (and solidly animated) abilities for skiing, dashing, teleporting and floating, makes this an easy-to-recommend game despite its flaws. Omno didn't resonate with me as much as I had hoped, but I have a feeling most people will end up enjoying it more than I did. If you're on Game Pass, definitely see if you can check it out before it leaves the service at the end of the month. 6.5

This is an ambitious game. It uses pretty, stylized graphics which are pretty timeless (I always appreciate this over tryhard realism), the soundtrack is gorgeous. You have a little friend which you can pet sometimes. So far this checks all the boxes for a relaxing exploration game.

This game made me think of two games in particular: Journey and RiME. It's a bit less polished than them, but cut the man some slack: he did it all by himself.

It's not five stars because the controls are a bit janky and, in my opinion, it went on for a mite too long. The gameplay loop is the same in each zone, and the puzzles are very easy. Occasionally you get a new way of traversing the zones, but I would've liked a little more time dedicated to movement and terrain which makes you think and less.... same-y levels.

My favorite part of the game is, by far, when you get the glide and you have a few glorious moments of skiing without worrying about collectibles and whatnot. It really inspired the same feelings as the Journey section where you skate on the hot sands. It's fun.

Another thing I would've liked to see is less scripted cutscenes. I do not need a cutscene each time I enter a new area, and I would've liked free camera motion during the in-betweens. That's a tiny gripe though.

Overall a cute, solid game, very good for a first entry from a developer. Keep up the good work!