OMNO Xbox One Review
| Game: | OMNO |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Studio Inkyfox |
| Developer: |
OMNO is a stellar effort from sole developer Jason Manke aka Studio InkyFox. It takes place in a whimsical and dreamlike world across varied landscapes full of quiet, soulful moments and fantastical unobtrusive wildlife, large and small, where it feels like being on safari, except with no destructive monkeys.
Dotted about these varied landscapes are glowing orbs that your unnamed, mute protagonist needs to collect in order to progress. There are a total 5 orbs to collect per level, but only three are needed to unlock and complete the final puzzle that leads to the exit and a wonderous ride on a legendary animal as you move to the next area, another moment of awe that the game offers.
The animals in the game aren’t simply there to be admired; you can interact with them in numerous ways, and they will drop white gems of light for you to collect. Light plays an integral part in both story and gameplay, and more can be learned about the story through optional collectibles that can be found throughout the level.
OMNO is primarily a puzzle game, with your unnamed protagonist, a staff bearer, using his staff to perform multiple actions, one such move being surfing. The staff can also be used for said puzzles, such as for moving blocks around to create platforms for you to jump to, or when needing to carry a light source to power up certain areas. Puzzles in the game are straight forward, save for a couple that had me scratching my head to the point I needed to watch a walkthrough. The sudden shift from relaxing to frustration at these points was a bit jarring, but did not impact the overall gameplay experience.
Control-wise, they can feel a little loose. There are areas where you can use your staff to float around through wind, which should blow you to higher platforms, but the controls in this section are finicky. I assumed the wind would simply carry you upwards as you push forward into it, but instead I needed to perform circles to get myself to float higher, a strange manoeuvre that makes me wonder whether it was intentional or not. It took a few tries in one particular area to work out the controls to move forward. There’s also one particular jump towards the end of the game that was incredibly frustrating to achieve, a simple jump to a platform that was marred with frustration thanks to what seemed to be an invisible wall surrounding it. It seems the platform here needs to be slightly lowered, at least on Xbox One.
The game also suffers from a lot of lag. Areas that are supposed to be fluid and immersive, such as a section which sees you surfing through the mountains to gentle, wondrous music, are made less effective thanks to the lag issues.
Each level can be completed to 100% status, and when choosing to move out of a level that is only part-way complete, I assumed once the game is finished you would be able to go back through the levels to complete what you have missed, but strangely you have to start every level all over again. Of course there isn’t much to it; once you have completed puzzles first time round, completing them again will be easy enough, and all you need to do to 100% each level is find all orbs, animals and story collectibles. Of course levels can be completed to 100% the first time you play it, if you explore long enough.
The game does encourage a lot of exploration and interaction, but the premise of the game is mostly about relaxation, taking your time, and seeing everything there is to offer; puzzles and story feel secondary to actually immersing yourself in the world and having a good look around. You’ll even be followed by a cute little squirrel-looking creature that is too shy to approach you, at least at first.
OMNO won’t take too long to complete, with there being a total of 5 levels. How long it takes depends on how much you want to explore and see what is on offer. It’s a gentle game that is very relaxing if you have had a difficult day and need to unwind.
