Omno – Hidden Gem Spotlight
Omno offers a world full of wonder, giant beasts, beautiful landscapes, and a journey of discovery. While on your journey you will be tasked with puzzle-solving, platforming, and exploration of this captivating and beautiful low-poly world. This amazing single-player adventure game developed by Jonas Manke will keep you in awe as you progress throughout the game.
A Wonderous World
Omno’s world is one of beauty and mystery. You awaken in a swamp area with little direction. You’re driven purely by your own desire to explore. You see creatures going about their day in the distance, foliage, ruins, and shimmering glyphs and orbs. These shiny objects serve to be the source of progression in the game. This light propels you through your pilgrimage.
You will travel through multiple biomes such as swamps, snowy mountains, arid deserts, and more. Each locale has unique flora a fauna that really cultivates that sense of mystery and whimsy within this world. You will find creatures resembling dinosaurs and floating jellyfish and more giants. As well as rabbit, and lizard-like critters and others that have no comparison. It breathes life into each and every location you go to.
A personal favorite part was surfing with an animal in the Lake Ober area. Up until this point, most animals either run away, stay relatively still (when you approach them), or transport you to new areas. The interaction was minor, but here there was a specific creature named Scipuins. These little red lizard-looking things became my favorite. They’re cute as hell and love to go surfing with you!
What’s Mystery Without Puzzles?!
Omno uses a very basic formula for world design. You show up at a new location and are tasked with finding at least 3 light orbs to unlock the main puzzle of the map. From here you can finish the puzzle and leave or you can continue to unlock the remaining secrets of this area. These range from finding all of the remaining orbs, creatures (gotta fill up the bestiary!), lore pieces, and meditation spots.
The puzzles aren’t too complex but aren’t always a cakewalk. Some are just simply pushing blocks to aid in jumping over to a specific area, while others have you playing a game of Simon Says with touch pads. One of these Simon says puzzles really boggled my mind because it forced the puzzle perspective to change with each jump.
What I really love is that Omno communicates everything through visual cues. There is no speaking, no hints. Everything is taught to you in the area when you enter and seek out the orbs of light. With these mechanics you learn in each area, you can then apply them to solve the main puzzle.
Interpret Your Story
The story is also communicated in the same manner as puzzle mechanics. Visual context plays a large role. You and your cat-like companion (yes you can pet it!) have very expressive eyes giving context to your mood throughout this journey. While everything is very loose and open for you to interpret how you see fit there is some semblance of a narrative taking place.
Throughout the levels, you will find a few “lore pieces” strewn about the land. These reveal the experience of another person whose footsteps you follow, intentionally or not. You learn of Staffbearers that helped relocate people to a new and better world. I actively seek these out because I am drawn to find out more about this unique place and why the beings of this world abandoned it.
Beautiful Visuals and Audio
I’m a sucker for low-poly games. I don’t know why but I just love them. Omno’s world is just downright beautiful. Each biome felt so unique and I found myself constantly stopping just to soak it all in. Clearly, the developer knew their worlds were beautiful too because, for each new land, you enter at a vista and take in the breathtaking view for a few seconds.
Omno would not be what it is without its stellar soundtrack. Truly this music brought each biome to life. Its ability to set the mood and create a welcoming and calm atmosphere whilst being mysterious. The Music was written by award-winning composer Benedict Nichols, a UK-based composer whose recent credits include indie titles The Falconeer, Before We Leave, and Dead Frontier 2.
A Pilgrimage Worth Taking
I don’t want to spoil the end. I will say this is a pilgrimage worth taking. The story of those that came before, and now you following their footsteps is an interesting one filled with wonder, self-reflection, and joy. Whether you’re seeking an adventure full of discovery or a relaxing journey through beautiful landscapes, Omno offers something for everyone and is a must-play for fans of indie games.
- Game: Omno
- Genre: Adventure, Puzzle, Platformer
- Developer: Jonas Manke
- Publisher: Future Freinds Games, Studio Inkyfox
- Release Date: July 28, 2021
- Platform: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
- Price: $18.99 USD
- Reviewed on: PC
