OMNO

Wow, it has been a long time since I last wrote on here! I can now reveal that I have been busy with the game OMNO which went live today!

OMNO

I first heard about OMNO nearly 3 years ago when it was at Kickstarter stage. Back then it promised to take you on a journey of discovery through an ancient world of wonders. With the support of its backers the developer, Jonas Manke, was able to take the time to exceed his promise and fulfil his vision with magnificent graphics, beautiful soundtrack and a journey you won’t want to end.

You play in an open world environment as a character I shall refer to as OMNO, though the title may not in fact be in reference to this. As the player you will take OMNO on a journey through a series of landscapes; from swampland, to forest, through icy tundra, across blistering desert and finally to floating islands.

He carries a staff which he uses to gather energy from the natural world which is required to activate pillars. Each area you move through has collectables in the form of orbs, glyphs, books and magical creatures. Orbs are required to activate puzzles within a region. These need to be completed before moving to the next area. The books and the glyphs help to tell the story of the journey to the tower and final gateway which OMNO seeks to find. There are 41 creatures spread throughout all 5 regions. These can also provide OMNO with energy when interacted with accordingly. A favourite feature of the staff though has to be its ability to allow OMNO to surf across the landscape, dash, glide and even teleport across vast distances. If there was ever a way to travel, this surely has to be it!

As a backer I was fortunate enough to test the game before release. I have done this for a few other games in the past and from the first run through this game was more polished than most. The dev relished feedback and I am so proud to be able to say that the changes made to one puzzle had a tiny bit of my input! Don’t forget to look out for it at the end of Chapter 3!

OMNO Characters

As you travel you meet a companion and that friendship becomes something you cherish by the end of the game. The final scenes are heart wrenching but I won’t spoil them by revealing it. This game is a journey everyone should take. Perhaps you will take something away from the game – for me it was that the journey can matter as much as the final destination and to place value in the here and now.

I’ve produced YouTube gameplay/walkthrough videos for each chapter (there are 5 in all) and also a long-play video with no commentary. I show how to get all the creatures, books etc. Don’t forget to check them out!