Weapon Shop de Omasse

Between its nods to the RPGs with which we grew up, memorable characters, and moreish gameplay components, Weapon Shop de Omasse is the shining gem of the Guild series.

Weapon Shop de Omasse is a breezy rhythm game, brimming with humor targeted at JRPG fans. I realize that's a niche within a niche, and it certainly won't be for everyone, but I loved it. And if that bizarre concept sounds even vaguely interesting, I bet you'll love it too.

Weapon Shop de Omasse is sort of what you’d expect from a game made by a comedian, which is to say, really funny and awfully clunky.

While some in the industry decry Japanese game development as stagnant, Level-5 has proven them wrong with some of the most experimental, creative, and interesting games to come from any studio anywhere in the world.

One of the funniest, most interesting games on 3DS, but also one of the most bloated. There's nothing else like it, which is both to its credit and its detriment. [Apr 2014, p.81]

Definitely a good game experiment which could have been on the level of a fantasy Papers Please, but in its own right it is great fun apart from the small amount of activities to do and the lack of replayability

Weapon Shop in Omasse is a game that leaves mixed feelings. It has primitive mechanics and lacks a demanding challenge, but is a very satisfactory experience within the genre of rhythm games that shines for its originality.

If you relish the thought of idly polishing a sword while reading through a stack of cleverly-written in-jokes based around RPGs, then don't hesitate to open shop.

Weapon Shop de Omasse is a neat twist on the jRPG formula which makes fun of the most common tropes to deliver a fun ryhthm game plagued by a weird pace and too much repetitiveness.

It is aimed to a very specific audience, but those who understand its concept will find something fresh and engaging, with a particular sense of humor that will definitely make us laugh.

Unique and well designed rhythm game plenty of humour and RPG-like touches. A bit weird and bland in some instances, though.

I liked the quirkiness of Weapon Shop De Omasse, but I was never truly captivated by it.

You get a sense that if they had focused more on one of the mechanics or the other, they’d have made a better game; it was just too difficult to balance. But the idea of an interactive sitcom is kind of novel, and the writing is fine enough that in the spots you can actually read it, you can get a good bit of entertainment out of it.

Weapon Shop de Omasse is a deeply intelligent game, and it's certainly part of a fine heritage of philosophy that has made for compelling experiences in the past. But we can chalk this one up to the collective learning experience of the game development industry; it's fine to feature philosophy and to shoot for comedy, but you simply can't rely on that carrying the game.

Weapon Shop de OMASSE is like a funny sitcom dedicated to JRPGs with some basic gameplay elements... but too basic!

A charming homage to JRPG that lacks depth and variety.

Weapon Shop de Omasse boasts a great premise and for the most part it succeeds at its JRPG sitcom goals.

Another amusing look behind the veil of role-playing conventions, although it’s a shame the experience feels so slight and insubstantial.

Thankfully, even when the blades are dull, the writing is sharp. Even so, many jokes are of the family-friendly sitcom variety, and play off of RPG tropes. If you've never laughed at the convoluted plots, overdramatic heroes or NPC behavior seen so often in the role-playing genre, this weapon may not be for you.

Anyone with only a passing interest in epic hundred-hour tales of good and evil should stay away. With the game costing only $7.99 as a digital download, those steeped in the Japanese role-playing games will love mixing a massive adventure and Weapon Shop during long gaming sessions.

The charm of Weapon Shop de Omasse is truly what saves the game from mediocrity, keeping the experience interesting even hours after its core mechanic reached its full potential.

It’s certainly different, but it’s also throwaway.

With super simple gameplay, the only rewarding part of Weapon Shop de Omasse is its lighthearted story that isn’t all that memorable.

On a console where tried and tested ideas continue to dominate, it would be wrong to entirely dismiss an experiment like this, even if the result is only fleetingly worthwhile.

Weapon Shop de Omasse may start off in a funny and compelling way, but it quickly gets overrun by an overall feeling of repetitiveness. After getting immersed into the mechanics, it becomes apparent that this game has little to offer and will disappoint the fans of both rhythm and management games.

As part of the Guild portmanteau it's a curio that earns its place, an eccentric exercise whose existence you can't help but be grateful for. Torn away from its more substantial partners, though, it never does enough to stand out on its own.

Weapon Shop de Omasse is an infuriating, boring game. Only RPG enthusiasts who snigger at jokes about stereotypical Evil Lords, grinding against rats, and “Tutorial Caves” will care to play it — and even then, they would be wise to reconsider.