Omori

While I have been lucky enough to not lose a loved one to tragedy, Omori still managed to make me feel the despair of losing someone cherished, and the powerless feeling of being able to do nothing to bring them back was replicated perfectly. The game tackles the idea of acceptance and escapism beautifully, and when the credits rolled, I did not move for a while. It is one of those persistent games that follows players even after putting the controller down. I think about it more than I expected to; it creeps in at night before I sleep, and whenever I come across a screenshot or hear the name, something in me just recalls the weight of it immediately. People process loss in completely different ways and at completely different speeds, and Omori never pretends otherwise. What makes it so remarkable is that it does not ask players to have lived through something specific to feel it. It just asks for attention. And with attention, Omori will find something in players to pull on regardless of what their lives look like.

Nostalgic, lovingly crafted, moving, and surprising, Omori is a remarkable achievement. Earthbound and Undertale are easy comparisons, but Omori stands out as it's own, highly personal piece of storytelling.

Don’t let its presentation fool you, Omori is an adventure into some dark themes of loss, growing up, and fear of change. These are easily relatable elements uniquely projected to players through its expert story presentation and character writing. You feel yourself immersed in this world and with these people to the point where you want so bad to see their adventure through until the end. Luckily for us, this is one experience that you can’t easily grow out of.

Omori is certainly not for everyone. Someone who values gameplay much higher than storytelling will come away feeling bored and frustrated with the overall experience. However, those who value a game's plot and the emotions that games can elicit will never be able to shake Omori from their headspace. It is a flawed game in many aspects, but I can't help thinking about it throughout my daily life (especially while opening up the spice cabinet), even having finished the game over a month ago. While the entire middle of the game can be frustrating due to its poor design, the third act is well worth everything that comes before it. In the end, everything else faded away, and it all felt worth it.