Wow, what an amazing trip that was!
Initially, I was drawn in by how charming and funny OMORI was. The writing is excellent. It is clearly inspired by the EarthBound/Mother series. It has that same sense of humour, adventure, strange characters, goofy writing, and exploration through a world full of charm and surprises. But it is also able to go into much darker and more mature places.
The soundtrack is fantastic and constantly reinforces the mood, whether the scene is goofy, unsettling, chaotic, or emotional. I enjoyed talking to everyone, checking every corner, fighting the weird enemies, and inhabiting the world. More than anything, the game captures the sensation of being on an adventure with your best friends, where every strange enemy, side character, picnic, joke, and little discovery makes the world feel more alive and more personal.
The experience is deeply emotional. It deals with grief, memory, guilt, friendship, avoidance, and the way people can retreat into happier memories when reality becomes too painful. By the end, I was completely hooked. The final revelations hit really hard because by then, I felt deeply connected to the characters and fully immersed in the journey.
This was one of those extraordinary experiences that made me feel like I was playing a video game for the first time again. I was completely pulled in, wanting to see what would happen next.
It was a funny, sad, strange, beautiful, disturbing, comforting, and deeply moving experience.
Highly recommended!
