OMORI

TLDR: if you want a game that is very story driven, but not just a visual novel, stop sleeping on this game. I just finished this game after 35 hours of gameplay, and am tempting to just restart and do it again. Wow. There is so much to unpack emotionally from this game that I think I'm going to let it sit and marinate a little before jumping back in and maybe discovering some new content/paths. I went into this game with absolutely blind, which is I think maybe the best way to do it, yet can be dangerous depending on your emotional and mental well-being. Take the warning at the beginning of the game seriously! That being said, I wouldn't have traded this experience for anything. This game is spooky. I wouldn't outright say it is scary/horror, but it has some jump scares and dark themes. I'm not the best when it comes to fear in games, I generally don't like it, and there were times that I was speaking aloud to myself on the couch after something spooky happened in the game and I needed to calm myself down and get the fear out of my body. I think it took me longer to get through the game because of some of that fear, especially going into the game blind and not knowing if it gets better or worse. Overall, I wouldn't consider it to be TOO much and the creators do a really good job of balancing out the fear without minimizing the impact. Without spoiling any of the content, the story told in this game is not something I would generally seek out or play. The themes are very dark and serious, but also delivered in such a delicate and caring way. You can tell there was a lot of thought and care put into the game and how they unravel the story. Not knowing anything about the game other than "it has a really good narrative" and overwhelmingly positive reviews, I didn't know what to expect. I think if I had known about some of the narrative more, it probably would have turned me away from the game and I may not have purchased and played it, but I would have been sorely missing out on an incredible game and story. Just do yourself a favor and give it a chance. I look forward to picking it up again and playing through it at least one more time, once I gather all my feelings and emotions that have been shattered (in the best way possible).