Groundhog Day at the end of the world.
I was actually a huge fan of Stories: The Path of Destinies. It came out of nowhere for me and I fell in love with both the world and the mechanics. When I found out Spearhead Games were working on a new game, and it was to be set in the same universe as Stories, I was all in. Omensight takes what Stories did really well, adds a new sheen to it, and throws in a murder mystery with the entire world hanging in the balance.
Players control The Harbinger, a silent being that only shows up when something major is about to happen in the world. The Harbinger finds herself in the land of Urralia, which is torn between two factions that are at war with one another. The Harbinger quickly discovers that the end of the world is happening that night, and must find a way to stop it from happening. It all seems to stem from an earlier event in the day that leads to the death of the Godless-Priestess which, in turn, leads to the summoning of an extinction-level event. Since The Harbinger is not bound by space and time, she has the ability to go back in time and relive the final day over and over, gathering new information from prominent people in the kingdom, and trying to find out who actually killed the Godless-Priestess and for what reason.
Platforms: PS4, PC
MSRP: $19.99
Price I’d pay: $19.99
Much like Stories, Omensight is an action platforming game that relies on arena combat for many of its action sequences. Much like Reynardo, The Harbinger utilizes sword combat with stylish dodges and time bending magic to dispose of her enemies. She has a light and a heavy attack that can be combined with special abilities like a magical grapple that can sling objects and enemies or a time bubble that can stop any enemies caught in it while The Harbinger can freely move about. On top of all this, The Harbinger will not be alone in this. She usually has a partner from Urralia helping her in her investigations for that chosen day. These partners come with special abilities that can help out in combat. For instance, the giant bear Ludomir can slam into the ground knocking enemies down or the bard leader of the Rodentian resistance, Ratika, can play a song that allows The Harbinger to go into a frenzy that increases both speed and attack. While the combat itself is simple, utilizing all The Harbinger’s abilities can make for a complex and flashy scene that really feels tight and fun.
The other portion of the game is the murder mystery investigation. The Harbinger will live out the final day over and over, and each time will be transported to a hub world where she can go over all the information she has gathered regarding the world and the events that lead up to the Godless-Priestess’ assassination. Eventually, she will obtain Omensights that reveal major things that happen. These Omensights can be shown to the partners of Urralia to change certain events as well as to obtain more information. The trick is that sometimes players are given an option of revealing an Omensight to a character and sometimes fighting will lead to better understandings than showing the visions of the past. Along with the investigation information, the hub allows The Harbinger to level up and gain new abilities using XP gathered as well as upgrade her abilities and equipment using a special currency found in the world.
The narrative along with the well done voice acting really kept me interested throughout my playtime. There are many twists and turns when discovering new information and seeing that not everyone is as noble as they may seem. The visuals are crisp and give off that cel-shaded look that Stories did, and while dark in many aspects, the color pallet can go from midnight to vibrant.
If there were some complaints with Omensight, it would have to be the camera. There were many times, especially during combat, where the camera would not show everything I needed to see. Many times enemies would be off screen and winding up to attack me and I wouldn’t see it and end up getting hit and dropping my combo. In a game like this where fluid combat is reliant on not getting hit, it was pretty glaring at times. Some players will also find many things a bit repetitive. While not exactly the same each time, players will find themselves reliving the same day with some minor changes due to not having enough information. Luckily, there are many instances where the game knew I was replaying something I had already did and allowed me to skip to the new content right from the hub, but still, there were times that option wasn’t available.
Omensight is a very enjoyable game. The combat is simple, yet thought out, the story is compelling and kept me playing, and the overall package is well done and really fun to see played out. There are a few little hiccups here and there, but I enjoyed this as much as Stories and can’t wait to see what Spearhead Games comes up with next. Any action adventure fan will have a great time with Omensight. I can’t suggest it enough.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
