OMNO Switch Review – A Relaxing Journey Through Ancient Wonders

Earlier this year, Jonas Manke released his Journey-inspired puzzle adventure game, OMNO, on Steam to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Now, OMNO is on the Nintendo Switch, and it is as stunning as you would expect. This is one of those indie titles you should not pass on, and it is now available for some portable gameplay.

So does OMNO make the transition to the hybrid console perfectly? Or is this the lesser version of the game? Let’s find out!

OMNO is a tale of discovery through an ancient world filled with wonders and a wide variety of animals and different biomes. In some ways similar to games like Journey before it, OMNO follows a spiritual character trying to make sense of a lost, ancient civilization that somehow grants them power as they make their way through a wonderful world.

This is a gorgeous outing that is highlighted by its lush environments and stellar lighting. Our protagonist, a staffbearer, moves from one area to the next putting together pieces of the old world while also collecting energy and powers that give them more ability to help tackle some of the more challenging platforming and puzzles that exist throughout the game, all in an effort to attain the highest form of the light: the true light.

We follow this adorable character as they traverse forests, deserts, tundras, and clouds, some times by the will of the ancient creatures that our character can ride on and other times by the power within and through the staff that allows us to fly at times. This is a wonderful experience that borrows a decent amount from other relaxing, spiritual gaming experiences before it while also offering its own twist on the genre. OMNO does not really tell a grand story, because it is up to the player’s interpretation what the game may be communicating. Although the ending may surprise many, it is done in such a wonderful way with very little direct insertion, and that is only one of the reasons why this is a special title.

Where the Journey comparisons end is through the actual gameplay. While you can eventually surf through snow and deserts, most of your time in OMNO will be spent finding collectables throughout the various areas. There are three energy orbs in each stage that need to be found in order to activate the end sequence and move on to the next stage, but there is so much to do before that.

Each area has their own fauna that gets recorded into your journal, which is an awesome addition to the game. As a fan of collecting everything, spending extra time in OMNO finding all the different animals is such a joy, especially since most of them have their own little personalities and interact with the staffbearer in very cute ways. There are also books to be collected that give some extra insight to the before-times and fill in some extra gaps in the story.

But the energy is the most important part, because most of these require some puzzle-solving or platforming to retrieve. Some of the puzzles in OMNO are incredible, and as you advance through the ten different areas of the game, you also obtain new powers that nicely mix things up and increase the difficult wonderfully. This also applies to the platforming somewhat, and surprisingly OMNO does a great job with its 3D platforming sections.

The only area of gameplay that does not feel very good is the floating ability that is obtained somewhere midway through. This ability allows the staffbearer to float from a certain height, but the way it is activated with the right trigger feels slow and sometimes even unresponsive. This unfortunately makes some of the puzzles and platform sections to be annoying, because something about the controls for this particular ability feels off. And this was not a one time thing, as I was experiencing it over and over again all the way to the very end.

Thankfully, though, that is where most of the negativity ends, because the music and art direction are amazing. As I mentioned before, the art style is gorgeous, and each new area with its various unique animals are so much fun to explore and learn about. I did experience a few moments of slowdown and screen tearing, but those only popped up here and there and did not affect the overall gameplay.

The music in OMNO is simply beautiful. Surprisingly, there are 38 tracks, and you can tell while playing the game, because there are very few moments where it feels like you are listening to the same track again. Every area not only has its own look but they have their own sound as well, and the music truly compliments most of the relaxing nature of the game.

Without giving away too much more, I just have to say that OMNO is a special experience. It is not the longest title, as a single playthough can be cleared in under three hours, but it does so much right that it is hard not to love this title. The story is a lovely little ride, the art direction is breath-taking, the music is outstanding, and the puzzles and platforming are genuinely fun.

Although it has its minor issues, I absolutely recommend checking out OMNO and experiencing a journey unlike any other. This is one of those titles that needs to be played first-hand to really appreciate, and its transition to the Nintendo Switch is great. Playing OMNO docked or on the go ran like a dream, and this is a bright light in the indie library now.

One would even say The True Light of the eShop.

OMNO Review provided by Nintendo Link
Review also found on OpenCritic
Publisher: Studio Inkyfox, Future Friends Games
Developer: Studio Inkyfox
Release Date: December 16th, 2021
Price: $15.99, £12.99, €14,99
Game Size: 1.8 GB