For what Omno lacks (or seems to lack, so far) in thematic content compared to the games its aesthetic immediately brings to mind (the likes of Journey and Ico), it makes up for in the hand-crafted passion which it exudes from every pixel—Jonas Menke began work on Omno as a hobby after working as an animator, and the free expression that this allowed shows.
The demo, though short, immediately establishes three equally harmonious aesthetics, two of them flowing in and out of each other seamlessly: lush vegetation into ancient ruins and ancient ruins back into lush vegetation; followed by a cold cut to a desert.
Although the full game promises to combine puzzle-solving with platforming, the demo (which is available on Steam) consists of collecting energy, then some light platforming; though with an interesting mechanical twist: after jumping, Omno can dash forwards with his spear mid-air, acting a little like a horizontal double-jump. It’s very satisfying zipping over to a hard to reach ledge and grabbing hold of it. Indeed, even the basic movement of Omno is itself satisfying; the animation expressive and fluid. Equally satisfying is teleporting between two points in space, Omno’s body being distorted as he is sucked between dimensions .
All this makes for a tremendously promising game, personal expression transforming indie clichés into something intriguing.
Fingers crossed it lives up to its potential!