Omori (video game)
A 2020 RPG exploring trauma through dream and reality.
Omori (written in all capital letters) is a role-playing game from 2020, made and released by the indie developer Omocat. Players take charge of Sunny, a teenage boy who lives as a shut-in, and his dream-world counterpart, Omori. The action moves between two places: Sunny’s real life in Faraway Town and Omori’s journeys through a strange, dreamlike realm. How these two characters interact depends on the player’s decisions, which lead to different endings—some where Sunny faces his hidden fears and memories, others where he pushes them away. The turn-based fights use an unusual emotion system for status effects, and the story deals heavily with anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, and suicide, giving the game a strong psychological horror feel.
The game grew out of the director’s webcomic series, Omoriboy. A Kickstarter campaign funded it, but development hit many delays and problems. A demo was released publicly on April 9, 2018, on itch.io, before the full version launched for macOS and Windows in December 2020—six years after the initial fundraising. In June 2022, it reached Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 4 with extra content. Critics liked its art, music, story, and how it handled anxiety and depression, often comparing it to EarthBound (1994) and Yume Nikki (2004). It got several award nominations and won DreamHack’s “Daringly Dramatic” category in 2021. By December 2022, over one million copies had sold.
- Release year
- 2020
- Developer
- Omocat
- Platforms
- macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4
- Genre
- Role-playing game
- Sales
- Over 1 million copies as of December 2022
- Awards
- DreamHack's 'Daringly Dramatic' category in 2021
Lore & Background
Omori is based on the director's webcomic series Omoriboy. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the game was delayed numerous times and experienced several development difficulties. It was released as a demo on April 9, 2018, on the platform itch.io for the public, before being officially released for macOS and Windows in December 2020, six years after its initial funding. It saw a release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 4 with added content in June 2022.
Reader's Guide
Omori's significance lies in its critical acclaim for art direction, soundtrack, narrative elements, and depiction of anxiety and depression, being favorably compared to games like EarthBound (1994) and Yume Nikki (2004). The game's turn-based battle system includes unconventional status effects based on characters' emotions, with a three-pointed emotion system where Happy beats Angry, Angry beats Sad, and Sad beats Happy. Gameplay is split between the surreal dream world of Headspace and the real world of Faraway Town, with side quests and puzzles. The game's multiple endings depend on player choices, where Sunny either overcomes or suppresses his fears and repressed memories. A manga adaptation was released in June 2024.
Did You Know?
- The game was released six years after its initial Kickstarter funding.
- Characters and enemies turn into toast when their Heart reaches zero.
- The emotion system has Happy beating Angry, Angry beating Sad, and Sad beating Happy.
- A manga adaptation was released in June 2024.
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