Omensight Review

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Fast Facts

Title: Omensight
Developer: Spearhead Games/Nephilim Game Studios
Publisher: Digerati
Website: https://www.omensight.com/
Genre: Action and Adventure
Platform: Xbox One
Age Rating: PEGI 12
Release Date: 07/06/2019
Price: £16.74 – Rapid Reviews UK was very kindly provided with a review code for this title.

My last review was Spearhead Games’ Stories: The Path of Destinies, and as I enjoyed it so much and Omensight came in a bundle with it, I was more than happy to review Omensight too. I was a little anxious though; would I enjoy this game just as much, and would it live up to my expectations considering how highly I rated Stories? However, upon starting up the game and merely seeing the intro, my worries were immediately put to ease.

Set in the same universe as Stories, Omensight takes place in war-torn Urrallia, where the world is about to be destroyed by an evil God. Playing as the Harbinger, who appears in times of need, it is up to you to figure out how to save the world, as well as who killed Vera, the high priestess. To do so, you must relive Urralia’s last day time and time again, interacting with various characters to gain information.

There are a lot of similarities between Stories and Omensight in its concepts, but they also have different portrayals. This act of reliving the same day but discovering new information and paths each time remains the same, but this time we have the murder mystery aspect. I loved seeing the twist and turns of the story, the game leading you to think one person did it before steering you to another suspect. You can either work out who to spend the day with on your own, using the clues provided or have the game give you hints, which I opted for. I’m not the greatest at solving mysteries in fiction as I like to go along with the story, but if you want to do it on your own it should be a good challenge!

Including multiple characters to share the day with too took the narrative and the worldbuilding to the next level. Being able to interact with them made you grow more attached to them, and I loved that you could use their abilities in combat. Stories was a little lonely fighting alone, but there’s a sense of unity in Omensight, working together to solve the mystery. Also as much as I loved Reynardo, being the badass Harbinger, her sole purpose to save the world in peril was just as cool.

There were also a lot more cutscenes in this game, allowing you to see the characters in action and expand on the story. I did like the storybook aspect of Stories but seeing the story play out before your eyes, especially with the fantastic voice actors and humorous dialogue, took it the extra mile. I particularly liked how the characters would comment if you took too long smashing barrels!

The combat is just as slick and acrobatic, using your sword to attack, but this time there are a lot more abilities to unlock. As well as now being able to jump, you can roll, freeze time, dash, throw and flurry attack. Your abilities and health can then be upgraded with amber shards, which are found in breakable objects. The combat is fast and you have to be really quick on all your abilities to dodge attacks. I was on the mid-level difficulty and this was not too difficult at all, though the final boss’ first stage can be quite challenging.

I commented on the graphics and visuals before, saying how it could be cool in a Spyro-like style. However it has definitely grown on me and I think it really suits the game, particularly with its character and armour design. It’s not incredible, but it can still be beautiful especially in its use of colour, with the bright red leaves of the trees falling onto the snow, the orange plumes of fire, and the Harbinger’s blue sparks of magic. I do like the characters being more basic, which we get to see more close up and in action with the cut scenes, but then having a detailed illustration in the dialogue boxes. The game is more reliant on the story rather than amazing graphics, and it works well.

Being a fantasy, adventure game, Omensight is not short in its epic soundtrack which rises to a crescendo at the height of the battle with choral voices. One of the characters Ratika even sings a song herself, fitting the bard aesthetic of fantasy worlds. It shifts between mystical as you stand next to the Tree of Life with the witch, and triumphant as you take down enemies with your companion.

You can replay the game to find hidden memories throughout, many locked behind different seals, which you will have gained the ability to unlock by the end of the game. There’s also a lot of achievements which you may have missed the first time around, or you may want to challenge yourself to a higher difficulty.

Overall, I am really impressed that Omensight took everything I loved from Stories and tweaked it so that it was that bit better. Being able to interact with the characters was a great way to draw you into the world and have you second-guessing who you could trust. I’m excited to see Spearhead Games’ next project!