I can only imagine Spearhead Games had been watching Groundhog Day while reading Furry fiction when they came up with the idea for Omensight, but the mix of the two turn out to make an interesting game.
Today is the end of the world, literally. You even get to witness it first hand. It seems everything is doomed in the world of Urralia from the very beginning of the game, so what can you do? Thankfully, as the Harbinger, you get to rewind the very day everything stops and try to figure out how to put it right. Think of yourself as a celestial Bill Murray.
From this premise unravels a story, told from the perspective of each of its inhabitants that you choose to follow, picking up clues and working out how to fit them together or use them to your advantage in stopping the apocalypse. It seems that there are rival tribes who are hell bent at beating each other, even if it means risking everything.
So, putting clues together and working out a solution is the name of the game here. You don’t get it as easy as that, of course. The factions are at war with each other but you’ll be getting in their way, so naturally you’re going to find yourself becoming a target just by helping someone else out. Thankfully combat is fairly straightforward and feels very similar to Spearhead Games last title, Stories. The basic moves are enhanced as you play further into the game, including some nifty slowdown and swordplay moves, but it’s never made overly complicated.
The main game mechanic does mean that you’ll find some repetition throughout the 6-8 hours of the story, but there are some nifty plot twists that should prevent this being an issue. The story in general is well thought though the game does lack polish in places, particularly with issues while loading (which Omensight does a lot of) and the occasional pause reminding you that this isn’t a full budget AAA title. That said, it’s an enjoyable romp through a Groundhog Day style adventure about preventing the end of the world.
Omensight
Pros
- Some interesting 'groundhog day' ideas
- Good mechanics
- Interesting story
Cons
- Voice acting is a little flat
- By its nature, it can get repetitive
