Recent reviews by dump

Deceptively simple. There's more to it than just the typical retro JRPG art and mechanics of simpler times.

The narrative is presented in a style that's somewhere between poetry and short story, comfy horror and psychological horror. It isn't dada or impressionist; there's a concrete plot, though I couldn't quite figure out how it all connects on my first full play through. The dialogue sequences are decidedly slow and deliberate, and there's no way to skip it, but there isn't so much of it that it tests your patience. It says a lot in few words. Even just the mood that it sets stands on its own.

Not every composer knows how to write music to capture the melancholy of being a gamer in the late 80s and early 90s. It's a delicate art if you're not just trying to "cheat" by referencing nostalgic tropes on a loop. But the music in this game, while somewhat disjointed, does an excellent job of walking that fine line. If you're looking for a new, authentic retro experience, try Omni Blade on a rainy day.

The gameplay is where Omni Blade really shines. It uses its precise balancing as a framework to throw challenging and subtle battles at you for 20+ hours without it becoming stale. Each new skill you gain and each new enemy you encounter adds a new wrinkle to the puzzle. There's very little that's there just for show. As far as I can tell, you'll never find a way to optimize the fun out of it.

The battles are unforgiving but rarely unfair. Relatively little is left to random chance. In my play through, I only encountered one boss that required me to grind briefly. The rest of the time, even the mob battles were engaging enough that I was punished any time my mind went on autopilot, and yet, I was able to defeat most of the bosses on my first try, just barely. There's only one difficulty level (with an option to play in realtime mode for if you're sure you can think on your feet). The balance is *that* good.

There's only one save point that you have to run back to each time, which feels a bit odd at first (and yes, depending on which area you're in, it's a bit of a trek), but that's really all it needs.

Is this game slow sometimes? Yes. That's the point. Just let the time pass. You'll be all right.

The aggressively minimalist UI is an interesting choice. I'm not entirely sure I agree with it in every instance, but I see the reasoning behind it: Omni Blade avoids becoming a math quiz, in part, by presenting you with less data and forcing you to use your experience to make decisions.

At the same time, there are ergonomic pain points. For example, I wish it would show buffs and debuffs when they're stacked, so that I'm not relying on my memory. The sensation is a bit like when you aren't sure if you've turned off the stove or not. Without much of a clear indication of the effects of each elemental attribute, it can be hard to infer which attribute does what. The lack of keyboard control in battles was also a bit taxing until I plugged in a better mouse.

As a supporter of the project, I have to acknowledge that it could be sunk cost bias talking, but I do love this game. For the right audience, this game hits all the right notes.

It might warrant a second play-through -- I want to try a more magic-centric, glass cannon team composition next time. Hopefully the balance is just as good.

If you're dead inside and think you can be resuscitated, try this game.
If you're dead inside and want to be numbed by an IV drip of colorful pixels, don't.
If you remember how to breathe and live in the moment, try this game.
If you just want to learn how everyone dies, don't.
If you want to like humans, try this game.
If you have jealous contempt for your high school buddies who went into arts, don't.

Play No Man's Sky v1.0 with Alan Watts videos in the background for the same experience.

It's John Cage all over again: Repackage Zen Buddhism for a Western audience, with a sarcastic lack of effort, and make them think it's utterly profound.

It's not. It's momentarily amusing at best.