Ominous Review: Hide and Seek Meets Interdimensional Chaos
Imagine playing the world's most terrifying game of hide and seek, where you can't see your friends, but the boogeyman can see everyone. Welcome to Ominous, the game that answers the question, "What if we made a horror game, but added a dash of existential loneliness?"
Concept: Mind-Bending Multiplayer Mayhem
Ominous throws you and your buddies into a hotel that's having some serious interdimensional plumbing issues. Your goal? Close a portal before it goes boom and ruins everyone's day. Simple, right? Oh, except you're all in different dimensions, can't see each other, and there's a creature that wants to turn you into its personal chew toy. It's like a cosmic game of Marco Polo, but instead of a pool, you're in a nightmare.
The concept is fresher than a mint on your interdimensional pillow. It's genuinely unnerving to know your pals are somewhere near you, but you can't see or help them. It's like being at a party where you know no one, except the party is trying to kill you.
Gameplay: Puzzle-Solving While Peeing Your Pants
With no weapons at your disposal, you're left to your wits, which, let's be honest, isn't great news for most of us. You'll need to solve puzzles, explore, and use stealth to avoid becoming the creature's next happy meal. It's like an escape room, but the room is actively trying to escape you.
The dimensional rifts add a layer of "what the actual hell" to the proceedings. One minute you're creeping through a spooky hotel, the next you're playing poker with what I can only assume are the ghosts of Vegas past. Win, and you might get a prize. Lose, and well, let's just say the house always wins, and in this case, the house might eat you.
Early Access Jankiness: It's Not a Bug, It's a Feature!
Now, let's address the elephant in the room – or should I say, the glitchy textures in the alternate dimension. Ominous is in early access, and it shows. Some players report more bugs than a roach motel, with items playing hide and seek better than the players themselves.
The tutorial apparently moves slower than a sloth on sedatives, which is great if you've always wanted to experience time dilation firsthand. And let's not forget the star of the show – the "ANNOYING DANCING BARTENDER" who takes his sweet time serving you items. It's like waiting for a drink at a busy bar, except the bar is in purgatory.
Replayability: A New Nightmare Every Time
On the bright side, the procedurally generated maps mean you'll never get bored of the same old terrifying hotel layout. The varying end times add a nice "when will this nightmare end?" spice to each playthrough. It's like a horror-themed slot machine – you never know when you'll hit the jackpot of terror!
Conclusion: A Diamond in the Rough (Very Rough) Dimensions
Ominous is like that weird experimental dish at a fancy restaurant. It's intriguing, potentially delicious, but might also give you indigestion. The concept is solid gold, but the execution is currently more like fool's gold – shiny on the surface, but not quite the real deal yet.
If you're into games like Phasmophobia or Lethal Company, and you have a high tolerance for early access quirks, Ominous might just be your new favorite fever dream. For everyone else, maybe wait for a few more updates before checking into this interdimensional hotel.
Score: 6.5/10
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way. Our sanity, on the other hand, is still lost somewhere in the 17th dimension.