Omno has been in development for several years but, most remarkably of all given its lush visuals and seeming scale, it is the work of one man. Jonas Manke is the whole staff of StudioInkyfox, though he has a decade of industry experience on titles such as State of Decay, and began work on the project around five years ago, before a successful Kickstarter in 2018 allowed him to focus more fully on realising the game. Now it has a new trailer and release date, and Omno will be available on July 29.
As you'll see above, the visual appeal of Omno is not just the visual style but the imagination in this world, and particularly the wildlife that the main character interacts with along the way: from shy little sand crabs to languorous flying jellyfish, lazy giant turtles and ginormous fluorescent dinosaurs. I was pretty much sold from the first few seconds, but then when I saw the main character's magic wand turn into a hoverboard... I need this in my belly.
The game is singleplayer and the Journey influence seems strong: this is an atmsopheric adventure through a (hopefully) wonderful world, with platforming and light puzzle elements. Particularly notable is the lusciously fluid animation as the player character navigates these landscapes at some speed. The player’s magic staff powers various relics that unlock some of the more dazzling abilities seen above.
Omno has no combat, though you can "peacefully bewitch and befriend a wide variety of mythical animals, from lively insects to hulking leviathans."
"I first started creating Omno just for fun. I mostly just wanted to make a world I could escape to after work,” says creator Jonas Manke. "It was only after sharing some of the stuff I was making with friends and family that I thought maybe I could actually turn this into something people might actually want to play! Being here now, nearly 5 years later, with a successful Kickstarter campaign and a game about to launch on PC & consoles still feels like a dream to me."
Well hey Jonas: right now, Omno looks like one.
