Omegaland
- July 12, 2017
- Jonas Kyratzes
"Omegaland" is a cute and simple platformer game, with 25+ levels spread across 3 regions, where players help Princess Omega retrieve her lost magical keys. Along the way, players can collect coins for upgrades, discover secrets, and face challenges like Tiny Hill. With achievements, treasure, and a crazy hermit's shopping mall, this game inspired by classics offers a fun and engaging experience.
Reviews
- Omegaland starts as a charming and engaging platformer that pays homage to classic Mario games, with tight controls and a fun coin-collecting mechanic that allows for upgrades.
- The game features a significant twist in its narrative that transforms the gameplay experience, adding depth and unexpected challenges that keep players invested.
- Despite some difficulty spikes, the game offers a variety of levels and exploration opportunities, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate quirky and creative platformers.
- The game suffers from a steep difficulty curve after the first act, with many players finding the transition from easy to hard levels jarring and frustrating, especially with limited health resources.
- Some levels are poorly designed, leading to confusion about required upgrades and causing players to feel stuck or forced to grind for coins to progress.
- The lack of controller support and clunky keyboard controls can detract from the overall experience, making it less accessible for players who prefer gamepads.
- story18 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as having an original premise with a standard "save the princess" theme that features a well-executed twist midway through. However, it lacks a central narrative, relying instead on environmental storytelling and brief NPC dialogues, which can hinder plot expansion. While the clever level design complements the story, some gameplay elements may confuse players regarding necessary upgrades for progression.
“It's a couple of hours long, it costs like a quid, and it has genuinely clever level design coupled with story and themes that never got in the way but did a great job with minimal tools.”
“The story is pretty original and the gameplay is really good.”
“But then after you complete the first part of the story, the game literally and figuratively takes a dump on itself, and what became a fun platformer turns into a nightmare.”
“Part of it might be how NPCs only speak to you in quick snippets, preventing any sort of direct plot expansion from the dialogue.”
“There’s definitely a story here but one without a central narrative to follow, told more from the actual flow of the game and hints in the environments than plot lines.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a charming and straightforward 2D exploration experience, featuring basic mechanics and a vibrant world. While it offers a good amount of content and engaging elements like the omegaflow mechanic, some players feel that the gameplay lacks depth compared to other options in the genre. Overall, it provides a fun and humorous adventure, making it a worthwhile experience for its low price, despite occasional issues with the introduction of new mechanics.
“While the gameplay itself doesn’t fundamentally change, it does offer more to accomplish while you’re out and about and more to do with your hard-earned coins.”
“The story is pretty original and the gameplay is really good.”
“If you're a fan of Jonas Kyratzes, you might enjoy the narrative, but there are better options out there for gameplay, even at this price.”
“Sometimes new game mechanics show up without any introduction.”
“It’s just that the quality is more in the gameplay than the narrative, and the world can always use more good platformers.”
- music10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and quality, enhancing the overall experience with a sense of swagger and awe. Reviewers highlight the crisp design and effective sound design, noting that the music complements the sprawling levels and character development beautifully. Overall, it contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere and emotional impact.
“Charming, cool concept, crisp design, and amazing music!”
“The music and sprawling levels create a real sense of awe, the sparse dialogue gives me just enough to care about the characters, and the omegaflow mechanic is a brilliant metaphor for the capricious world Jonas experiences (e.g. cat emergencies).”
“+ music and sound design is great.”
“The invincibility star music made me feel like I could swagger into a bar with a cigar in my mouth, wearing a trench coat and matching hat, with a woman hanging on each arm—rather than obliterate any enemy I touch.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics have received mixed feedback, with some players noting visibility issues that make it difficult to see enemies and determine interactions, such as stomping. Despite the simple and sometimes wanky visual style, some reviewers suggest that the low price shouldn't deter potential players.
“This wouldn't even be too bad if it weren't for the fact that you can barely see enemies sometimes due to the graphics, and one can never be too sure if you can stomp on them or not.”
“The graphics get all wanky, and the turds come crashing down.”
“Don't let the cheap price nor simple style graphics put you off.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is characterized by frequent glitches that require players to manage their resources carefully, particularly charges, to navigate through obstacles. While these glitches contribute to a tense atmosphere, they can also hinder gameplay, necessitating strategic use of the shield to avoid losing charges. Overall, the stability issues add a layer of challenge and engagement, enhancing the game's implicit horror elements.
“You need the full amount of charges to run through all the glitches to get into the final world.”
“The shield doesn't use up a charge when you actually make contact with spikes, turds, or glitches.”
“This game has implicit horror elements, where the world glitches up and introduces new obstacles and goals as resources become much tighter.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is not considered grindy, as players can progress through levels without excessive repetition. However, some grinding may be necessary to obtain all upgrades, with a well-balanced system that encourages optional level exploration without making it feel mandatory.
“Grinding is optional, but you'll need to do at least a bit of it if you want all those upgrades.”
“It's not a grindy game by any means; I just played the same lucrative stage a couple of times until I had what I wanted. Ideally, that would not have happened even once.”
“The bonuses are calculated well enough that you should purchase all the upgrades by going through every level once. There's a good balance between avoiding grinding and giving a purpose to optional levels.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its playful style and clever jokes, particularly in the art and collectibles. Players appreciate the game's willingness to let them make mistakes, creating a lighthearted atmosphere where setbacks are met with laughter rather than frustration. Overall, the combination of cute visuals and humorous challenges contributes to an enjoyable experience.
“Omegaland will not hold your hand, will not guide you to the 'correct' path, will let you make mistakes and then laugh at you... but you have plenty of hit points and dying only sets you back two minutes, so you're laughing along with it.”
“It took a while to get used to the physics, but the art was cute, the collectibles and other jokes were funny, and figuring out the layouts of the castles was a fun challenge.”
“Lots of great style and humor.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the nostalgic and empowering feelings evoked by the invincibility star music, which inspires a sense of confidence and swagger rather than just a focus on gameplay mechanics. This music transforms the player's experience into a cinematic fantasy, enhancing the overall emotional engagement with the game.
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization system primarily revolves around collecting coins to unlock optional in-game purchases that enhance or restore health points, allowing players to improve their gameplay experience without mandatory spending.
“Collecting enough coins to unlock optional in-game purchases that increase or aid health points.”
“Collecting enough coins to unlock optional in-game purchases that increase or aid health points feels like a grind.”
“The monetization strategy relies heavily on collecting coins for optional purchases, which can be frustrating.”