Omen Exitio: Plague
- October 18, 2016
- Tiny Bull Studios
Get on Steam"Omen Exitio: Plague" is a narrative-driven RPG set in the Cthulhu mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft. Players delve into a chilling world of eldritch horrors and dark secrets, making choices that impact the story's outcome. Drawing from gamebook mechanics, this immersive experience offers a unique blend of role-playing and interactive fiction for a thrilling adventure.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Engaging and well-written story that captures the Lovecraftian atmosphere.
- Choices significantly impact the narrative, providing a sense of agency and replayability.
- Beautiful artwork and sound design enhance the immersive experience.
- Some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing detract from the overall experience.
- The game can feel linear at times, with certain choices leading to similar outcomes.
- Lack of a save feature makes it tedious to replay sections for different choices.
- story310 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Omen Exitio: Plague" is a captivating blend of Lovecraftian horror and interactive narrative, praised for its intriguing plot and atmospheric writing. While many players enjoyed the depth of choices and character development, some noted that the story can feel linear and occasionally chaotic, with certain gameplay mechanics detracting from the overall experience. Despite minor grammatical issues and a few narrative inconsistencies, the game is generally regarded as a worthwhile experience for fans of story-driven adventures.
“Omen exitio is a wonderful Lovecraftian story.”
“The story is engaging as well, a neat mashup of imperial British high adventure and the Cthulhu mythos.”
“The writing and plot are incredible, and great in bringing you into the world of paranoia, the music and sound effects are brilliant, and there are tons of illustrations to go with each scene.”
“The development team had a good idea for a game, but unfortunately a few, seemingly minor aspects negatively affected some of the most important story beats to the point that it made me regret spending the 9 hours it took me to complete it.”
“However, if you don't build your character with some specific attributes, on specific levels, especially during the ambush in the last African village that you visit with your squadron, you get forced into failing some important story beats because the game doesn't really give you enough upgrade points by that time to make up for it.”
“Unfortunately, the most important thing of such a game (the writing) is both stylistic and in terms of the story not really good.”
- gameplay35 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Omen Exitio: Plague" is primarily a narrative-driven experience with light RPG mechanics, focusing on a choose-your-own-adventure style that emphasizes reading and decision-making over traditional gameplay elements. While some players appreciate the integration of RPG features and the atmospheric storytelling, others find the mechanics minimal and the replayability hindered by a lack of convenient navigation options. Overall, the game offers a unique blend of narrative and light mechanics, appealing to those who enjoy interactive stories, though it may not satisfy players seeking more substantial gameplay.
“Plus, if you're left wanting more, the game comes with two free, meaty side stories which use the same gameplay mechanics as the main game, both exploring the setting's particular take on Lovecraft and putting you in the headspaces of two very different protagonists.”
“Fun and full of your classic choose-your-own-adventure style gameplay layered on top of an intuitive RPG lite system.”
“The gameplay is a straightforward 'choose your own adventure' style novel, with some light RPG elements in the form of experience points, character stats, and equipment.”
“Infection is a fitting theme for this title, as it's clearly a book that's been infected with the idea that it ought to be a video game, resulting in a healthy narrative experience riddled with unnecessary mechanic tumors.”
“There's a very small amount of character development and role playing in this game and some choices that lead to relatively minor deviations in the way the story develops, but basically what you get here is a story being told to you via straight text with little gameplay.”
“The lack of a proper skipping feature, bookmarking feature or save-game mechanic makes it a little tedious to replay the novel - just like with reading a book, you don't want to re-read it the very next day, so as a player I found myself annoyed having to sift through the same pages again and again with no easy way to skip forward to the point in the novel where I might try to access new content.”
- music33 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, effectively complementing the narrative and visual elements. Reviewers note that the soundtrack is haunting and well-suited to the Lovecraftian themes, contributing significantly to immersion, although some found it repetitive over extended play. Overall, the combination of music, sound design, and artwork creates a compelling and atmospheric experience that elevates the interactive storytelling.
“The music is good, and the adaptation of Lovecraft's work to create their own story was done well.”
“The literature is nicely complemented with some classical cinematic music that fits extremely well with the tone of the story.”
“Enhanced by the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, the atmosphere stays true to Lovecraft, and many moments sent chills down my spine.”
“Music fits the mood but is a bit too monotonous and repetitive; I ended up turning it off after a couple of hours.”
“It fails at horror, fails at mystery, and fails at getting any emotional reaction from the player with its overtly manipulative injections of dead wives, endangered children, and spooky organ music.”
“Also, the music is generally the sort of eerie soundscape you want for a mythos game; it was really just that one track.”
- atmosphere30 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, effectively enhanced by a well-crafted soundtrack and evocative visual style reminiscent of 19th-century illustrations. Reviewers highlight the strong writing and pacing that contribute to a tense, Lovecraftian ambiance, making it a compelling experience for fans of atmospheric storytelling. However, some critiques mention occasional issues with spelling that can detract from the overall immersion.
“The atmosphere was palpable, the choices and consequences are well done, the visual style and accompanying OST fit well.”
“The story builds an atmosphere that makes you question the story itself in an interesting way.”
“Enhanced by the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, the atmosphere stays true to Lovecraft, and many moments sent chills down my spine.”
“The game has some nice ideas but for me it failed to generate enough atmosphere.”
“Too many misspellings, which throw you out of the atmosphere and story.”
“The lovecraftian atmosphere works well, even if it does not avoid some clichés.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are characterized by beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and a clean user interface that enhance the storytelling experience without overwhelming the player. While the visuals are minimal and primarily static, they effectively contribute to the game's atmosphere, complemented by a well-designed soundtrack and sound effects. Overall, the artwork is praised for its aesthetic appeal, though some users noted occasional spelling errors and a lack of dynamic graphics.
“First-rate artwork and style (the retro illustrations take this to a whole extra level).”
“I really like the artwork and the sounds/music help a lot with the immersion, and the menus are concise and intuitive.”
“There's no graphics besides an occasional hand-drawn picture.”
“The graphics are minimal, with a clean user interface, and some nice sketches to complement the scenes being described.”
“All graphics are static with a few simple user interface swiping animations.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate to high replayability, enhanced by features like a fast-forward option for previously read pages and the ability to explore different choices that significantly alter gameplay moments. While the main story can be completed in about four and a half hours, additional side stories and achievements encourage multiple playthroughs. Overall, players appreciate the engaging narrative and diverse skill trees that contribute to the game's replay value.
“While not that long, as I completed the game in about four and a half hours, it contains a side story that I have yet to tackle, which seems to be a prequel of sorts, and offers lots of replayability in the way of previously mentioned choices that you can make, that alters the moment-to-moment significantly, but not that much the overall plot.”
“The Lovecraftian narrative is well incorporated and the game is very replayable, with 'true' choices that really have consequences in the game.”
“Oh, and it has almost zero replay value unless you're really obsessed with achievements.”
“Replayability: medium-ish.”
“This combined with the game offering a 'fast-forward' for pages already read, and displaying choices already selected, has added replay value to what is otherwise comparable to a feature-length film.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a mixed emotional impact, with some players feeling cheated by an underwhelming ending and a lack of connection to characters, while others appreciated the relatable characters and satisfying conclusion. The game struggles to evoke genuine emotional reactions, often resorting to manipulative tropes that detract from its intended horror and mystery elements.
“The story reminded me of several books I've read, including Treasure Island, where out of nowhere, a seemingly ordinary adventure turns into a wholesome experience.”
“The intrigues and relatable characters made me feel satisfied with the ending I received.”
- character development4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is minimal, with only minor choices affecting the story's progression, resulting in a more narrative-driven experience rather than a deeply interactive one. However, some users appreciate the fine implementation of characters and choices, noting that while the development may seem simple, it effectively supports the Lovecraftian theme. Overall, the character development is present but not a central focus of the gameplay.
“Fine character development.”
“The characters, the choices, the character development, the UI, and all other details are very well implemented.”
“At first glance, the game looks simple, a Lovecraftian story with some simple choices and a little bit of character development.”
“There's a very small amount of character development and role playing in this game and some choices that lead to relatively minor deviations in the way the story develops, but basically what you get here is a story being told to you via straight text with little gameplay.”
“At first glance the game looks simple, a Lovecraftian story with some simple choices and a little bit of character development.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to the absence of features like skipping, bookmarking, or save-game mechanics, which forces them to replay sections unnecessarily. This repetition can detract from immersion, especially when character behaviors feel unrealistic, leading to frustration. However, some users appreciate the overall experience, noting that the video game format enhances the traditional gamebook concept.
“The lack of a proper skipping feature, bookmarking feature, or save-game mechanic makes it a little tedious to replay the novel. Just like with reading a book, you don't want to re-read it the very next day, so as a player, I found myself annoyed having to sift through the same pages again and again with no easy way to skip forward to the point in the novel where I might try to access new content.”
“This is especially jarring with the soldiers in the very beginning, who act nothing like real soldiers do. The lack of appropriate reactions to the 16-year-old Irish kid's non-stop drunken antics was really grinding my gears.”
“I vaguely remember playing gamebooks as a kid. I loved the concept but always found them a bit tedious, with too much temptation to view the other results, which broke immersion.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a dark, ironic tone, with the narrative often mocking players for their perceived failures while presenting a sense of inevitability in the storyline. This blend of self-aware commentary and exaggerated villainy creates a unique comedic experience that may resonate with those who appreciate a more sardonic approach to storytelling.
“And then, like a rabid toxic dungeon master, it spends the later chapters informing you of how 'everything brought you there' and 'how this was decided from the start' as if railroading was super fun, while – at the same time – laughing manically at you like a 60s cartoon villain for failing to save x or y person as if you actually had any choice in the matter.”
