Omikron: The Nomad Soul

66%
Game Brain Score Based on 435 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Omikron: The Nomad Soul Game Cover
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In "Omikron: The Nomad Soul," you explore the city of Omikron as a detective, solving crimes and uncovering a conspiracy. The game features action, adventure, and puzzle-solving elements, as well as a unique possession mechanic that allows you to take control of other characters. A strong emphasis on mystery and exploration make this a unique and immersive experience.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

66%
Audience ScoreBased on 435 reviews
story68 positive mentions
stability8 negative mentions
  • Omikron: The Nomad Soul features a unique blend of gameplay styles, including adventure, first-person shooting, and fighting mechanics, which creates a diverse gaming experience.
  • The game's atmosphere is enhanced by an impressive soundtrack, including contributions from David Bowie, which adds depth to the overall experience.
  • The story is ambitious and intriguing, exploring themes of identity and existence through the mechanic of body-swapping, making it a memorable narrative.
  • The controls are clunky and outdated, making navigation and combat frustrating, especially for modern players accustomed to more refined mechanics.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including crashes and compatibility problems on modern systems, which can hinder the gameplay experience.
  • The save system is poorly designed, requiring players to collect in-game currency to save progress, which can lead to significant frustration and loss of progress.
  • story176 mentions

    The game's story is a complex blend of sci-fi and spirituality, featuring intriguing concepts such as police corruption and reincarnation, but suffers from poor execution and convoluted plot points. While the narrative starts strong and is enriched by a unique atmosphere and David Bowie's involvement, it becomes increasingly linear and confusing, with many characters lacking depth and the dialogue-heavy exposition detracting from the overall experience. Despite its ambitious ideas and engaging world, the story ultimately feels rushed and disjointed, leaving players frustrated with its lack of clarity and coherence.

    • “I find the world, the lore, the story very intriguing right through till the end.”
    • “The story itself was rather interesting, taking some wild turns pretty quickly and with a heavy meta element from the very start.”
    • “The graphics, detailed environments, and complex storyline all come together to create an immersive and engaging experience.”
    • “The story is incoherent and is loosely tied together with painful exposition.”
    • “Characters are one-dimensional and never change or grow throughout the story, and many of them seem to only exist for the sole purpose of explaining plot concepts.”
    • “The puzzles make little to no sense, the overall story is convoluted and easily forgotten after random NPCs inform the player of nothing.”
  • music130 mentions

    The music in "Omikron: The Nomad Soul" is widely praised, particularly for its contributions from David Bowie, who not only provided several original songs but also lent his voice and likeness to the game. Players appreciate the atmospheric soundtrack, which enhances the game's futuristic setting, although some critiques mention that certain tracks can feel out of place or repetitive. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, elevating the game's experience significantly.

    • “David Bowie's involvement with this game is fascinating, as the music fits right in with the tone and mood of the setting, and you do get a strong 'alternate dimension' feeling.”
    • “From the very beginning, the game draws you in with Bowie's haunting vocals on the theme song, 'New Angels of Promise.' As you navigate through the futuristic city of Omikron, Bowie's music is seamlessly woven into the game's soundtrack.”
    • “The music adds that extra level of charm to the game.”
    • “The game is painful; the music cuts out in some dialogue scenes, creating an unintentional creepy atmosphere, only to blast loud music a second later. So don't play with headphones.”
    • “Even David Bowie's music cannot save this game.”
    • “The writing is rushed and cliché, characters look awful, plays even worse, and the music is either okay or the worst thing ever.”
  • gameplay111 mentions

    The gameplay of Omikron: The Nomad Soul is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of third-person adventure, first-person shooting, and fighting mechanics that often feel clunky and unresponsive. While the game offers unique concepts like body-switching and a rich narrative, many players find the controls confusing and the mechanics poorly executed, leading to a frustrating experience. Despite its ambitious design and innovative ideas for its time, the gameplay has not aged well, making it a challenging play for modern audiences.

    • “The gameplay blends FPS and third-person adventure mechanics to investigate a mystery in a cyberpunk setting; the switching back and forth gameplay was pretty innovative for the era - 1999.”
    • “The gameplay is fast-paced and challenging, and the RPG elements allow for personalization and strategic decision-making.”
    • “The genius mixture of adventure, fighting, and first-person shooting gameplay is a formula that few others have even attempted to replicate.”
    • “The graphics and storyline are actually pretty decent, but the gameplay and lack of guidance/tutorial/introduction sucks.”
    • “The gameplay feels clunky and nearly unplayable.”
    • “The gameplay isn't fun, the story isn't engaging, and the graphics and sound have dated so poorly due to their strange art style and direction.”
  • graphics64 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, reflecting its 1999 release, but some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and artistic style reminiscent of the era. While the visuals may not hold up to modern standards, they were impressive for their time and contribute to the game's unique atmosphere, particularly in its cyberpunk setting. Overall, opinions are mixed, with some praising the aesthetics and others criticizing the poor graphical fidelity and confusing design elements.

    • “The graphics, detailed environments, and complex storyline all come together to create an immersive and engaging experience.”
    • “It is so 00's futuristic; I think the game is gorgeous for its time, an open world to be explored, nice music, nice graphics, nice interactions.”
    • “Graphically, the fidelity has not held up well over the years, but taking in the voracity of its design, here is a piece of art that will leave a lasting impression in the hearts and minds of players for generations.”
    • “That being said, how dated the graphics are marks my only complaints about this game.”
    • “Halls in buildings are designed to confuse you and make you miss doors/openings, which are already difficult to see due to the poor graphics and colors that blend together.”
    • “It's just so weird, and has such a potent combination of poor gameplay, insane story, and dated art style and mechanics that all I can do at the end of each session is wish that someone picks up on these awesome ideas and actually uses them well.”
  • atmosphere18 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its strong cyberpunk vibe, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack, including contributions from David Bowie. While the initial district sets a high standard with its engaging and dark ambiance, subsequent areas are perceived as less compelling, leading to a mixed experience. Overall, the game's design and music create a memorable and immersive atmosphere that resonates with players, despite some technical shortcomings.

    • “The atmosphere is honestly amazing for the time period.”
    • “It creates a surreal atmosphere and adds depth to the game's narrative.”
    • “The game is extremely good minus the terrible control scheme, with a Blade Runner-esque cyberpunk setting and intriguing storyline, plus an extremely awesome soundtrack by David Bowie; it's an ambitious game for its time with a fantastic atmosphere.”
    • “The game is painful; the music cuts out in some dialogue scenes, creating an unintentional creepy atmosphere, only to then blast loud music a second later. So don't play with headphones.”
    • “All of this may have been excusable if the atmosphere of the game kept up with what it established previously... but to be frank, the other districts in the game felt... in a word, boring compared to Anekbah (the first district you find yourself in), which, at least for me, set this engaging, dark cyberpunk mystery-investigation standard.”
    • “Graphics are typical of 1999, but it also takes you back to the cyberpunkesque atmosphere.”
  • stability8 mentions

    The game's stability is notably poor, with frequent glitches and crashes reported, including game-breaking issues during key battles. Many users experienced significant troubleshooting challenges, and the game often freezes with limited save opportunities, making it difficult to progress. Overall, the game's age contributes to its instability, leading to a frustrating experience for players.

    • “The shooting levels are also full of glitches, including a few game-breaking ones, such as one in the boss battle beyond Commandant Gandhar's office, and another in the Tetra Trust base.”
    • “Completely nonfunctional on my PC even after several hours of troubleshooting.”
    • “The game freezes very frequently and it doesn't have a lot of save opportunities.”
  • optimization5 mentions

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance and technical issues, although some found success running it in Windows XP compatibility mode. The mixed gameplay mechanics, combining fighting and FPS elements, further detract from the experience, leading to frustration with control schemes and AI difficulty. Overall, the game is seen as poorly optimized, failing to deliver a smooth experience despite its innovative concepts.

    • “Final note on technical problems: for me, the game runs totally fine if you execute it in Windows XP compatibility mode; no crashes, no poor performance.”
    • “These can be increased by taking the characters to a training facility and practicing to increase their parameters and subsequent combat performance.”
    • “This game was well ahead of its time and features David Bowie as both a crucial plot component and a feature via in-game performances from his album 'Hours'.”
    • “Not even David Bowie saved this game; it is poorly optimized.”
    • “Lastly, the gameplay in this game is just... my gosh, so terrible. It's not optimized for any set of controls, and this game literally mixes in Tekken-style fighting mechanics (which don't work well at all) with FPS moments that just make the game even worse.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly during the final boss fight, where the inability to access collected items and the boss's increased difficulty contribute to frustration. Additionally, while the open world offers exploration opportunities, it often lacks engaging activities outside the main storyline, leading to a sense of monotony.

    • “The final boss is tedious and annoying; when you get him down to 50% HP, he goes into turbo mode, so don't forget to have some extra health kits.”
    • “The open world is interesting to explore, though it can get a bit tedious since there isn't much to do outside the main story.”
    • “What's more, the problems in the redirection are irrelevant or tedious, involving arranging, coordinating number juggling, and weakening errands.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a clever yet self-deprecating tone, often highlighting the absurdities of its narrative and character development. Players appreciate the comedic juxtaposition of David Bowie's talent with David Cage's storytelling missteps, making for a uniquely entertaining experience that invites both admiration and laughter.

    • “It's that ambition I mentioned, but holy shit does it do every single one of these things hilariously poorly.”
    • “Check this game out if you love seeing and hearing David Bowie, but also love laughing at David Cage's confusing stories and inability to make likable characters.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Omikron" is highlighted by its ability to evoke strong feelings, with users noting moments of heartbreak and tears, largely attributed to the influence of David Bowie's unique vision and the game's soundtrack. Despite some critiques of its overall impact, the emotional depth remains a significant element of the experience.

    • “I cried a few times listening to that.”
    • “There's no question that the purity of vision afforded by the influence of the incomparable David Bowie is a driving force in the emotional tangibility of this world.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game's replayability is hindered by cumbersome controls that require reassignment for a better experience, which may detract from the overall enjoyment and nostalgia. While it evokes great memories, the PC port's limitations may discourage repeated playthroughs.

    • “I must admit this game brings back great memories, but the port to PC is just mediocre. The controls are a bit cumbersome; I had to reassign them to make the game a little more playable, and even after that, the game was only slightly easier to play.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

18hMedian play time
15hAverage play time
10-28hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 7 analyzed playthroughs

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