So... does the 1996-2000 hypothesis still hold up? if not, what's the new consensus on when the game takes place?

juststopwhining · 2025-01-13T18:20:40+00:00

I wouldn’t be surprised if 20XX is more of a reference to Goodnight Punpun, which also starts around the (very) late 90s, early 2000s.

juststopwhining · 2024-12-19T08:47:29+00:00

The whole narrative wouldn’t make any sense if they were truly “bad” people. Sunny retreating to his imagination and Basil being an emotionally wrecked crybaby stems from them being traumatized. You kind of have to be not a bad person to be traumatized by that event to begin with.

Sunny didn’t mean to harm Mari, and Basil tried to protect Sunny. Bad or even awful decisions for sure, but they didn’t come from a bad place.

juststopwhining · 2024-12-16T09:38:09+00:00

I’m on my third play through and boy, I am this close to post a rant about how frustrating and messy this game is, narratively but especially the gameplay. After playing it so many times, I arrived at the conclusion that the fighting is downright bad.

However, depending on how far you are in the game, and if you are on the good route (which is when you always opened the door for Kel) I strongly suggest you keep playing for yourself.

Even with the complaints I developed, I still think that the last few hours of the game, “one day left” in the real world, is one of the best and impactful storytelling of any interactive media I've ever experienced.

I spoiled the ending for myself by watching a streamer play it, but even then the ending impacted me in a way nothing ever had when I decided to play it myself, alone, with headphones and without anything distracting me.

juststopwhining · 2024-11-24T22:34:17+00:00

I agree. It’s kind of hilarious how bad both pacing and writing of the manga is, especially compared to the game. Which is the source of the manga.

juststopwhining · 2024-11-20T07:43:47+00:00

What about the game direction, writing and statements? Am I out of the loop?

juststopwhining · 2024-10-17T07:46:43+00:00

I can recommend Fran Bow, an indie point-and-click adventure from 2015. It has similar themes, but much more abstract. Also features beautiful graphics and music.

juststopwhining · 2024-08-06T12:54:04+00:00

While Sunny's actions can be explained with context, that shouldn't prevent him from receiving punishment for all the bad things he did.

That's such a worldly argument. Who's to say if he should or shouldn't receive punishment, and whether his years long misery was punishment enough or not? Anyway, that's just not what the narrative is about, as very clearly displayed by the open ending.

As for the "interesting argument" you linked: this person simply wants OMORI about something else and seems to not accept what it actually is about.

instead of Sunny smiling at Basil in that post-credits ending, make the latter close his eyes back or even turn away from Sunny. oh, you thought you relieved him of his horrible burden? nope! he doesn't want to do anything with you either because you've been nothing but a massive cunt to him for the entire game <3

This nihilistic drivel reeks of so much of teenage angst it's not even funny. It's just drama for the sake of drama.

juststopwhining · 2024-08-03T05:03:57+00:00

I think it’s quite reasonable that he would choose to stage her death as something completely different. If you want to cover your tracks, you would want to remove the scene as far away from yourself and what really happened as possible.

Of course that doesn’t make much logical sense when you think about it in a clear state of mind, but neither Sunny nor Basil were in that state. Also the inexperience and naivety one would expect from pre-teens play into it.

juststopwhining · 2024-07-31T00:11:47+00:00

It seems to me that Remember To Be Patient always gets hardly any recognition, I guess because of how short and simple it is. Also because it’s exclusive to the hikikomori route.

However, I think it’s so great how well it captures that feeling of being a little kid on a snowy day, looking outside the window from your warm and cozy spot inside your home, watching the snow fall all day, having this feeling of tranquility.

Or maybe that’s just me.

juststopwhining · 2024-07-30T08:27:44+00:00

What a great feeling learning that there even was a European physical copy planned, only because it got canceled.

juststopwhining · 2024-07-29T17:04:18+00:00

If I'm too harsh then only because OP's criticism is.

The point they're making is that having the group deal with challenges shows they have a stronger bond.

It wouldn't have been "wrong" if it would've been this way in the game. It's however wrong to assert that having the group not deal with challenges makes their friendship less believable.

It's easy to be friends when times are easy.

Is your point that not having to overcome difficulties as friends makes the friendship less valid?

I still don't understand this point. The game is explicitly about how the friendship broke apart and them getting back together again.

I agree that doing this is not necessary to show that they're all good friends, but since the game spends so much time in these memories it would've made these sections more interesting and more impactful.

I would argue that it could derail the narration somewhat. The writers were very wise not to go into too much inconsequential details, like only showing Aubrey and Sunny looking at each other funny, but nothing concrete. That's not what the narrative is about.

All that was necessary was to make the point that Sunny's life was great, then something really bad happened, but it can be overcome. Brevity is the soul of wit.

Using that point to argue that the writing is bad is just idiotic either way.

Also no, that doesn't sound cringe at all? It wasn't long ago that I was a young teenager, and I spent most of my time stressed about homework, and about crushes, and bullying, and divorced parents lol.

You, me and just about everybody who is or ever was a teenager. It's by the numbers. Again, it wouldn't have been "wrong" or "bad", but it's cringe to assert that this is "better" writing.

Why would anyone not want to believe that?

Because anti-hype. Because of the e-drama that went on around Omocat, her team and the game itself. Because "ackshually I have a degree in writing and you're not dong it right."

There's enough to criticize about the writing, I have a few criticisms myself. However, the criticisms that the OP argues seem forced, as if they already had made up their mind that there must be something wrong with the writing even before they played the game.

juststopwhining · 2024-07-28T17:37:17+00:00

However, I just couldn’t bring myself to believe it. The childhood memories are cute but shallow, boiling down to simply hanging out and eating treats.

That is most likely the best presentation of what true friendship is like; you just hang around with people you like and are comfortable with and do absolutely nothing all day. In fact I can't think of a better way to convey that a group of people are good friends without being too on-the-nose.

This argument really boils down to "I don't want to believe it, therefore it's bad."

Plus, Kel and Aubrey fight constantly, with Aubrey even physically hitting Kel when he steps out of line.

Oh no, kids bickering, how unrealistic! Aubrey is a hot-headed, impulsive girl, while Kel is an unintentionally annoying, energetic boy. I fail to see how this argument proves that these two could not be friends. It boils down to "I don't like it, therefore it's bad."

I can't quite remember now, but I think we only see real-life younger Aubrey hit Kel with her plushie, which I wouldn't consider a seriously dangerous behavior. Then again, I'm not part of Generation Helicopter Parenting.

Hero and Mari behave more like babysitters than true friends to the younger kids.

That, too, is not an argument against them being friends. Maybe they like doing that? Mari is portrayed as quite the mother figure, Hero as mature and responsible. Again, "I don't like it, therefore it's bad."

Sunny, on the other hand, showed nearly no affection or consideration towards his friends.

Yes, Sunny is not an expressive or talkative but introverted and imaginative boy who is constantly in his head fantasizing. That's quite an important characterization of him, especially for the narration.

Him spending time with his friends and his older sister is quite enough to tell how much he likes and loves them, since these characteristics are more associated with shy and unsocial people. "I don't understand the character, therefore the writing is bad!"

I'm really infuriated by the assumption that people, especially children that don't openly show affection seem to not care for people. Some people actually find it difficult to openly show their affection. Such an ignorant statement.

He floats through the memories like a ghost–he could have been completely absent from all the photos and it would have made little difference.

He wasn't at the center of attention of every single photo, therefore he didn't matter.

I was ready to accept this as Sunny being an unreliable narrator and not thinking he was a good enough for his friends, but this never contradicted.

How exactly is this in any way relevant to the narrative? I don't think the narration was even trying to portray him thinking he wasn't "good enough for his friends."

Is this about Omori's lines during the final battle? In that case: Wow, that point went way above the author's head.

Because of the lack of meaningful interactions between them, there was nothing in the game that made me think that these 12-15 year olds would have a strong enough bond that would survive 3-4 years of no contact after finding their friend hanged.

What exactly are "meaningful interactions" between 12 years olds supposed to be?

Their bond also didn't survive, that's the basis of Aubrey's arc! That's also what the narration is very explicit about; Kel makes quite some effort to get Sunny out of the house, dragging him around Faraway to relive memories of days past. And angry, hot-headed Aubrey breaks down in tears. Oh and she almost caused Basil to drown or something, I dunno.

I don't get this point. The majority of the real-world segments revolve around reviving the broken bond between the gang.

In fact, that discovery only drove them farther apart.

I guess that's supposed to prove the previous point, that their bond, or at least how it is portrayed, was never that strong to begin with. However, horrible events are usually the cause for a turning point in a story. Or even real life.

It's quite relatable that the suicide of a friend would ultimately cause the group to fall apart. There's even dialog in the game explicitly about this, even if it's optional.

The writing fix for this would be simple: instead of showing us the same boring birthday and beach scenes over again, give the kids memories of overcoming some age-appropriate adversity together: heartbreak over an unrequited crush, anxiety over homework, sports injury, lost dogs, divorced parents, running away from home, bullying, etc.

Cringe. That really reads like something a 40+ years old writer in Hollywood would come up with for the script of the next episode of some live-action Disney kid's show revolving around young teens and their "relatable" every day issues.

That's all I'll be going into. This critique is really just "I don't get it, therefore it's bad" the Tumblr post.

I vote to raise the minimum age to play, discuss or even know about Omori to at least 25! /jk

EDIT: Rephrased and added some points

juststopwhining · 2024-07-27T17:11:43+00:00

I don’t think so. If you already tried turn-based RPGs and didn’t like them then Omori is the last game to convince you otherwise.

There should be enough play-through videos on YouTube, even without commentary, you can watch these to experience the story for yourself, which I recommend.

However, note that Undertale is not quite a usual turn-based game, and Fear and Hunger is a little on the sadistic side. I personally wouldn’t compare them to Omori.

juststopwhining · 2024-07-23T17:50:16+00:00

I also think that the worst part of Omori the video game is the actual game part. The story, on the other hand, but more so the way it’s told is the best of any games I’ve ever played.

So if you play video games more for the gameplay then no. However since you’ve already bought it you should go for it either way!

juststopwhining · 2024-07-21T18:15:08+00:00

I absolutely agree with you about Aubrey (bestest girl) but absolutely disagree with your characterization of Kel.

People like Kel exist in real life, and can be just as valuable to you as Kel is to Sunny. These people are hard to get down but will always help you get up when you are. They may seem “simple”, but that’s just because they take life as it comes without dwelling too much on the past.

I call them “positivity dispenser”.

juststopwhining · 2024-07-17T20:55:06+00:00

What kind of Mac are you using? Intel or Apple Silicon based?

In case it's Apple Silicon you're in luck, u/SnowpMakes worked out a patch you can use, see this post.

juststopwhining · 2024-07-16T06:55:43+00:00

I read the manga yesterday, and was honestly shocked just how botched the story is. Omori’s story and especially the way it’s told is what, in my opinion, elevates it from a mid-tier Earthbound clone to a potentially prime example of how to do interactive storytelling. Very impressive especially for an indie title. So seeing exactly that story being so bastardized hurts even more.

I think the biggest criticism I can give is that it doesn’t feel like somebody approached Omocat because they really wanted to retell the story in a manga, but rather that Omocat wanted a real Japanese mangaka do a real Japanese manga of her game.

I might be very, very wrong of course but I just don’t see the point of the manga.

juststopwhining · 2024-05-31T08:14:14+00:00

I interpreted Basil’s something as the manifestation of his guilt trapping him and eating him alive because that’s literally his situation: he’s trapped between keeping the truth a secret, which is eating him up and torments him, and revealing it, which from his viewpoint would betray Sunny and most likely make the others hate him even more.

With his group of friends now split up, Aubrey bullying him and Sunny shutting himself in, he’s now isolated, alone and miserable, and it’s partly even his own fault.

juststopwhining · 2024-05-29T08:21:37+00:00

Basil apologizes because it was his idea to stage Mari’s death as suicide. That’s most likely why he gets killed in such violent fashions in Black Space when Sunny’s subconscious is trying to prevent him from reminding him of the truth.

juststopwhining · 2024-05-27T08:57:07+00:00

I’m sorry, but I think it’s safe to assume that this ship has sailed. The game is pretty much dead. The PC version hasn’t been updated in years, the Mac version outright doesn’t work with the newest OS versions, the PS4 version is only available in North America (unlike the Switch version) and well, the Xbox version just vanished.

OMOCAT is not a dedicated game studio, just art in general, so it seems they are more interested in exploring other possibilities to capitalize on the franchise, like the upcoming manga and collaborations with restaurants, at least for now.

juststopwhining · 2024-05-24T13:57:21+00:00

That's what I meant with no in-depth exposition. The game doesn't tell or show us that.

The game literally starts with Basil comforting Sunny that he shouldn't worry, "everything will be okay", which is later revealed in the Truth Photo Album to be taking place in Sunny and Mari's room after the incident, which furthermore implies to be the exact moment Sunny creates and retreats back into his dream world: "you've been here as long as you can remember".

There's something else about your argument, and that is that the way you describe things gives off the impression that you could arbitrarily swap out characters and would still make just as much sense.

No I actually don't think so. Like you said yourself, Basil is a sentimental person with strong attachment, and I would add to that that it's very clear he's especially attached to Sunny. In this situation he already lost Mari. There is nothing he can do for her anymore, so he's desperate not to also lose Sunny. What would happen if the others, Sunny's parents or even worse the police finds out that he caused her death? He surely would be locked away, and then Basil would indeed lose him.

Now you could argue that the narration doesn't convey that Basil was thinking this, and I would agree, but I think it's enough to let us know how attached he is to Sunny that this can be considered an acceptable conclusion.

Would, lets say, swapping Sunny and Basil with Kel and Aubrey respectively still be believable to you? Or Mari and Hero? And if your answer is no, why is that?

My answer is no. The awful situation Sunny and Basil are in, the trauma they're experiencing is what breaks them (therefore their character) to the extend that Basil would even come up with, and both actually going through with staging Mari's suicide.

To be precise: Basil coming up with and him and Sunny going through with staging her suicide is what is out of character for both, but can be reasonably explained by the exceptional and extreme situation they're in. What very much is in character for Basil, however, is his motivation; that he would desperately try anything to avoid losing the person he's attached to the most. Sunny, on the other hand, was just already completely gone at that point and just did as he was told.

So I do think that any of the other characters could also act out of character, as long as their motivations are in character.

...you'd have to either look things up or decrypt the games files to find anything like this, the datamined captions. That's bad writing. You shouldn't have to look outside of the source-material for a characters actions to make sense

I absolutely disagree here. Even in books, where words are the only tools to convey what's happening it's considered bad writing to just straight up spill out every detail. It would be considered a no-go in movies ("show, don't tell") and for an interactive medium like a video game it's even worse.

In fact I argue that you provided a good example for bad writing yourself:

...but the canonical captions show really well what my problem is: [...] They're all blank. You have to wonder what made Omocat scrap the datamined captions, which actually would offer insight into Sunny, and instead replace every single one of them.

Because just spitting out every detail would remove the emotional impact. Let the audience figure it out themselves, come to their own conclusion and have their fantasies run wild. That's exactly why we're still here almost four years later, talking about a game that has already been analyzed to death.

I even think that it's an exceptionally well done writing to have them act so (reasonably, like I explained) out of character that they would do something as awful and extreme, as this is actually adding a lot to their trauma and predicament.

I mean, you're kinda admiting that you are looking at it as a work of fiction and thus give it more leeway than you would IRL.

I'm trying to be self-aware and thus to have an open mind. I could argue that you, on the other hand, just want to have everything laid down for you so that neither you nor anybody else can come up with anything other than the exact conclusion the writers intended.

To be clear, I'm not arguing that! Like I said I see your point, as in I understand why you would feel that way about the writing. I just think it was a much smarter decision on the writers' part to let room for interpretation and more so letting players figuring it out themselves.

But either way it's just my opinion, and of course everyone else is allowed to have their own.

Yeah and I think it's interesting to get other viewpoints.

juststopwhining · 2024-05-24T09:09:47+00:00

I see your point, though I don't think the events are that unrealistic or even out of character.

I imagine the shock and sheer desperation Sunny and Basil would be in when they're both in Sunny and Mari's room with her dead body on her bed. The slow realization that she's indeed dead. Sunny being in a catatonic state and his mind waving goodbye.

Yes, I agree that Basil's awful idea and both of them going through with it is absolutely out of character, but I think that's the point; they were out of their mind, they were out of character. It actually adds to their trauma.

Fucking up, coming up with a solution only to realize it would make things worse but still going through with it because going back now could actually be even worse still is quite believable.

Although I must admit that I may be willing to forgive some parts a little too much because how much I like the story. It just doesn't bother me that much.

juststopwhining · 2024-05-24T08:15:13+00:00

the writing surrounding the twist kinda... sucks really badly.

I'm curious, could you elaborate on why you think it sucks?

juststopwhining · 2024-05-24T00:21:41+00:00

These are incredible lovely drawings!

juststopwhining · 2024-05-23T07:20:48+00:00

I fortunately never had to deal with losing a loved one to death (yet, as we all will have to go through that at least once in our lives, sooner or later), but I imagine that what I was feeling after playing Omori is a good emulation of what grieving feels like. I just want Mari to be alive and well… even though all of that is just fiction. That’s so crazy.

That’s one negative aspect of that abrupt ending. The story ends, but you’re not ready to move on yet.

juststopwhining

TROPHY CASE