FromSoftwareproved that there’s an audience for games that are brutally difficult and challenging, as there is a unique thrill that comes from conquering a difficult foe. This sort of design philosophy gave rise to Omut, a 2D shooter set in a nightmare realm that will push players’ reflexes to their limit.
Omut is light on story, or rather, a story that’s easily explained. The player is trapped in a nightmarish dream realm, where they swiftly encounter a mysterious figure called Count Pushnowsky, who helpfully hands them a pump-action shotgun, before sending them off for the first fight.
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Omutis a boss rush game, where the player is expected to fight a selection of powerful foes, with minimal exploration and customization allowed between the stages. The main thrust of the game is overcoming the roadblock monsters that stand between the player and escaping the realm.
There are bizarre messages and imagery shown to you in cutscenes, with the few NPCs you encounter hinting at the kind of person you were before entering the dream, but that’s as far as the early part of the story goes. All you know is that you need to fight your way out.
With a pump-action shotgun and infinite ammo in hand, that’ll surely be a cinch, right? Shoot a few dream zombies, and it’ll be back to waking up bed for some tea and toast.
Omut Throws You In The Deep End
You’regoing to die in Omut, a lot. The game revels in its high fatality rate, as the number of player deaths is noted at the bottom of the screen. Fortunately for the protagonist, upon dying for the first time, Count Pushnowsky returns to grant you infinite lives, and it’s back into the meatgrinder.
The first boss in Omut is a bouncing ball with an angry face, who can spit green fire at you. In Omut, one shot equals death, and death means starting to fight over from the beginning. Luckily, the game is very quick to get you back into the action, so it won’t be long until you’re racking up a massive death count.
The pump-action shotgun has three shots before it needs to reload. The bullets are not only huge, but they can bounce off the wall, giving them a little more utility. Mastering the game involves knowing how long the reload cycle takes, especially when you reach the second boss.
That’s for those who even get that far, as the first boss is a doozy. This bouncing ball will explode if it touches the ground, instantly killing the player. This means you have to keep it in the air by shooting it, like a bouncing ball game. Keep missing shots or spend too much time reloading, and it’ll crash down and explode, prompting a reset.
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By the way, this boss has three phases, with the second involving it countering your bullets with its own green flame attack, making your own position vitally important, and the third phase gives it a ghost-like hover dash, where it increases its rate of fire and becomes harder to hit.
Fortunately, there’s a pattern to beating this boss, and I worked out how to beat it! If the player spams shots, it will hasten the boss’ descent to the ground. You need to match its rhythm and space out your shots, as haste will encourage it to dive. Also, try to stay under it during the first phase, as it will make it easier to line up your shot.
Once the first boss is overcome, the player has access to a small world map with some shops where they can purchase items. It won’t be long until the player has to proceed and face the second boss.
The Second Omut Boss Beat Me
Shortly before facing the second boss, you unlock a dash that covers a small amount of distance and a very, very, very, very brief window of i-frames. More importantly, you can’t cancel out of shooting or reloading into the dash – it only activates if you haven’t started performing an action.
This is relevant because the next boss requires utmost mastery of the dash. The second boss is a massive naked fat man who dashes left and right across the stage. If he touches you, you die, and the protagonist can’t jump, so the only way to get past him is to dash through him.
People who have been spoiled by the generous i-frames of other games will have to strap themselves in, because the one in Omut is not forgiving in the slightest. You essentially have to be touching the boss before dashing, as being even a frame too soon or two late will result in death.
The second phase is where it gets tricky, as the boss starts throwing out air blades, which you need to dash through, and then him. The third phase involves him launching himself at the protagonist for a throw attack.
So, what’s after that? No idea. Try as I might, I couldn’t get past the second boss of Omut. I’ve beaten Isshin the Sword Saint, I’ve conquered Bayle the Dread, and I even beat Ludwig, but this hairy old dude caused me to give up.
Hundreds of deaths later, I had to step away and accept defeat. I wasn’t a bad enough dude to overcome this enemy.
Omut’s Aesthetics Are Top Notch
I’ve focused on Omut’s gameplay so far, as the main draw of the game isbattling its bosses. This is doing it a disservice, as the pixel sprite art and analog horror vibes are top-notch, down to the menu screen resembling a TV overlay, with a CRT feel to its world.
The grim soundscape and raucous boss themes are also a great fit for its manic gameplay, though the bullet-firing noise will start to wear thin after the eight millionth shot.
The world of Omut is also visually stunning and teeming with atmosphere, much like a more foreboding version of the one from Yume-Nikki. Hopefully, the player will have the opportunity to explore more of it in the full game.
The only complaint about the storytelling is that the text moves too slowly, and there’s no option to skip cutscenes. This means there’s some sitting and waiting patiently for NPCs to shut the hell up to contend with, before the carnage begins anew.
Those who want to actually die a countless number of times can do so right now, as the Omut demo is available onSteam. Just get ready to die, a lot, and probably swear at the screen a bunch.
Closing Comments
Omut is a brutally challenging game, and it revels in its own difficulty. Those looking for that thrill of victory will definitely find it here in its gorgeous and creepy world, so long as you’re willing to endure frustration while learning each enemy’s patterns, as Omut is extremely unforgiving and demands you master its mechanics to survive.
