Omensight: Definitive Edition

I don't care what R.E.M. told me, because it's the end of the world as we know it, and I definitely don't feel fine. The land of Urralia is torn by war and the dark god Voden has been summoned to usher in the apocalypse, and now the Harbinger is going to need to relive the same day over and over until she's able to crack the case. That's the conundrum found in Omensight: Definitive Edition, a recently-released Switch game that is an intriguing cross between Rashomon and Groundhog Day. We not only see the same events from multiple points of view, but then use this knowledge to help save the world from total destruction. It's a crazy plan, but with the Harbinger hacking and slashing her way through the space-time continuum, it just might be crazy enough to work.

Omensight has one of those stories that sucked me in from the opening seconds. It takes place in a fantasy world that is exactly one day away from the apocalypse. You play the Harbinger, a silent observer who is able to repeat the same day in an effort to see the same events from several different perspectives. Her goal is to not just piece everything together, but also manipulate the situation just enough to save everybody from a fiery death.

What the Harbinger quickly discovers is that this fantasy world is being split by wars and conflict. Her plan is to follow four key players in this war, each with information that will shed new light on the investigation. We learn about Draga, a general of the Pygarian forces who is completely oblivious to the danger she's in. There's also Ludomir, an old bear who is drawn into the conflict after tragedy strikes. And don't forget about Ratika, a rodent leader who channels her mystic powers through song. It's these three characters, along with a fourth you'll be introduced to late in the story, that hold all the secrets and, with a little trickery, can help you blow the case wide open.

The hard part is getting that information. This is one of those mysteries where everybody is a suspect and each twist will make you point the finger at somebody else. The trick is to spend the whole day with each of these characters in an effort to suss out useful information and then rewind time and use that information to further your investigation with another character. You'll keep rewinding time and manipulating the four chess pieces until you have all the evidence you need to save the world.

From a storytelling perspective, this is actually a really clever conceit. We're not just repeating the same day and making different decisions, but also seeing the day from multiple perspectives. This is a great way to both build up this fantasy world and also make me care what happens to these sympathetic heroes. I found the mystery to be gripping and couldn't wait to use the information I learned from one character to change the outcome of another character. The time-bending story is the reason you play this game.

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Of course, there are some inherent problems with telling that kind of story. While this is good from a narrative perspective, it can make some of the gameplay elements feel a bit repetitive. The problem is that you're only fighting through a few different locations and seeing them play out the same way. Sure, you'll be able to open up new parts of these stages, but there's a general repetition to the action that cannot be avoided.

And that repetition isn't just confined to the settings, but also the combat. This is a button-mashy brawler that reminds me a lot of a stripped-down God of War. Harbinger has a number of multi-hit combos, as well as a few spells that she can use to do everything from slow down time to grab bombs from across the room. The combat is fast and there are quite a few different types of enemies to fight, but it's also incredibly repetitive and in need of some extra depth. I found that I would tackle pretty much every battle the same way, and that usually meant dodging everything until I could slow down time.

Unfortunately, the biggest foe in this game isn't Voden or the world coming to an end, but rather the rampant technical problems. Although it says "Definitive Edition," this Switch version of Omensight feels like it could break at any point. The frame rate is all over the place, the action will freeze at weird times and the game will crash at all the worst moments. This is made even worse when you realize that you're going to need to play the entire level over from the very start. And don't even get me started on how the far-too-common load screens will cut people off in the middle of a conversation. This is one of those games that feels like it needed a little extra time in the oven.

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This is a shame, because there's so much here I want to recommend. I was immediately won over by the story conceit and was glued to the screen from start to finish. I loved the characters and how I kept having to reassess their involvement in the apocalypse. I like the stylish graphics and feel they strike a perfect balance between being cartoony and serious. Omensight has one of those stories that will stick with me, and it makes me very excited to see what developer Spearhead Games has in store for us next.

Don't let the performance and technical issues keep you away from Omensight: Definitive Edition, because this little Switch game offers an epic story with a truly unique structure. The conceit is so clever that part of me hopes other developers will rip it off, at least in part. From the characters to the combat to the many, many twists, there's a lot to like about Omensight. Unfortunately, the Harbinger may be able to stop the world from ending, but she's completely useless when it comes to rampant performance problems.