Here's The Thing:
You are Prieto, a silent, absent-minded and enigmatic being who finds himself at a midnight circus in a dreamy place called “The Orb” time and time again. The cycle typically repeats with his memory being lost come the break of dawn. But one night, as if by divine intervention- he explores and greets the others just doing their own crazy things. Before finally learning secrets and a way out of this trapped nightmare~



GAMEPLAY
:) I haven’t had this much fun and stress in a long time! It begins at an almost toddler level until the “fading” mechanics appear out of thin air. Firstly, you must harvest / touch the shining gypsophilas to reset a hidden (30-second timer), if not your screen will start to shimmer and your body will vanish- making platforming near impossible!! Second, there’s another timer equivalent to one day (but really 20+ minutes) so you have to reach and step on a “memory stone” in order to save or be transported to a field to replenish your gypsophila spores. Failure to do either of these will reset the current day and all progress made~

You have to adopt these rules as second nature while you explore the giant sandbox, cautiously planting your own checkpoints and it’s extremely fulfilling. It has that warm PS2 title feeling to it, from its aesthetic to the gameplay!! Encounter horrid stealth, fetch quests, collecting thingamajigs, escort missions and puzzles to eat up the ticking time bomb that is your existence! ONR can be finished in 5-7 hours and is a one-off, but I’d advise going slow… oh wait nevermind~

TIPS:
1) Lower the camera sensitivity for it to be more tolerable...
2) Plant gypsophilas strategically and your troubles will dissipate!!
3) Remember to save at the memory stones and then quickly step off!
4) Unlocking the dash is as good as a “flying” fast travel

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2531344402

AESTHETIC
:) Environments are delightfully tasty, twisted and varied to take in. With little props or details unique to each area to give you unease. But for the most part you will be bewitched by how entertainingly wacky the place is. It’s almost inspirational, and yes I realize I'm talking about one big circus. Everything has a hint of stop-motion and clay-like textures, which only bring out their charm even more! Prieto, for instance is my spirit creature with his lock-lipped and overall frightened appearance.

I should mention, the surreal imagery- though not as startling as Path to Mnemosyne still deserve your attention. It gave me peace of mind but at the same time, chaotic. ONR was like watching a Tim Burton movie crossed with The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. You’ll question yourself; I know what this is… or do I? Whatever, I’ll just roll with it!!


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2531345658

SOUND
:) In spite of the score being rather mild, it was sufficient nevertheless to spur your motivation or get you to race to places. There’s generally a “don’t give a hoot” tone to the tracks, which is why it probably resonated with me so much. But the highlight was a deep, uplifting ending song as the credits roll. And I must add, though there is but one voice a.k.a. the narrator; she did phenomenally and call fill a whole stage!

With so many nuances to her intonation for what must have been 10+ different characters. Whether it be adding a lisp, going from excited to neutral and then a stern murkiness, she really can do it all and she’s easily the best part to look forward to~


NARRATIVE
:) The plot is honestly shallow and basic, but it’s one that has a solid, resounding message that never wavered from the onset. Characters Prieto meets each have their own dilemmas and basically have resigned themselves. I'd be lying if I said they didn't echo words, worries that I've personally uttered at some point as well. What’s most spectacular about it- everything from the design; Prieto’s “Day of The Dead” dress to the use of symbolism to get across the longing and distress that emanates from choices that never saw the light of day.

Much like Path to Mnemosyne was about memories and your vague journey to recalling them- ONR tells the story of the fleetingness of dreams (I’ll let you interpret this your own way). How positively brimming with hope they can be one second but then full of despair, the next… If you felt lost, ready to abandon or just frustrated with ONR at any point, then it’s done its job~


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2531346649

CONTROLS
;( I feel that its controls held it back as a platformer with Prieto’s jumps being a little clunky and obstacle so high, they require precision you don’t got. Even navigating is haphazard and messy… So, that on top of the whole time-attack design and lots of climbing up insurmountable heights, falling is almost imminent. It can be tough to love ONR…

:( The camera angles coupled with the platformer drawbacks makes out ONR to be a bad dream! With it snapping or glued to your back in cramped areas. Is it just the way I handle my mouse? However, there are also parts where fixed camera shots are implemented, and so your sense of direction gets confused.


x Game paused but still my day reset because I didn't "collect gypsophilas"
x Prieto keeps on walking during cutscene.
x People of ‘cardboard town’ disappearing after quest completion.
x Gatekeeper still running away even when slowly approaching by walking.


~ Snails slither on walls then fall to their doom...
~ Inconsistent fading away counter; halted during cutscenes but continues while solving puzzles.
~ Repetitive narration and lines that are totally unnecessary.
~ Subtitles; whole structures and words not matching the narration.
~ Can’t remap controls
~ Too mini-a-Minimap and can’t be enlarged! No legend to help with symbols such as red outlines, yellow or purple dots.



Last Words?
ONR’s an absolute dream to experience! It can be a nightmare platformer-wise but its beautifully realized world, captivating ideas keep it from fading anytime soon. Don’t ever want to wake up from it~

If you like a stunning, oozing with charm semi-open world platformer with tangible PS2 vibes and dated controls. Then ONR is as good as it gets, look no further~

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #102 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Weekend[/i][/code] [h1]How COO You… Dream!!?[/h1] [u]Here's The Thing:[/u] You are Prieto, a silent, absent-minded and enigmatic being who finds himself at a midnight circus in a dreamy place called “The Orb” time and time again. The cycle typically repeats with his memory being lost come the break of dawn. But one night, as if by divine intervention- he explores and greets the others just doing their own crazy things. Before finally learning secrets and a way out of this trapped nightmare~ [h1][+] PROS;[/h1] [b]GAMEPLAY[/b] :) I haven’t had this much fun and stress in a long time! It begins at an almost toddler level until the “fading” mechanics appear out of thin air. Firstly, you must harvest / touch the shining gypsophilas to reset a hidden (30-second timer), if not your screen will start to shimmer and your body will vanish- making platforming near impossible!! Second, there’s another timer equivalent to one day (but really 20+ minutes) so you have to reach and step on a “memory stone” in order to save or be transported to a field to replenish your gypsophila spores. Failure to do either of these will reset the current day and all progress made~ You have to adopt these rules as second nature while you explore the giant sandbox, cautiously planting your own checkpoints and it’s extremely fulfilling. It has that warm PS2 title feeling to it, from its aesthetic to the gameplay!! Encounter horrid stealth, fetch quests, collecting thingamajigs, escort missions and puzzles to eat up the ticking time bomb that is your existence! ONR can be finished in 5-7 hours and is a one-off, but I’d advise going slow… oh wait nevermind~ TIPS: 1) Lower the camera sensitivity for it to be more tolerable... 2) Plant gypsophilas strategically and your troubles will dissipate!! 3) Remember to save at the memory stones and then quickly step off! 4) Unlocking the dash is as good as a “flying” fast travel https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2531344402 [b]AESTHETIC[/b] :) Environments are delightfully tasty, twisted and varied to take in. With little props or details unique to each area to give you unease. But for the most part you will be bewitched by how entertainingly wacky the place is. It’s almost inspirational, and yes I realize I'm talking about one big circus. Everything has a hint of stop-motion and clay-like textures, which only bring out their charm even more! Prieto, for instance is my spirit creature with his lock-lipped and overall frightened appearance. I should mention, the surreal imagery- though not as startling as [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/770410/]Path to Mnemosyne[/url] still deserve your attention. It gave me peace of mind but at the same time, chaotic. ONR was like watching a [b]Tim Burton[/b] movie crossed with [b]The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl[/b]. You’ll question yourself; I know what this is… or do I? Whatever, I’ll just roll with it!! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2531345658 [b]SOUND[/b] :) In spite of the score being rather mild, it was sufficient nevertheless to spur your motivation or get you to race to places. There’s generally a “don’t give a hoot” tone to the tracks, which is why it probably resonated with me so much. But the highlight was a deep, uplifting ending song as the credits roll. And I must add, though there is but one voice a.k.a. the narrator; she did phenomenally and call fill a whole stage! With so many nuances to her intonation for what must have been 10+ different characters. Whether it be adding a lisp, going from excited to neutral and then a stern murkiness, she really can do it all and she’s easily the best part to look forward to~ [b]NARRATIVE[/b] :) The plot is honestly shallow and basic, but it’s one that has a solid, resounding message that never wavered from the onset. Characters Prieto meets each have their own dilemmas and basically have resigned themselves. I'd be lying if I said they didn't echo words, worries that I've personally uttered at some point as well. What’s most spectacular about it- everything from the design; Prieto’s “Day of The Dead” dress to the use of symbolism to get across the longing and distress that emanates from choices that never saw the light of day. Much like [b]Path to Mnemosyne[/b] was about memories and your vague journey to recalling them- ONR tells the story of the fleetingness of dreams (I’ll let you interpret this your own way). How positively brimming with hope they can be one second but then full of despair, the next… If you felt lost, ready to abandon or just frustrated with ONR at any point, then it’s done its job~ [h1][-] CONS;[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2531346649 [b]CONTROLS[/b] ;( I feel that its controls held it back as a platformer with Prieto’s jumps being a little clunky and obstacle so high, they require precision you don’t got. Even navigating is haphazard and messy… So, that on top of the whole time-attack design and lots of climbing up insurmountable heights, falling is almost imminent. It can be tough to love ONR… :( The camera angles coupled with the platformer drawbacks makes out ONR to be a bad dream! With it snapping or glued to your back in cramped areas. Is it just the way I handle my mouse? However, there are also parts where fixed camera shots are implemented, and so your sense of direction gets confused. [h1]BUGS:[/h1] x Game paused but still my day reset because I didn't "collect gypsophilas" x Prieto keeps on walking during cutscene. x People of ‘cardboard town’ disappearing after quest completion. x Gatekeeper still running away even when slowly approaching by walking. [h1]NITPICKS:[/h1] ~ Snails slither on walls then fall to their doom... ~ Inconsistent fading away counter; halted during cutscenes but continues while solving puzzles. ~ Repetitive narration and lines that are totally unnecessary. ~ Subtitles; whole structures and words not matching the narration. ~ Can’t remap controls ~ Too mini-a-Minimap and can’t be enlarged! No legend to help with symbols such as red outlines, yellow or purple dots. [h1]But They Do Come True~[/h1] [u]Last Words?[/u] ONR’s an absolute dream to experience! It can be a nightmare platformer-wise but its beautifully realized world, captivating ideas keep it from fading anytime soon. Don’t ever want to wake up from it~ If you like a stunning, oozing with charm semi-open world platformer with tangible PS2 vibes and dated controls. Then ONR is as good as it gets, look no further~ [h1]4 / 5[/h1] [code]Thank you to [b]Devilish Games[/b] for da key!![/code]