OMORI has become probably my favorite game of all time, or at least close to it.

I only have 0.2 hours of play time here - that's because I beat the entire game on Switch. It took me about 25 hours. I took my time exploring the wonderful world of Headspace and really getting to know the characters and talking to everyone I could find. I still haven't completed the hikikomori route.

Honestly, I don't think I've been as emotionally attached to any characters in a video game before. I love, love, love the dynamic between Sunny, Basil, Aubrey, Kel, Hero, and Mari. Their childhood is idealistic and absolutely beautiful.

I love the art style, the colours - it was absolutely charming. And personally, I didn't really find the game scary - maybe just a little unsettling. But this was overshadowed by the love I felt for these characters - these characters who stuck by each other, even through such trauma.

Don't get me wrong: OMORI is a depressing game. Very depressing. As someone who has struggled with similar issues before (not that I have suffered any trauma even remotely close to what Sunny and Basil and everyone in the game have suffered, but still) - I related to this game to a painful degree. Actually, I see myself in Sunny a lot. I even look like him a bit.

The only mild annoyance I have with this game is that now that I have to play the hikikomori route again, I have to go through a huge chunk of headspace once more before I can arrive at the new content. This is not a complaint on first playthrough though - I thought the combat was charming.

Thank you, OMOCAT, for making a game that most probably changed my life and gave me a new perspective on mental health, friendships, and the importance of forgiving yourself, letting go of guilt, and accepting change. After all, change is a new beginning... just as Sunny moves out of town, even though he can no longer see his friends, his memories of them are still intact, and that is something no one can take from him. This change, however, offers him the opportunity to make a new start, to begin recovering from his trauma. I think that's a good thing to remind yourself of.