Omikron Review

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            Omikron: The Nomad Soul

Review by Skinny MinnieMarch 2002

The planet of Phaenon is going through a horrible glacial era.  Its only sun extinguished and life on its surface no longer possible, its inhabitants have survived the perpetual, frozen blackness by calling five cities ensconced in crystal domes their new homelands.  Omikron, one of these cities, is controlled by a gigantic master computer named Ix, which was originally created to manage the interests of the humans residing within Omikron. The populace has become apathetic and lazy, happy to relegate all authority and control to Ix and rather concentrate on living solely for their own pleasures.

All is not heaven in the Garden of Eden, however. When the palace that would finally house Ix was first created in Omikron, some unlucky workers drilled down for its foundation and accidentally disturbed an imprisoned demon, Astaroth, and his minions, who were banished to Phaenon’s core hundreds of generations before for their evil deeds. Astaroth was liberated from his cage, and he immediately released his demon troops and sent them out to possess the souls of the workers who had unknowingly freed him.  These demons in their new bodies dispersed themselves amongst the people of Omikron, stealthily garnering ever more souls to strengthen Astaroth and ultimately bring him back to his former glory.

That’s gratitude for you, huh?

Such is the current state of affairs in a parallel world to Earth, unbeknownst to you, as you begin to install Omikron: The Nomad Soul. Should you choose the full install, as I originally did, you will load three CDs worth of an alternate reality onto your hard drive. I first bought and played this game shortly after its release in August 1999. In comparison to its contemporaries, the mind-blowing vividness of Omikron’s 3D graphics with its whole living, breathing world full of detail just blew me away.

Are you are solely an adventure gaming fan? Do you occasionally wonder if the grass of action/adventuring might be a deeper shade of emerald graphics-wise, freedom of movement-wise, and story-wise?  You may want to take a barefoot stroll over the velvet lawn to the other side of the fence with this flawed but rare gem …

Upon firing up the game for the first time, I was suddenly interrupted by an urgent plea from an azure-clad police officer from Omikron who appeared on the screen. “My name is Kay’l, and I come from a universe parallel to yours. My world needs your help; you’re the only one who can save us. I succeeded in opening a breach between my world and yours. Through your computer, you can enter our world and help us, but in order to do this, you must transfer your soul into my body … Do you accept? Press any key to say yes, but hurry; there isn’t much time …” Kay’l claimed that he would only take over his body again once I left the game, holding my place for me until I could return.

Maybe I’ve just got a weakness for redheads in futuristic garb; who knows? My little soul now occupying the toned, young male body of one of Omikron’s finest, I found myself on my own in the Phaenon world. The cyberpunk, richly detailed atmosphere mingles with the congested traffic on the busy streets of Omikron. A number of gleaming hovercrafts zoom through the darkened, foreboding skies. Searing motorcycles and whirring vehicular “sliders” dart around your character, and you can get hit by them too if you’re not careful as you make your way through the industrial, vandalized streets and numerous futuristic buildings. Be forewarned: You will be covering tons of ground here, either on foot or via your own “slider.” This is a huge, sprawling planet of a game!

Pick up any inventory items that are there for the taking as you make your way through Omikron. You may find things if you search cabinets, hidden places, and the offices of others—just beware of getting caught! The multitudes of basic puzzles in Omikron usually involve the predictable usage of this inventory, although these puzzles do show some originality and are challenging at times.

You will need to gather as much information as you can about your new home as you go along. In your travels you should talk to the people on the streets and in the strip joints, shops, and bars. You only learn about the tangled mystery of Kay’l’s life and world through your continued interaction with his friends, his coworkers, his wife, and his home and office. Hundreds of quite animated and startlingly rendered nonplayable characters inhabit Omikron. Many of them will give you important advice and information through conversation trees. Thirty to forty other unique characters can also become potential reincarnates for you should you so desire or the need arise. Yes, you can choose to abandon your current body and inhabit other playable characters as the game goes on; Kay’l usually lets you know discreetly who these others are. You may also spontaneously reincarnate into someone else upon your current character’s unforeseen death; the first new playable character that touches you will become your next body.

It is really the intricacy of the tale itself and its stunning graphical presentation that will keep you coming back to finish this game, although the subsequent bodies you may inhabit as the story progresses have not the depth of character that Kay’l manages.  This story combines the demonic history of Omikron with its socialistic government and its bevy of capitalistic corporations. The ulterior motives of these powerful groups are slowly uncovered by a small, rebellious faction of the population and by you. Your enemies rely upon the continued ignorance of the city’s inhabitants for their successes, and so you must reveal reality to all as you find it. You need to cut through the deceit to discover who among your cohabitants are friends or foes, humans or demons. You must also unveil the horrid truth about said government and corporations, and Astaroth’s soul-gathering. Even Kay’l may not be quite who you think he is …

The controls are player’s choice of either keyboard and mouse or gamepad. Control modes change for armed or unarmed fighting, and adventuring or swimming. It is a nice feeling to be able to roam freely throughout a three-dimensional world instead of being subjected to the feeling of tunnel vision that some first-person point-and-click games can invoke. I found exciting the third-person hand-to-hand combat, for which Kay’l can and must improve his stats to stay alive as the game progresses, either by using his own “virtual fighting simulator” or via demonic combat.  Although these scenes do feel tightly scripted, the details will alter somewhat upon replay. The opportunities for unarmed battle accelerate as the game progresses, and there are many complex combo moves that can only be performed after building up sufficient experience points for your character.

The first-person shooter sequences, on the other hand, were sparsely available but difficult and drawn out when I did come upon them.  Often they took place in maze-like environments and against small droves of unrelenting enemies. I did find a “virtual shooting gallery” to hone my targeting skills in. However, regarding actual armed combat, I was not free to draw and fire my weapon at will in any scene I chose, but rather only in certain predetermined areas. This game does not afford the fighting freedom of your average RPG, first-person shooter, or even your standard third-person action/adventure game for that matter. Lara Croft has never been forced to abandon her perfectly good body and seek out another home for her soul, also losing all of her weapons and fight experience, because the gaming fates would not allow her to whip out those Uzis any time she desired and take care of business. Riddle me this: Why am I forced to blaze my way alone as Kay’l through 40 charging psychos during every first-person shooter scene but then later not allowed to attempt pulling off even a single shot against a sole crooked mechanical cop, resulting in Kay’l’s untimely demise?  Hey, I can deal with a challenge; make it hard! I’ll even be sporting and sell my machine gun first. How about making a slingshot available, guys?

At any rate, save your game and count on replays with careful planning involved or you too may unwittingly reincarnate as an unsuspecting nurse at Kay’l’s murder scene, waving bye-bye to your precious arsenal of guns and watching your fight stats plummet faster than a demon back to hell … which brings me to the issue of the game’s title. Being a literate female, I fully realize that its name is Omikron: The Nomad Soul and not Omikron: Mine! Mine! Mine! My Body for All Eternity! Still, the game’s creators could have at least allowed me to transfer my fight stats and weapons to the next character upon Kay’l’s unavoidable death, if not allowing me the option of fighting to keep him alive, no?

As it was, I chose to replay the earlier scenes and angrily abandon the police officer’s body before the scripted death scene, still surrendering my weapons and fight stats but at least having more choice as to what new character I would inhabit. Now, I have always avoided mech and he man-type games because I’m a petite female, not a 300-pound clomp-clomping bruiser. However, after the nurse fiasco (she can’t scare a spider off of a wall, but gee, she totes along a medikit; that will surely get me through the last 20 fight scenes of the game) … well, there I was, clomp clomping along dejectedly as 300-pound Jorg the Cyborg with one fake eye.

This third-person action/adventure does have some “RPG-lite” elements to it and requires the buildup of basic character stats, health, and fight experience. The stats screen, accessed via a “SNEAK” computer terminal grafted to your character’s arm, gives a report of all characteristics and adjusts to note any changes in energy, mana, attack, dodge, fight experience, body resistance, and speed. You must, as any given character, eat, drink, rest, and build up your fight experience, or you can and will be killed during this game. The “SNEAK,” besides being the stats display, features the latest in “molecular disassembly,” so it is also where you access your inventory items. You can only carry a limited amount of inventory, both in your “SNEAK” and in lockers sprinkled throughout Omikron. Inventory management here is not as intense as in your average RPG, but it is tedious at times nonetheless. You can only save the game with a save ring if you have one available at the time in inventory, and then only at certain predetermined points. 

All right; unless you were born under a rock, you will surely have heard of singer David Bowie and guitarist Reeves Gabrels.  Not only do they provide a constant if not stripped-down “techno” soundtrack to add to the already good ambient audio and sound effects, but their 3D-rendered likenesses perform three virtual concerts you may happen upon in your clomp clomping, oops, I mean travels.

Bowie’s 3D likeness also appears as the virtual character Boz.  Boz is actually an almost complete former victim of a soul-sucking demon, but upon his death, as his soul floated above his dead body, he had the wherewithal to dive into a computer terminal located in the room he was in. As such he became a virtual “Rider” over Omikron’s complex computer network and now spends his time foiling Ix and the demons, cracking codes, and helping the rebellious underground movement that you will ultimately join. You won’t really contact Boz too much, so take that “Lunch with Bowie and Gabrels” off of your PDA’s schedule, okay? You will, however, meet up with some other rebels in the latter parts of the game. They will help retrain you in your various body incarnations, as well as get you to aid them in their own plans for Astaroth’s destruction.

I really am a story-driven gamer, so I truly enjoyed the various mind bends of this jewel despite its inherent flaws. I do give Omikron: The Nomad Soul a hearty thumb-up, all things considered.  I can also honestly say that I did not totally understand the deepest layer of this game’s underlying story for quite a while … Hey! Hey! Wasn’t that a demon who tried to suck out my soul back there in the very first scene, right after I took over Kay’l’s body? Oh, Kay’l … Where are you when I need you? The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Quantic Dream Publisher: Eidos Interactive Release Date: 1999

Available for: Dreamcast Windows

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System Requirements

PII 233 (PII 300 recommended) 32 MB RAM 4 MB video card (8 MB recommended) 350 MB free HD space (1.2 GB recommended)

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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