☆ Review: "So grab your mouse, round up the mob, it's time to play OKHLOS OMEGA!" ☆ #GameDev

OKHLOS: OMEGA (PC)
On February 6^th, Coffee Powered Machine released their largest update since their initial release back in August 2016. The update was so big that they aptly renamed the game Okhlos: Omega. This is truly a well-done mobocracy gaming experience that leaves those with control issues foaming at the mouth for more yet not quite satisfying the true nature of complete control.  

So grab your mouse, round up the mob, and prepare to take down soldiers and Gods alike as you leave a wake of destruction in your path and a furrowed brow.

My overall first thought about the game was that it was graphically pleasing. The pixel art is well done and the animations in the game are visually attractive. In fact, you can check out the sprites and their stats in the Encyclopaedia. 

As the music played throughout the game, I never thought I could enjoy a soundtrack as much as this. In fact, I left the game up at times just listening to the music as I was writing or the dreaded housecleaning activities. While art and music will not make a game, it certainly helps when both are pleasing.

Permadeath is something that people have a love-hate relationship with and this game is no exception to that rule; however, it’s bearable since you get perks after each death. This adds to the overall replayability of this game. I would argue that permadeath adds to the overall flavor. Getting to choose a leader with special abilities, add heroes to your group, and few other perks as the game progresses giving you better control over what happens with your mob. Sadly that progress doesn’t happen until your inevitable death.

The complete play through of the game only takes a few hours but the replayability of the game and the changing bosses leave it feeling less chore-like. In fact, the more you play the more special levels you can unlock by going into the “Cryptos” which add varying levels of difficulty. Let’s turn to the crux of the game and explore our mob.

“Wait, why do I have all these slaves?!” was the first question I asked myself as my mob grew and I felt as if I wasn’t quickly disbursing of my enemies. So I figured I would see who was in my mob. I was a little dismayed to find out that your mob is not laid out better when looking at the ‘mob inventory.’ The ability to sort your mob by type would be great. Your mob consists of philosophers, heroes, citizens, warriors, defenders, and slaves. Animals will even join the fight but they do not count towards your overall mob size. While you do get a summary of the number and type of units in your mob, I would prefer to be able to visually see how much of my mob is slave vs defense vs attack, quickly and easily. No matter, I will just dismiss a few slaves and pick up some additional… hold on… what do you mean I can’t use my ‘philosophical intelligence’ to run off some of the members of my mob? Not being able to have complete control over my mob was a bummer. 

But, on the bright side, your trips to the market after each level can help to add some balance back into the situation and that market music, though. Nothing like satisfying elevator music to sooth you as you make your decisions!

Summary:

"Overall you will find that this game if a fun time waster but isn’t one that you will wish you could leave work to play. Exciting music, fun artwork, great replayability trumps the few issues I found with controlling my mob. For the price of this well-developed indie game, it’s worth a pickup. No overall strategy will prevail so it’s great for the whole family to enjoy. Do yourself a favor and check this one out."

RATING: MELTING

Ratings Explained

ICE COOL (Great Game Recommended)

MELTING (Just Falls Short Of Greatness)

MELTED (Not A Recommended Purchase)

Dev Link

Steam Link

Matt

"Stay Frosty Freezer Followers"