Come join OMOCAT and friends at OMOCAT's first ever pop-up shop event celebrating the release of OMOCAT Fall 2017 Collection and Demo of the long-awaited game, OMORI. Other events include: Live-Drawing, Musical Performances, Giveaways, and more!


QRION, LIKELUKE, SLIME GIRLS, OMNIBOI and CLOVER & SEALIFE will be performing at OMOCAT LA!

For more information that isn't in this blog, click me!

Hello, everyone!


Hope you all had a fun Thanksgiving holiday! Since the last update, the OMORI Team has been working on all areas of the game, but is shifting some focus to prepare for a new trailer that will be releasing next month.


Although they've been mentioned before, we never properly introduced the new members to the OMORI team that joined us at the beginning of this year, so here is a late introduction.


NOLAN helps design maps and dungeons, make tile sets, battle animations, and pixel animations. Here is an example of his finest work:


He also inserts a lot of hidden “easter eggs" and doesn’t tell me about them, so if you see anything that has a face on it but shouldn’t it’s probably his fault.


He's also responsible for this monster. (This is like 20% of the file.)


VANCE does all stat-balancing for the battle system, so that means balancing enemy and player stats, enemy skills, players skills, items... and he tiles the maps too. He’s also incredibly good figuring out solutions for fixing plot holes.


Andrew didn't actually do these, but his real work looks super boring. Sorry.


EMS is the art assistant and works on sprite turnarounds, helps design map interiors, and other miscellaneous tasks that we need an extra hand with. She has been doing a lot of the pencil work lately as well.




Through these two-and-a-half years, we’ve gone through a lot of experimenting while developing various graphic elements. For instance, the game was lacking the traditional work element of the initial trailer so we changed the enemy art from pixel art to hand-drawn animation.

Here's a comparison from Old to New with Space Boyfriend.



Below I have a few shots of our concept work including a few methods we tried to implement that didn’t end up working out and unfortunately won’t be featured in the game (unless I can find somewhere to cram it in). Everything will be included in the art book though!



Concept work aside, we have counted that we currently have about 150 unique NPCS and an insane number of quests. We recently also added yet-another section of the game, albeit small, but still does change the pacing of the game and will take time to test. Archeia and Yami are eventing and creating new plug-ins since some of our older ones broke due to a RPGMaker update. In addition, our revamp of the battle system also caused some stat balancing issues, so we’re still working on that as well.


Good night, Sweet Omori.

That being said, I will have to ask for more time to test the game and make sure it is ready for release. More information will be revealed with the trailer which will be released at the end of this year.

Stay tuned!

-OMOCAT

Hi, everyone!

I took some gameplay snippets from the OMORI demo and put together an OMORI Gameplay video; it’s the happiest and cutest side from OMORI but the best horror games start out the happiest, don’t they? ^o^/

A little bit on the horror aspect of the game: The game will get pretty scary at times; there initially won't be many pop-ups. The game is probably be considered more “messed up” than “scary”. However, there are some alternate endings in the game that can spawn from your actions… and those can get a little freaky. Basically, if something scary happens to you, you asked for it. ^o^/

Anyway! Check out the video, show your friends, family, and your pets, we have 17 hours left to go! Let’s try to hit the Nintendo 3DS stretch goal!!



We've already passed the next stretch goal: The OMORI Walkthrough/Artbook (one book) is now available to all backers by pledging an extra $35 above your tier! (i.e. Pledging $15 for the game + $35 for the walkthrough/artbook = $50 pledge). Also, if you are international you will NOT need to pay extra to ship your book. It's on us!! We will be surveying everyone after the Kickstarter to ensure that you receive the prizes that you are pledging for.



In addition, a PDF version of the book will now be given as a bonus to EVERYONE who pledges over $55. Congratulations!!

I noticed that a lot of people were asking about the artbook and walkthrough so I'd thought I would clear some things up.

1) The OMORI artbook and walkthrough is compiled into one book.

2) The art will be spread along the walkthrough pages, and the groundwork + concept work will have it's own section at the back of the book.

3) Artwork includes concept work, old versions of sprites/monsters/other things, graphic novel pages from the (unfinished) OMORI graphic novel, draft work for the posters and any other promotional material, the art from the game trailer / in-game cutscenes, and more!

4) The book is expected to be approx. 100-125 pages.

5) The PDF version of the walkthrough which you can get by donating at least $55 comes with the art portion of the book as well. You can donate as little at $36 to just get the walkthrough/artbook without purchasing the game.


We've reached the Japanese localization stretch goal!! We added this goal due to the unexpected and overwhelmingly positive reception this game received in Japan, and now it has been fulfilled! The game will now be translated into Japanese.

We are still not sure if we are going to have two separate versions of the game or have a language option in-game, so we will be taking a survey at the end of the Kickstarter to ensure you get the language you want.

Let me know if you have any more questions! I'll be answering through the comments all today over at the kickstarter page. Good luck, everyone! I won't be sleeping tonight!

- OMOCAT

Hello, everyone!

Only 24 days left for the OMORI Kickstarter! So much has happened, yet so little time has passed since the launch. As mysterious as this Kickstarter is, I would like take some time to let you know the origin and background of OMORI.



OMORI started out as a very personal project. He was a character that I created to help me cope with my problems during a confusing part of my life. I posted his character on a blog with a white background, which eventually became what the game calls WHITE SPACE. Drawing him did help me, but the more I posted, the more I felt that he needed to leave the space he was confined in. He needed to get out. So as ironic as it was, I created a story for him to explore and be a part of.

I tried drawing a graphic novel, but while I was drafting the chapters, the story's path seemed too linear. I wanted the audience to be able to explore outside of the pages, and the more I drafted, the more I felt that a graphic novel wouldn't be the best medium to tell this story. I wanted the story to be fully interactive, and I wanted the audience to be able to make choices. All my ideas were coming to me in the form of gameplay. I needed to make OMORI a video game.

On a whim, I bought RPGMaker VX Ace for me and my friends (it was on sale), and we started working on the project. The next day, I called up my friends (Space Boyfriend and Slime Girls) with something like "Wanna do something crazy?" and invited them to become a part of this project. They were really excited, and I was really hyped up about the whole thing too, because something that I previously thought to be impossible suddenly became possible.

Early on in development, I came up with the idea of the Jukebox Quest and began looking for musicians to include in the soundtrack. While on my search, I heard "My Time" by Bo En and immediately felt it's connection to the game I was trying to make. I contacted him about it, and it eventually became the accompanying music to the OMORI trailer.

The OMORI trailer was a crazy feat in itself. I planned out the entire trailer, drew all the animations by hand, took all the photos, and edited the whole video frame by frame as a giant .gif in Photoshop. Planning aside, I finished the video within a month. It was exhilarating, but also straining. I realized that the workload from OMORI would put too much stress on my body and mind considering my other projects and the timeframe that I had planned to release it. Just in time, I met an amazing and experienced RPGMaker VXAce programmer and specialist, Archeia who is now the main programmer and developer of the game; and through her I have met many other amazing people to help me with the creation of OMORI.

It is very important to me that this game is made in RPGMaker. Not only am I a fan of RPGMaker games, but I also want to promote this platform that supports and provides the tools for DIY storytelling and game-making. For this reason, I am also keeping the game development team as small as possible. It's more work for us, but I believe the end-product will be beyond worth it.

Having gone through art school, I've always felt that games were viewed as money-making products instead of art; but just because it is commercial doesn't mean that it's not good: in fact, I would argue the exact opposite. Games do everything that art is supposed to do and beyond. It mixes visuals, writing, music and sound, storytelling, and interaction and puts it all in one package. Games are so successful at what it does that there is a whole culture (and then cultures within cultures) based on them. As creating games becomes easier in the future, I want to get across the idea that game-making is an art medium. I am creating an art piece called OMORI and my medium is a video game. This game is going to be about my expression, and with the help of the OMORI team, it will become realized. I can't wait to show you all the final result of our labor of love.

Thanks to this Kickstarter, OMORI has gained so much support. To everyone who's donated at least $1, I give my undying gratitude. In addition, I've also revealed the next two stretch goals and will be revealing the rest hopefully very soon. Here are the details:

$30,000 Expanded Intro and Cutscenes. I will be creating more animation pieces like the ones from the OMORI trailer and inserting them in game. (SMASHED!)

$50,000 A Mac port of the game will be distributed to all $15+ backers along with the PC Version of the game. You will essentially be receiving two copies of the game. (SMASHED!)

$65,000 Mini-Games will be playable through in-game arcade machines. In the world of OMORI, there is a diner called GINO's. In the hallway of this diner is an old arcade machine, and although it's broken now, it will be playable after a certain point in the game. However, I found that there was another good opportunity to include more fun retro Mini-Games within this game. If this goal is reached, we will be including more arcade machines (I won't tell you where because spoilers) that will each have their own mini-game... because that would be awesome and also crazy.



$80,000 Extended side-quests in the game (like there weren't enough already). We currently have over 60 NPC's in just one side of the OMORI game, and we plan for the player to have the opportunity to become immersed in each of their lives. Therefore, it is very important that we have enough quests to establish this connection between players and NPC's. If this stretch goal is reached, we will be adding more daily quests, some extra (kind of scary) mini-bosses, and at least two major (hard to find) side quest strings that involve multiple people in the town and may spawn some alternate endings... We will be hiring an extra programmer as well.



$100,000 Japanese localization! Thank you for all your support, Japan! We never expected to get this reaction overseas. We are pleasantly surprised and super grateful. As a big thank-you, we've added this. If this stretch goal is reached, OMORI will be getting a Japanese translation. You will be able to choose which language of the game you would like in the survey after the Kickstarter.

$125,000 An OMORI Game Artbook and Walkthrough that will reveal all the game's secrets (there are a lot) and include concept work and groundwork behind OMORI will be available by adding $35 to your REWARDS Tier. A survey will be conducted after the Kickstarter in order to make sure you get your desired prizes. As an added bonus, all $55+ backers will receive the OMORI Game walkthrough in PDF format including the two copies of the game, the wallpaper, the OST, and the pin set.



That's it for now. The next goals are the big ones, the best ones, and the hardest to reach. I will be revealing them as soon as we reach the next stretch goal of $65,000. (And yes, it's what you've all been waiting for.)

Stay tuned!

- OMOCAT

Hey everyone, it's a busy week for the OMORI team... and for good reason!



We've been hard at work making the OMORI demo which will debut @ GR2's GAME NIGHT this Saturday, May 3rd, in Japan Town, LA. We will have three set-ups to display, two indoor displays and a huge outdoor one on the side of the building, playing from a projector. (And yes, you will be able to play with a console controller... hopefully an SNES one.)

Come to play the demo, snatch some free OMORI pins and postcards, join a raffle (three chances to win an OMORI's STORY poster, image below), and eat free pizza (on me while supplies last)! The address is 2062 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 91791 @ 7:30PM-10PM. See ya there!

Coincidentally, overseas in Japan, 2.5D x ZOOM LENS: PARADICE will be happening on May 9th and will featuring SPACE BOYFRIEND (co-composer for OMORI), MEISHI SMILE (who will be participating in OMORI's Jukebox) and bo en (the guy who made the trailer song who will also be participating in OMORI's Jukebox). They will be passing out some OMORI promo cards at the event.



In other news, I may also make a new trailer that will display more in-game content but I'll be posting more info on that later. Until then, we uploaded some screenshots!

Curse this .jpeg artifact... Well, that's it for now. Thank you for supporting us!

- OMOCAT