Because there are no clear instructions on what each key does, It takes some time to figure some things out. For example, if you hit the R key in a new area, it brings up a disk of light above you. It took some time for me to realise that it was a kind of map, leading you to new objectives in the area and telling you the percentage of the area you have completed. The symbols used aren’t immediately recognisable, but not so much so that you won’t figure it out eventually.

While you’re given no clear direction on what to do, the game is still pretty linear. While there are pretty views to look at while you wander along, there is not a lot for you to interact with until you reach your designated puzzle areas. This will at least help you from getting side tracked and lost along the way. Because unfortunately, the map mentioned previously is useless unless used in the puzzle areas you enter.

The large focus of Omno is themed around “Light”. As you explore and discover new creatures and structures, you will find many mentions of this light and also discover particles of light you can collect. When you have collected enough of these particles, you will be able to activate monoliths that will eventually allow you to progress. It’s very forgiving in how much light you can collect, and also very entertaining with how exactly you can collect them.

Light particles are held by many different creatures and plants that you can interact with in different ways. It adds to the overall sweet and relaxing atmosphere of the game to be able to interact with these cute creatures. As you discover new ones, along with the previously mentioned Glyphs, they will be written down in your own journal. Everything you meet has a name, and honestly some of them sound like they’ve come right out of my own brain. We have cute little brown frog-like creatures called Freglets, Turtles called Toordles, plant-like creatures called Strubs and my favourite Snillpies, the cutest little snails with ear like antennae!

The creatures and their reactions are very fun to interact with, but what I enjoyed more was the puzzles themselves. Omno is very kind to warm you up first with the puzzle difficulties, starting off fairly easy and increasing in difficulty as you go along. To compliment this steady rise with the puzzles are the skills you learn at the same pace. Each area introduces some new ability you can do, from things like jump dashing to surfing on your staff. As you warm up to each skill, another is added that will aid you along your journey and especially with solving those puzzles. 

Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on what experience you’ve come to Omno for) puzzle solving is the only time I felt engaged with some of the gameplay itself. It is of course a beautiful game with a lovely atmosphere, but there is not much else to it than that until late in the adventure. There was a moment in the early areas where I first gained the ability to surf along the snow to my next destination and I found myself wishing there were more moments like this where I could engage more in these big transitional scenes instead of being a backseat passenger on the scenic route.