Omen of Sorrow (2018)

Despite the lack of an active online community and use of written dialogue, Omen Sorrow Omen of Sorrow is a fascinating game worth trying for lore lovers, as well as for casual gamers and beginners into fighting games. The characters' movements and combos have a unique feel to them compared to mainstream titles such as the Street Fighters and MK franchises. The background music is varied across environments, adding some excitement and variation to the fights.

Omen of Sorrow represents, unfortunately, the most classic of “dead on arrival” projects, now as well as way back in 2018. AOne Games decides to bring to unreleased platforms their undoubtedly interesting and content-rich fighting game, but still lacking the necessary polishing that in this genre makes the difference between meteor and surprise. In a year that will see the return of the genre's heavyweights, Omen of Sorrow attempts to carve out a small and modest space for itself, failing in the (very difficult) attempt to carve out a fan base that will give the title longevity.

Omen of Sorrow is a fighter that doesn't attempt to be more than just that: a fighter. It's an okay indie entry into the genre that will be forgotten by everyone apart from those who are into gothic horror or the occult… and even they will be disappointed, as this almost feels as if it is reluctant to go wild with its theme and play to its strengths.

Omen of Sorrow is a missed opportunity. It should have been more extreme and followed Mortal Kombat in dancing with taboo. The Switch version also needed optimisation, because loading times are a killer to the fighter genre. Because it plays things too safe, this won’t be remembered as an all-time great example of the genre, however, it is still a bit of fun fantasy dark gothic action and, should there be a sequel, I would expect a more confident development outfit to really deliver on to the excellent potential this fledgling property has.

Overall, I still feel Omen of Sorrow was worth the wait on Nintendo Switch. While admittedly, this version of the game boasts the worst graphics and long load times, the game is a lot of fun once you get past those barriers. Featuring a diverse roster of monstrous creatures, an expansive Story Mode, and various unlockable achievements, this is still a fighting game I can recommend to fans of the genre, even those that don’t take them all that seriously. It may not be a genre-changing game, but it’s a very solid and enjoyable fighter.