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Omen of Sorrow

Name: Omen of Sorrow
Item: Omen of Sorrow
Rating: 4
Author: Marc Saltzman

Game review by

Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 13+

(i)

Fascinating fighting game with monstrous horror characters.

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

Positive Messages

This is a fighting game between monsters that's focused on combat, so no positive or negative messages.

Positive Role Models & Representations

All of the characters you fight as are monsters. You can assume the role of Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, Quasimodo, and more. There's no backstory on these characters, but most aren't good role models based on the books, other fiction tied to these characters.

Ease of Play

While the game has a few control issues, it's mostly easy to play, even for novice or younger gamers. More experienced players will be able to execute more difficult chained moves and combos with ease. What's more, the game has a Tutorial mode and Training room for practicing attacks.

Violence

This is a fighting game that pits classic monsters against one another. Along with hand-to-hand melee attacks, such as punching and kicking, there are supernatural abilities like summoning spirits, lighting strikes, levitation moves, sandstorms, and so on. Blood splatter from attacks and blood stains on clothing can be seen in battle.

Sex

The female characters have large breasts that jiggle when they jump up and down, and they wear revealing outfits that show cleavage.

Language

Consumerism

The game's based on classic monsters from pop culture, including books, movies, and TV shows.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Omen of Sorrow is a fighting game for the PlayStation 4. Players will be able to play as a classic monster, such as Dracula, a mummy, Frankenstein's monster, and more. Your goal is to defeat the other monster using a combination of melee moves (punching and kicking) and special abilities, which are usually supernatural moves like summoning creatures, sandstorms, lightning strikes, and so forth. The women in the game have revealing clothing that show cleavage, and their breasts jiggle up and down when the characters move around.

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What's it about?

OMEN OF SORROW is a fighting game inspired by classic horror monsters. You can choose a monster to fight as, such as a mummy, a werewolf, Dante, Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Quasimodo hunchback, and so forth. As you'd expect, the monsters not only have their own individual melee moves, for punching and kicking enemies to deplete their health meter, but also have special abilities they can use, such as summoning a natural disaster or additional creature. Chained moves and combo attacks will inflict even more damage -- more than 250 moves in total. Environments are equally as creepy, such as castles, forests, and graveyards. The single-player campaign features 36 battles, plus there's a local versus mode for two people on the same TV or PC, online ranked matches, survival and arcade modes, custom rules, tutorial levels, and a fully featured Training Room.

Is it any good?

This is a surprisingly fun fighting game that has a lot of moves to master and modes to play, and an impressive roster of classic monsters and creepy locations. While it lacks polish in the presentation department, and swaps breadth for depth, Omen of Sorrow should appeal to fighting game fans and horror lovers. There were some responsiveness issues with the controls: There seemed to be some slowdown between pressing a button and the game executing a move. Despite this problem, this fighting game is quite accessible, plus there's a training and tutorial area to sharpen your skills. The AI isn't too tough either, so you can likely defeat the first batch of monsters you go up against. It might require a little trial and error to see what works, but you won't find this game too difficult to master.

There's a clever fighting system employed by the developer called Fortune/Fate, which is a gauge that judges you for how aggressively you play. By going on the offensive, you'll earn Fortune points, while defensive play earns Fate, meaning you'll become weaker and less likely be revived if knocked out. In other words, you're rewarded for taking chances and being more aggressive, rather than more defensive. If you max out your Fortune gauge, you'll enable the Blessed state, which is where you can inflict the most damage. With its fun fighting mechanic, several modes, and dark, horror theme, there's a lot to like about this B-grade title. Omen of Sorrow may not be for everyone, but it offers an enjoyable spin on the fighting genre for solo and multiplayer gamers alike.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Omen of Sorrow affected by the fact that the gameplay centers around monsters fighting monsters? Would the impact be intensified if you were fighting humans instead?
Why do you think that women are depicted with revealing clothing in Omen of Sorrow? Does it oversexualize the characters, who are supposed to be monsters and creatures of the night?