Omni Link Demo

Visual novels are not usually very interactive, mainly because most of the time their purpose is to tell a story and make it as easy on the players as possible. However, some of them include a few other elements as well, such as mini-games or the possibility to make choices every now and again. Even so, they can hardly be called interactive, let alone challenging.

Omni Link is a combination of visual novel, shooter and role-playing elements in which you get much more freedom than visual novels provide you with. In fact, most of the gameplay resembles a top-down action game, given the fact that you control a spaceship and fight enemies in real-time. Moreover, there are other things to keep an eye on as well, such as the interesting background story.

As it happens, it all revolves around a thing called simply the Virus, which is about to destroy everything in its path unless someone stops it. That someone happens to be you and your special spaceship with an A.I. that has the power to absorb energy from other ships and let you duplicate them. Thanks to this, the gameplay is actually quite engaging and fun.

It’s possible to choose between a variety of ships, each one of which is different from the last in one way or another. Some are better fighters, while others are more appropriate for special situations. You can also go on mining missions and collect various crystals, which means that the gameplay is pretty engaging and diverse, at least in the demo. More options and content is promised for the full game, as it’s only natural.

As for the technical side of things, the game plays fairly well, and it’s quite easy to control the spaceships. It may be a tad difficult to aim and keep a steady trajectory, but that comes with practice. The graphics are not bad either, but it would be nicer to see some variety in the background, because more often than not it’s just black with a few stars scattered around.

All things considered, Omni Link is not your typical video game, so it really has a shot at greatness if the developers play their cards right. On the other hand, more content and variety is needed to keep the players engaged over long periods of time. You can support the developers by participating in the game's Kickstarter campaign.