Anthem May Never Get Another Chance, But It Deserves One
Written by Arron KluzSolo Developed Indie OMNO Releases Later This Month
Written by John Carson 
We’re in the middle of what’s considered a slower time of the year for game releases, but there are still some gems to be uncovered in the coming weeks, like OMNO. OMNO is an adventure game made by solo German developer Jonas Manke also know by his studio name, StudioInkyfox. He’s been working on this, his first game, by himself for the better part of five years, and even had a successful round of Kickstarter funding back in late 2018. Now, set to release this month, OMNO is nearing the long-awaited finish line.
OMNO is a 3D platformer with “puzzles, hidden secrets, and obstacles to overcome,” according to its website. Its globe-headed main character uses a magical staff with tons of functional applications allowing the player to fly or glide through the air and dash to cover large. You can even stylishly surf on the artifact to traverse OMNO’s more open areas. The newest trailer shows off many of these actions and locations you can look forward to exploring, both safely on the ground and high up in the clouds.
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OMNO’s art direction uses a majority of flat shading and sharp edges in the environment to contrast with more rounded shapes present in the biological characters and animals. Manke comes from an animation background, and it shows in the movements of the main character when it utilizes an ever-present magical staff. There’s plenty of fluidity and little flourishes to look for in the protagonists' movements as well as the animals you come across.
While the game isn’t out yet, the trailers Jonas Manke has released give a glimpse at what looks like an intriguing adventure. He’s even been chronicling his journey developing OMNO on TikTok, showing some of his progress and milestones over time. Check those out for an interesting look at indie development from the smallest of teams.
Click here to watch embedded mediaOMNO is set to release on July 29 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Those with Game Pass will be happy to know it’s releasing as part of the subscription service as well.
It’s hard to deny Halo’s influence on the greater gaming landscape. For decades, Halo has been one of Microsoft’s biggest gaming brands, and it helped establish the original Xbox as a gaming console of note. However, in all that time, we’ve never gotten a really good look at the series iconic hero.
Most gamers know very well what Master Chief’s armor looks like, but what about his face? The original developer, Bungie, often said that this was intentional, that it helped fans better identify with Chief. In a 2007 interview with IGN, lead writer Frank O'Connor said, “Revealing his face is not as important as revealing the outcome of the events of the universe around him.”
However, none of that has stopped Halo’s developers from teasing fans with near glimpses. At the end of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, Chief removed his helmet, and it looked like we were about to get a good look at what is under that shell until the camera panned away. Those who beat Halo 4 on Legendary difficulty even got a tight close-up of Chief’s eyes, so we know what those look like.
This secrecy seems a bit strange, however, because we basically know what Chief looks like. The 2003 sci-fi novel from William C. Dietz called Halo: The Flood told us that Chief was about seven feet tall, had short brown hair, and his skin was unnaturally pale (because he never takes off that dang helmet).
So, what do you think of all this? Is this mystery fun or has it run its course? Should 343 Industries just show us what Chief looks like in Infinite or do you like the secrecy? Or do you firmly believe – as we do – that Chief looks uncannily like Nicolas Cage? Sound off in the comments below?
Excited for Halo: Infinite? So are we. While you wait for its holiday release, read the latest news about its ongoing multiplayer story or check out the original Halo weapon prototypes in action.