OMORI is a surreal psychological horror role-playing game developed by Omocat.
The game explores sensitive topics such as suicide, grief, death, and depression through different planes of existence: White Space, Headspace, and Black Space.
These spaces represent memory, trauma, and repression, which Omori and players navigate non-linearly.
The article examines trauma representations with a focus on environmental design, providing distinct experiences of escapism and trauma, aiding in de-stigmatizing trauma.
Introduction
OMORI uses environmental design thematically, exploring grief, memory, and nostalgia.
Omori navigates White Space, Headspace, and Black Space representing different experiences of trauma.
The central message of trauma emerges gradually, revealed fully by the end.
Environmental design, or level design, affects player experience, characterized by music, visuals, and exploratory elements.
OMORI highlights escapism as an unhealthy coping mechanism.
Avoidance in White Space
White Space is minimalistic, devoid of color, and consists of one room.
Uses visual and aural minimalism to offer escapism without trauma triggers.
Interaction with objects reveals loneliness, monotony, and boredom experienced by Omori.
Music evolves from synthetic uniformity to organic disarray mirroring trauma progress.
Regression in Headspace
Headspace contrasts White Space with colorful nostalgia and adventure.
Uses vibrant colors and childhood memorabilia to invoke nostalgia.
The design reflects Omori's regression to pre-trauma childhood safety and innocence.
Music and visual design invoke nostalgia, mirroring retro games and childhood experiences.
Narrative progression reflects trauma exposure through eerie entities and hallucinations.
Resurfacing Trauma in Black Space
Black Space diverges from escapism, characterized by horror and disorientation.
It contains 18 sections with varied, disturbing atmospheres.
Rooms reveal elements of Omori's trauma, using environmental design to depict fears and anxieties.
Illustrates the psychological disarray experienced upon confronting trauma.
Conclusion
OMORI utilizes environmental design to engage with trauma and escapism uniquely within the video game medium.
Depicts psychological phenomena like avoidance and anxiety, aiding in trauma de-stigmatization.
Enhances understanding of video games in engaging complex subjects, influencing public perception of mental health.
References
References to literature and interviews that support the analysis of trauma in video games.
Biographies
Aya Younis explores environmental design in video games and representations of trauma.
Dr. Jana Fedtke focuses on data justice, science fiction, and transnational literature.