There are great games, there are good games, there are games you wished were better. But sometimes, a game comes along that doesn’t fit neatly into any category. It’s strange, it’s hilarious, it’s baffling – it’s so bad that it’s good. From Quantic Dream and David Cage, the creators of Detroit Become Human, Indigo Prophecy, Beyond Two Souls, Heavy Rain, and a new Star Wars game, Star Wars Eclipse, we have the often-forgotten, David-Bowie-starring Omikron The Nomad Soul. You might have heard of it. You might have seen clips. But now you can play the weirdest game of the ‘90s yourself for less than $2.
Omikron The Nomad Soul is unusual from the start. A police officer from an alternate dimension contacts you via your PC to tell you that the game you’re playing – Omikron itself – is in fact the gateway to another world, and that you need to possess his body in order to solve a series of strange cult murders. An FPS, RPG game, and story-driven adventure – with sandbox elements and beat ‘em up sections – Omikron has to be seen to be believed.
David Bowie plays a sentient computer program. You survive by eating ‘Koopy Sandwiches.’ If you die, you jump into the bodies of unsuspecting passersby, hence ‘The Nomad Soul.’ Between the nightmarish facial animations, inexplicable puzzles, and intensely hard shooting sections, this is like 15 different games trying to fit into one.
The result is a bizarrely entertaining, totally unique dumpster fire that is perfect to play with friends. You’ll spend most of Omikron with your mouth hanging open, trying to make sense of how it ever got made.
Available for just $1.29 / £1.09, Omikron is a valuable lesson in gaming history. For better and for worse, you can see the roots of all Quantic Dream’s later work, and reminisce about a more innocent, adventurous decade, when videogames might include a robotic companion called Socks, and a sequence where you escape from jail using a pudding bowl.
Alternatively, try some of the best story games, if you like a good yarn. You can also get the best old games that still run on modern PCs.