Kalai Chik Hit indie game, OMORI, held a one-week exhibit in Alhambra’s Gallery Nucleus from August 5 to 11. Released in 2020, the game’s start was rocky as it faced numerous delays after the initial 2014 Kickstarter campaign. Despite the long wait, OMORI’s plot and gameplay was well received and attracted a wide fanbase for the series. Sunny, the main character—and Omori, his dream alter-ego—traverse both the real world and semi-dream world to subdue the grief and anxiety that has a hold over them due to a dark secret.
The gallery layout reflected elements from the game itself. Heavily imbued with early sketches and development artwork, the exhibit was full of content and easter eggs. There’s a story told by the space, or lack thereof, filled to the brim with memories captured in Polaroids. No matter which route a visitor took to walk through the exhibition, there’s a heavy feeling of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material to look at.
Colorful, happy moments of OMORI’s characters filled the first floor as the standees greet visitors with an optimistic smile. The walls were lined with character sketches and colored prints of the game’s assets and key scenes. Featured towards the beginning of the gallery was a mirror from HEADSPACE with Omori and his friends smiling alongside him. In the far left corner, a SOMETHING chair menacingly looks at the viewer as they peer towards the scattered concept art strewn across the desk and the floor. The sprawled layout reflects the intense amount of drafting and brainstorming behind the development process. Eagle-eyed fans noticed a large installation featuring a grayscale collage that includes material unused in the game, such as the cast’s reaction to the truth after the ending. This segued cleanly into the second part of the exhibit.
At the entrance to the staircase towards the second floor, the atmosphere suddenly changed to a darker, grimmer tone. A silhouette of Sunny’s destroyed violin laid at the base of the stairs, just like in the game. The very top of the staircase spotlighted the tree with a noose tied to it from the Lost Forest. Adjacent to the tree are a number of black Polaroids with shadowy figures. For anyone who needed to use the restroom, a wall acrylic of SOMETHING appears in the mirror right as you’re about to wash your hands. A scattered number of ink painting drafts of SOMETHING overlook the window that looks down into the first floor. Rounding out the exhibit was a video of Sunny and Mari’s time together as a family leading up to the tragedy, projected on the corner wall.
OMORI’s exhibit provided fans with a glimpse into how much work went into the game’s six years of development. Omocat and their team took great care and consideration for the story they wanted to tell to exhibit visitors and fans alike.
Check out to see all our photos from OMORI‘s exhibit on Facebook here!
