Time to Beat (Once) 9 Hours
There are some types of games one
wouldn't expect reviewed on Awkward Mixture. Okhlos: Omega,
developed by Coffee
Powered Machine (and published by Devolver
Digital), is one of those games. While it would be difficult to
categorize Okhlos, it reminds one of a Flash game, but
stretched to four times its original size. Particularly, Okhlos
was reminiscent of the Flash game, Infectonator
2 (or any game in the Infectonator series). In
Infectonator the player initiates a plague, which transforms
people into zombies. After the initial infection, the plague is
transmitted by the zombies themselves. Any human killed by a zombie
bite has a chance of returning to (un)life as an undead. On each map
the player has limited control of the plague beyond the initial
infection, but they can activate abilities to massage the situation.
The best strategy is to set in motion a chain of events which create
an overwhelming zombie mob which no number of police, soldiers, and
tanks can halt.
Like the Infectonator series,
the player in Okhlos needs a mob, they need it to overwhelm
the opposition, but they wield greater control, though with fewer
activatable talents.
Play
begins in a small Agora, with the player in control of a single
Philosopher. The goal of this philosopher is to overthrow the gods.
The ironic mockery is clear. The depiction of The Philosopher, as
implemented by Coffee Powered Machine, is the one rendered by
the enemies of
Socrates. Anytus, Meletus, and Lycon claimed Socrates spent his
time teaching about “things up in the clouds and under the earth,
and having no gods, and making the worse appear the better cause...”
Their speech implied that he wished to destroy the gods. This is
the Socrates the game portrays, but it doesn't restrict its mockery
to the philosopher. The developers fling mud at every monster, God,
and institution of ancient Greece they could think of, along with a
few modern ideas as collateral.
Okhlos: Omega insists the player
play as a leading philosopher, but only one of many. As the leader,
the player moves about the map, bumping into other people, which
persuades them to join the cause. There are five categories of
people capable of joining the throng; philosopher, citizen, slave,
defender, and warrior. Each type has a different base health,
defense, attack, speed, and morale. These values are augmented by
the heroes which join the mob. Heroes can be acquired by defeating
mythic monsters, or purchased at trading centers. As the player
progresses, they fulfill certain requirements and unlock
achievements. Unlocking achievements allows the player to pick a
special leader and heroes in the starting Agora.
Within mob the Philosopher moves around
an area, always at the center, directing his host to attack or
defend, and where to stand, relative to himself. There are enemies
to defeat; centaurs, cyclops, sirens, and soldiers. There are traps;
exploding barrels, spike pits, and whirlpools. And there are
powerful beasts such as the Minotaur of Crete and the Calydonian
Boar. But each level (a historical or mythological location in
Ancient Greece), of which there are seven, contains four areas, and
one boss; a member of the Greek Pantheon.
Defenders, Citizens and Warriors are
strong in their stats (HP, defense, attack) but have no special
abilities, but philosophers and slaves are different. Slaves pick up
consumables, which the player can activate. Meat heals the mob, an
Aegis grants temporary invincibility, while Explosives hurt the enemy
but not the rioters. Philosophers are critical, because the mob
needs one to lead them. If the Philosopher leading the mob is
killed, and there is none to replace them, the horde loses its zeal
and disperses (the player loses).
Losing isn't a serious punishment.
Each of the seven levels is short, though reaching the seventh takes
a considerable amount of time. Fortunately, one can quit at any
time, and can return later to finish a level. But as mentioned
previously, even when one dies, achievements are earned, unlocking
more powerful heroes to begin a new game with.
Twice per level the player can purchase
a hero at the market. Each time there are three heroes to pick from,
and Okhlos includes 153 total options. The heroes range from
historical or mythological, such as Alexander the Great, Orestes, and
Penelope, to the absurd and referential, like Retro Warrior,
Glitchos, and Ruigios (the last of which appears to be Luigi.
Possible explanation. It seems, according to Wikipedia, that Luigi
is pronounced Ruiji in Japanese. The developers must have added an
-os to make the name seem more Greek). Heroes are purchased by
trading regular units. The cost is normally five or ten units of a
particular type. For example, Drakularos costs five defenders. It
is possible, but rare, to arrive at a hero merchant without the
correct currency to purchase any heroes. While it is advised to
purchase a hero at every opportunity because of their incredible
power, one must always assess the mob's strength before exchanging
ten soldiers for Herakles. The second merchant in each level is
immediately before the boss, so by buying a hero, the player will
enter the arena five or ten people short. Even this minor loss can
alter an easy battle into a desperate struggle against Olympian
might.
But Heroes are formidable, and beating
the final boss without a host of them is unthinkable. Thy offer a
range of bonuses. Most heroes boost one or more stats of the other
people in the mob, like a 40% boost to everyone's health. Some
heroes include minor negative effects, like a 10% decrease in speed.
Other heroes include their own special ability, which they activate
without player instruction. Midas turns every enemy he touches to
gold. Another hero summons a massive golem. A third, Draklous,
restores a small amount of health to every member of the mob whenever
an enemy is killed.
Aside from Draklous, the strongest
heroes are those who increase mob size. Initially the Philosopher
can only lead a mob of 25 souls, but many heroes boost this number.
Minor leaders, like Menelaus increase it by only 5, while Alexander
the Great swells the size by 25. As an additional bonus, heroes are
not counted for mob size.
In addition to their other abilities,
hero units are incredibly durable. While the HP of regular units is
around 10, most heroes have HP in the hundreds. And even if a hero
is struck down, they all respawn at the beginning of each new level.
They are a worthy investment for the later, more difficult levels.
In conclusion, Okhlos: Omega is
a very simple game, flavored with a quirky charm. It isn't pretending
to be anything aside from a mob game, poking fun at whatever topics comes within its
reach. With a moderate number of secrets, a massive hero pool, and a
variety of achievements, which unlock further mechanics, one could
play much more than the 9 hours I invested. Okhlos includes
multiple New Game+ modes, with four victories required to unlock them
all. It was enjoyable enough to beat once, but not enough to attempt a second (or fourth) foray into Ancient Greece. Okhlos is a good game on
which to waste a few hours, but its repetitive nature eventually saps
its strength.
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