Originally released in 2018 exclusively for PlayStation 4, Omen of Sorrow is an indie 2.5D, horror-themed, 1v1 fighting game published and developed by Chilean-based studio, AOne Games. The game was later ported to Xbox One in 2021 and is now available on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Steam, this time published by East Asiasoft Limited.

In a hidden underworld ruled by creatures of the night, a new terror has awakened! Monsters of horror, literature, and mythology battle it out in some hard-hitting, brutal, and violent fights to the death. Twelve unique characters are playable from the beginning, including the DLC from the PS4 version. Gabriel the demon hunter, Zafkiel the fallen angel, Dr. Hyde inspired by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Radegonda the gargoyle, Caleb the werewolf, Vladislav III the vampire, Imhotep the mummy, Adam the Frankenstein-like monster, Quasimodo the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Arctorius the Headless Horseman, Erzsébet the bloody countess, and Thalessa the Invisible Queen, and the final boss.

Omen of Sorrow takes some inspiration from other fighting games but also does a lot to set itself apart from everything else. It’s best described as a mix of Darkstalkers, due to its horror theme, and Killer Instinct, with its animation and presentation style. The diverse character designs are no doubt one of the game’s best features. Using a 4 button attack control scheme, plus a throw button and an EX button, the controls are very responsive and the game is easy to pick up and play, with a quick tutorial to help get players started.

Each character has a move set that truly represents who they are, bringing their style, personality, and mannerisms to the fight. Dr. Hyde mixes his strength-based brawling style and comes equipped with test tubes full of toxic chemicals. Quasimodo swings around, uses traps, and even summons a large bell. Imhotep wields ancient Egyptian magic. Vladislav III feasts for blood while maintaining his charming personality.

Erzsébet kinetically seductively controls blood, and there’s so much more to discover amongst the 12 playable characters. Each combatant has Decimation Moves which act as their Super Combos, and after filling their Decimation meters, can unleash some devastating moves with entertaining cinematics. Whether it’s casual players learning the game, or experienced fighting gamers experimenting with combos, there is plenty to enjoy in Omen of Sorrow, even if it’s limited in content compared to other fighting games.

The game modes include Arcade, where you face a number of opponents before taking on Thalessa at the end, Versus, to play against a friend or a chosen CPU opponent, Story, to play through the game’s story, and Survival, where you fight through a gauntlet of opponents while carrying over the amount of health from the previous match.

Arcade mode, in most games, usually has an ending for each character, but Omen of Sorrow just has a “Thank you for playing” screen after completion. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does feel pretty underwhelming after all that effort. Even some still images with text below would’ve been a more fun alternative, and that would give more depth to each character. Even with the lack of individual endings, Arcade is still a fun mode that can be played on various difficulty settings, either as an easy playthrough or to really test your fighting game skills.

The Story mode offers much more insight into the game’s lore and each character. Playing as a few different characters, players will take on various opponents while seeing interactions between characters in text form and some CG cutscenes between the battles. Overall, it feels like a lot more could’ve been done with the story presentation because the potential is definitely there. It does, however, still offer a fair bit of lore up to about 3 hours total, going deep into each character’s motives and how they fit into the bigger story.

Online play is also available using a GGPO netcode for almost lagless gameplay, and crossplay is also included, opening it up to more players across all relevant consoles. In my personal experience on the Switch version, I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to get a match online, likely due to a lack of player numbers, especially because at the time of writing, the game hadn’t been released yet. Years ago, however, I was able to get online matches on the original PS4 version, and for the most part, played very smoothly with minimal lag. If the latest port can match that same smooth online play, or even improve it, the only thing that would hold it back would be a lack of player numbers, but only time will tell.

While Darkstalkers has a more anime art style, Omen of Sorrow takes a more realistic approach with its graphics. Overall, it looks a little more like a PS3/Xbox 360 title, and it might feel a little outdated, but in a way, it has the good kind of nostalgic look. A lot of thought was put into everyone’s design, representing their culture, mythology, and history. The overall game may take some inspiration from other fighters, but its characters truly stand out on their own and feel original, with some character concepts not seen in any other fighting game.

Adding to the overall design are the stages, which include a burning forest, an ancient Egyptian tomb, a bell tower, a cemetery, early 1900s London, the underworld, and more. The menu screens and presentation also stick to the horror theme, and there is a Gallery with plenty of excellent-looking and highly detailed characters, stages, and concept art for players to browse through, making it clear to see how much work was put into this game.

The game’s music includes various tracks that perfectly fit in with each stage depending on their design, such as European folk music, traditional Egyptian tunes, orchestral and operatic, and all tracks have hard rock music mixed into them with an evil undertone, perfectly complimenting the game’s overall theme.

The characters all have some voice lines, but they’re mostly one-liners. Some actually sound good, while others are a little generic. It doesn’t take anything away from how good the characters look, but improved voices would definitely add so much to their personalities. The animation during gameplay looks fantastic for the most part, but there are clearly some parts that look incomplete and some sound effects missing too, making certain moments look a little awkward, and the very limited sight of blood feels very odd for a horror game.

There’s a lot of room for improvement and certain things feel incomplete or missing, but what it does have makes it a must-try for fans of fighting games and the horror genre. It may not compare to other fighting games out there, but it really does have potential with its unique character design, movesets, and overall presentation. If a sequel were to happen, AOne Games has something solid to really build upon. Omen of Sorrow is no doubt a passion project and a fantastic indie fighting game to come out of Chile.

Written by: Sammy Hanson