Omega Quintet

Compile Heart's first foray onto Sony's shiny new system shows occasional glints of brilliance, but they're few and far between

The combat and music are the highlights here, even if the game doesn't capitalize on the hardware.

I entirely regret purchasing this game.

Omega Quintet is a game at battle with itself. On one end, its multifaceted battle system has the potential to make JRPG fans drool. The same is true of the excellent PVS editor which will satisfy fans waiting for anything of this sort to make its way west. On the other hand, its graphics in no way push the PS4 (and some aspects look downright ancient) and all this complexity seems to be at the cost of an awesome storyline

What’s seen as a shallow musical genre is turned into something that’s bizarrely complex; there’s a lot of depth to the turn-based combat if you manage to wrap your head around its idiosyncrasies. Omega Quntet still falls victim to the seedy baggage that follows idols everywhere, but there are some surprising digs at the industry before it devolves into repetitive sugary sweetness. It’s a collection of dissonant ideas that’s difficult to recommend, but there are rare moments where it’s all in tune.

Despite the boring story and the lack of exploration, Omega Quintet is still a great game. The battle system alone is enough for me to recommend the game, but the game's pros go beyond just that. Plenty of customization options, helpful skipping features, and a general wealth of content just to name a few.

I went around looking for reviews to see if it was worth my time, only to discover a vast canyon separating those who enjoy the game and those who hate it. Some people were sanctimoniously finger-wagging, of course, while others more familiar with the niche spoke favorably of it because of course they did. Lost in all of that noise was the answer to the single nagging question I had: is Omega Quintet actually a good game or not? Having now played through it for myself, I can confidently answer that question with a “sometimes yes, sometimes no.”

Omega Quintet is a jRPG that your wife/girlfriend/mother is going to look at you strangely for playing. Moreso than the usual looks you get from jRPGs. Crafted by the crew at Compile Heart, this entry in your library is super Japanese, even though it's been translated over. That is not meant in any sort of disparaging sense of the term, but instead, if you tend to embrace the concept of Japan's pop idols, and always wanted to turn those into battling jRPG characters, well this is your chance.

Overall, Omega Quintet is a game that good-naturedly tries to punch above its weight.

A great battle system and the ultimate in the sheer amount of customisation features, hampered by a metric-butt-ton of boring dialogue, dragging cutscenes which are boring to watch and boring characters.