The Nomad Soul
A genre-blending adventure set in a dome-covered city of demons.
The Nomad Soul—called Omikron: The Nomad Soul in North America—is an adventure game from Quantic Dream, published by Eidos Interactive. It came out on Windows in 1999 and on Dreamcast the following year. Players can explore the 3D city of Omikron, fight with or without weapons, and talk to non-player characters to move the story forward. The plot follows a serial-killing investigation that eventually reveals the supernatural secrets behind the city’s ancient past.
Director David Cage started writing the script in 1994, and he signed a deal with Eidos in 1997. David Bowie, working with Reeves Gabrels, created ten original songs for the soundtrack. The game took two and a half years to finish. Critics liked the graphics, music, story, character models, the reincarnation mechanic, voice acting, and combat, but they complained about the controls, loading times, and the mix of different gameplay styles. It earned several award nominations and sold more than 600,000 copies, though sales in North America were low. A sequel was planned but later canceled.
**Gameplay**
The Nomad Soul is an adventure game that switches between third-person and side-on views during unarmed combat, and first-person view when using guns. Players can walk, run, ride vehicles called Sliders, or take elevators to reach apartments and offices across Omikron. Skills like combat, speed, dodging, and damage resistance improve with use. Fighting controls let the player strafe, jump, crouch, punch, and kick, with special moves unlocked through specific button combinations. Swimming sections appear when crossing water, and they drain oxygen. Physical activity uses up energy, which can be restored with Medikits, food, drinks, or potions. When the player’s character dies—or eventually at will—they reincarnate into the first non-player character who interacts with them; there are over forty possible bodies to inhabit. Mana, used for casting spells, increases with potions.
Reading messages, talking to NPCs, and collecting items are essential for progress. A computer terminal called SNEAK lets players access character info, call Sliders, open the inventory, and review story-critical facts. Objects can be used, examined, or stored. Magic rings allow saving at special points and buying advice about NPCs to advance the plot. Seteks, the local currency, pay for consumables, better weapons, and tips.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Nomad Soul
- Developer
- Quantic Dream
- Publisher
- Eidos Interactive
- Director
- David Cage
- Producer
- Olivier Demangel · Anne Devouassoux · Herve Albertazzi · Tom Marx
- Designer
- Loic Normand · Philip Campbell
- Programmer
- Olivier Nallet · Fabien Fessard
- Artist
- Stephane Elbaz · Philippe Aballea · Tony Lejuez
- Composer
- David Bowie · Reeves Gabrels · Xavier Despas
- Platforms
- Windows, Dreamcast
- Released
- Windows · NA · 1 November 1999 · EU · 5 November 1999 · AU · 19 November 1999 · Dreamcast · NA · 22 June 2000 · EU · 23 June 2000 · AU · 30 June 2000
- Genre
- Adventure
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Nomad Soul is set in Omikron City, a densely populated metropolis on the world of Phaenon, protected from an ice age by an enormous crystal dome. The city is divided into sectors—Anekbah, Qalisar, Jaunpur, Jahangir, and Lahoreh—each developed independently due to a prohibition on leaving one's sector. The player begins as a police officer named Kay'l 669, investigating serial killings that are eventually revealed to be the work of demons. The plot involves an anti-government movement called The Awakened, an ancient religious order led by Boz (a being existing in electronic form), and the demon Astaroth, who was banished long ago and is regenerating power by collecting souls. The player character, called the Nomad Soul, can reincarnate into the bodies of over forty non-player characters upon death or at will.
Reader's Guide
The Nomad Soul was director David Cage's first game, written starting in 1994 after he grew tired of his career as a composer. The script was initially deemed technically impossible by music industry contacts, but Cage assembled a team and built a prototype within six months. Eidos Interactive signed a publishing deal in 1997 after being impressed by the demonstration. The game took two-and-a-half years to complete. Reviewers praised its graphics, soundtrack, story, character models, reincarnation mechanic, voice acting, and combat, but criticized the controls, loading times, and multiple gameplay styles. It was nominated for several awards, including best PC adventure game of 1999 by CNET Gamecenter, The Electric Playground, and GameSpot, and for Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development at the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Sales exceeded 600,000 copies, with the majority in Europe; Cage attributed low North American sales to Eidos' lack of support. A sequel was planned but cancelled. After David Bowie's death in 2016, the game was made available for free for one week.
Did You Know?
- David Bowie produced ten original songs for the game and portrayed the character Boz, as well as the lead singer of an in-game band.
- The player can reincarnate into the body of the first NPC that interacts with them upon death, with over forty possible bodies to inhabit.
- A PlayStation version was 70% complete when it was cancelled, and a PlayStation 2 version was also cancelled.
- The game sold between 400,000 and 500,000 copies in Europe out of over 600,000 total.
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