Ah Osmos, what an absolute gem that was back when it released for Linux in 2010. Looking back, it's one of the first set of new-wave indie games to kick-start Linux gaming.
I say 'new-wave' because there were of course indie games way before 2010, however, when thinking about the history of Linux gaming back in 2010 there wasn't a great deal available officially at all. Hemisphere Games were practically a pioneer when it came to putting a game on Linux.
You have to remember this was multiple years before even Steam came to Linux. Before there was any real push from anyone for Linux gaming. Okay, there were a few (hello) but back then it was truly a different world and not many had any real success. Want to feel old? Osmos released even before the first Humble Indie Bundle and itself was placed into the Humble Indie Bundle 2 back in December 2010.
What the heck is Osmos anyway? You control a mote, propelling yourself forward by ejecting matter in the opposing direction, which also reduces your own size while doing it so you have to be careful. You absorb others to grow, while also trying not to get sucked away yourself. That's just scratching the surface though, with multiple level-paths to progress through from slow ambient casual floating around, difficult challenge levels that start with the odds firmly stacked against you to speeding around what looks like a star. It's a mix of casual and challenging gameplay.
With truly gorgeous simple visuals and an excellent electronic soundtrack, it's an easy game to get utterly sucked into with headphones in. Since it's such a wonderful game, it's aged perfectly too. In another ten years time, I can still imagine myself loading it up and appreciating the silky-smooth beauty of it. To this day, Osmos holds a special place in my heart for having such a wonderful atmosphere and style, plus giving Linux support early on.
It's so old, their official YouTube trailer only goes up to 480p:
Direct Link
Osmos was reviewed well, eventually making it onto mobile platforms and ended up spawning lots of imitations. Over ten years later, clicking Play on it again and it's still such a fantastic experience that works wonderfully.
You can buy Osmos on the Humble Store, the Official Site and Steam.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
rustybroomhandle Jul 10, 2020
no_information_here Jul 10, 2020
Philadelphus Jul 11, 2020
That was about 4 years before I switched to Linux, but having games like this ready and waiting for me when I did was a big part of why I took the plunge.I never did completely finish it, maybe I'll fire it up today for a bit.
There should have been a part 3 which never released though, maybe it should have been the figures article:
Those numbers have been pretty impressive back in the days.
Last edited by Corben on 12 July 2020 at 9:26 am UTC
Last edited by anewson on 13 July 2020 at 1:51 am UTC
Mountain Man Jul 18, 2020
Great game. I think I still have a .deb installer tucked away somewhere on my hard drive, but it's broken now and throws up an error if try to run it, so Osmos exists mostly as a memory for me. When I bought it many years ago, it came with a free album of ambient music by Mat Jarvis called Sounds of Earth that I still enjoy listening to.
Well, you made me look...
Last edited by scaine on 18 July 2020 at 11:24 am UTC
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