Dating the Events of the Game and Mari’s Death.
This one’s been a long time coming but it’s about time I pulled an OMORI and took a stab at this. Some people think the game take place in the late 80′d, others the early 00′s. I know the game doesn’t take place in our universe but rather is adjacent to our. With that in mind, lets try to piece it together.
The cars give us only a general time frame.
Again, they look like late 80′s to early 00′s.
Although the fact that all of them look like boxcars takes a point against it taking place in the 2000′s, since none of them look modern.
Ironically, the key to dating the game are games.
The old gen console in HOBBEZ seems to be modeled on the NES and the “brand new” one seems to be modeled on the SNES.
The SNES was only sold as the newest console in North America from:
August 23, 1991 (SNES release) - September 29, 1996 (N64 release)
So that gives us a timeframe for the events of the game.
Note: The SNES officially discontinued in 1998. So it could have been sold on store shelves as late as 1999. So keep that in mind.
Now lets look a the handle held:
The issue here is determining whether Sunny has a Gameboy or Gameboy Color. Although, neither are a perfect match, I think its a the Gameboy Color for two reasons, the back panel and power switch placement:
The GB has a stripped back that Sunny’s doesn’t have. Meanwhile the GB Color has a square panel for its back just like Sunny’s
Furthermore, the dead give away is that the power switch on Sunny’s is placed right where its located on the Gameboy Color.
The Gameboy Color released in NA: November 18, 1998
If in an AU, the events of OMORI happened the same year of Maris death (which takes place in October). Then we could say with complete confidence that OMORI took place in:
1999
Any earlier, and the GB Color wouldn’t be released. Any later, and the SNES wouldn’t be sold as brand new since the SNES discontinued 1999.
Nov. 1998 (GB Color released) - Nov. 1999 (Last new SNES hit stores.)
HOWEVER,
Mari did not, in fact, die the same year as the events of the game.
She died 3 to 4 years before.
He’d have to get the GB Color 4 year earlier for that to be possible.
Which means, despite the visual evidence, we have to assume Sunny has the original Gameboy equivalent.
The original Gameboy released in NA: July 31, 1989
This date would fit comfortably in the 1991 - 1996 (and 1999) time frame.
Furthermore,
Sunny is seen with the Gameboy on Basil’s birthday Feb. 18th.
And the Gameboy released July 31.
Mari died later that year in October.
Basically, Sunny needs to get that Gameboy first, before Mari can die.
Mari couldn’t have died in 89. Since the Gameboy would have came out 5 months after Basil’s birthday, when Sunny has it already.
Therefore, Mari died in at least Oct, 1990 or later.
However, we can take this further,
Lets assume Sunny only gets presents on Christmas and his Birthdays.
If that’s the case, we know Sunny didn’t get the Gameboy the Christmas before her death, since the only present he got was the violin.
He also couldn’t have received it the birthday before that Christmas since then it would have come out 11 days after his birthday…
DISCUSSION:
Mari has to have died 2 years after the Gameboy releases in 1989
Which means Mari died at earliest 1991.
At absolute earliest, OMORI happens in 94/95 and Mari dies 91
We know that the game cannot take place after the SNES is sold as new:
At absolute latest, OMORI happens in 1999 and Mari dies 95/96
However, picking 1999 assumes HOBBEZ is peddling the last new SNES on the market, AND somehow didn’t get an N64 in the 4 years its been out.
If we assume HOBBEZ gets the N64 is debut year of 96, (N64, NA: September 29, 1996) That means at the latest OMORI would take place the Summer of 96 before it debuted that Fall.
At ‘most likely’ latest, OMORI happens in 96 and Mari dies 92/93
Getting the timing right:
You thought this was over??? We still have to talk about college boy.
We know Hero is 15 when Mari died.
(He’s confirmed to be 15 in Headspace, where Omori is frozen at age 12, and Sunny is 12 the day Mari died.)
Therefore he’s either 18 or 19.
Least assume Hero did not skip a year or get held back a year. (Either of these are actually possible given his special circumstance.)
So that means he’s either a College Freshman or Sophomore.
But that’s actually not true.
The games event happen during Summer Vacation, since none of the students go to school.
Hero’s birthday is on Jan 1st, New Years Day, over the Winter.
Therefore, Hero cannot be finishing up his Sophomore Year. There’s no way he’d reach the Summer of his Sophomore Year without hitting his birthday twice over two Winter Breaks, which would put him over 19.
Therefore, Hero is 19 and finishing up his College Freshman year.
So why is Hero’s age and grade important?
It gives us a timeline:
It truly proves there is a 4 year gap between her death date and the game.
For example,
if she died Oct. 1990. it has to be around June 1994. (91′,95′; 92′,96′ etc.)
CONCLUSION:
At earliest, Mari dies 1991 and OMORI happens in 1995
At latest, Mari dies 1992 and OMORI happens in 1996
Any earlier and Sunny wouldn’t have a Gameboy, any later and HOBBEZ would have an N64 on display.
But considering the game has no promotional references to the N64, so its probably 1995, but personally want to give the nudged to 1996 because it makes the game’s starting date look way more sinister. But honestly, its a toss up.
Now its time for the estimated guess work: All we need to figure out the day Mari dies, and the day Hero gets back from finals.
Basils says Mari’s recital was “next month” not “next week” or “in a week.” And the 1991 calendar starts its third week after the 16th, so I’ll just pick the median of 16th and 31st, the 23rd.
And most big California Schools have their last final on June 15th and Hero got back two days after the start so that would be the 13th.
Final verdict:
The Recital: (Around) October 23, 1991 OMORI starts: June 13th, 1995
Note: June 13th, 1996 looks way cooler, cuz its a 13 surrounded by 6′s. My brain picks 95, my heart picks 96. Thanks for reading, and please don’t take this too seriously. Remember that all of this is based on an alternative universe so all of this could be easily invalidated by multiple changes between universes.
MASSIVE EDIT:
I forgot about the computers…….. :”” D
To clarify, Sunny got his PC as a hand me down.
The Laptop was bought brand-new by his father for work. And shares the OS with the PC he had before.
It can’t be Windows 98, otherwise HOBBEZ would certainly have an N64, 6 years after it came out, and the SNES very old. But as stated before 1996 is actually only a soft cap since the SNES was discontinued in 1999.
So if the PC has Windows 95, and that came out in August 24, 1995.
And it, Mari died in late October around October 23, 1995. where, after that he leaves and never talks to Sunny again.
So at earliest, his Dad literally bought it within two month after it came out. Unlikely, but possible. A situation where his Dad bought the PC for work, tried it out, and said “you know what I’m just going to get the laptop after all.”
It’s unlikely, but its the only way to make the timeline fit.
If this is all true the Gameboy and N64 become irrelevant.
Its completely possible for Sunny to use an old Gameboy, so that now becomes a non-factor. And while its unlikely that HOBBEZ didn’t get the N64 in 3 years, it is a retro shop in the middle of nowhere. So again its possible.
That gives us a new time frame:
So that means Sunny had to be given the PC in 1995. Any later and the SNES wouldn’t be sold as brand new four years later.
Final verdict (accounting for Windows 95):
The Recital: Late October, 1995
OMORI starts: June 13th, 1999
Thanks for the help. Again let’s not take this too seriously. I say as a just spent 6 hours writing a blog post about it.
About that…
It couldn't have taken place in the 1990s. It has to have taken place during the 2000s, due to the recital ticket from the collectors edition being dated 200X or 20XX (can't remember which one)