"SUNNY's story is over. Now, it's your turn."

"But what about a game about Sunny at his new home?"

"But what about game that shows how Aubrey, Kel, and Hero reacted to the truth?"

"But what about a POV shift to another character?"

"But what about a prequel that takes place before the incident?"

These are examples of direct sequel ideas that, while not bad, would work infinitely better as a different form of media and not an RPG. (plus the three friends’ reactions were SUPPOSED to be left up to player interpretation)

I get that we're attached to these characters and want to see how they grow and progress, especially after the good ending, but there's no dancing around it. A direct continuation would not work as a full-fledged RPG because there would be no “game” to speak of.

This is why I propose the idea that an OMORI 2 would start fresh with a new story, setting, and cast of characters. This is similar to, for example, what the Final Fantasy series does. Each mainline entry is its own contained world and storyline (with a few exceptions such as X-2 being a direct sequel to X), but still has plenty of aspects in both gameplay and story tropes that unify them as a series.

This isn’t a brand-new concept. To quote the TV Tropes page on Thematic Series:

Unlike a typical series, a Thematic Series does not follow the same characters or story; instead, it follows the same themes. For instance, a series may focus on themes of war, but with each installment centering on completely different people being affected by completely different wars. One might recognize a few nods to past installments here and there. If the installments share any characters at all, they will be side characters or it may be in the form of a cameo by a former main character of a different chapter.

Sunny’s story is over. It’s time for him to pass the torch to a new protagonist.

Meet Hail and their dream persona Omori, the central characters of OMORI 2.

Hail is an adult living alone in an apartment in Nearby City. Because of their traumatic past, they are now bitter and misanthropic, delving into the escapist fantasy world known as Headspace. In their dreams, they exist through the eyes of Omori, where they go on RPG adventures alongside friends to save the day. With the light gone from their eyes, Hail lives through reality on auto-pilot, going through the motions in hopes of getting back to sleep.

However, sometimes, with what tiny mote of light they have left, Hail hopes for a future where things don't have to be like this.

The thing is... their story hasn't begun. They just need to take the first step.

Friends (Headspace):

Ever the scholar, Kya often has her nose in a book and frequently speaks with a sizable vocabulary. She can fix just about any gadget.

A strong-willed martial artist, Rowan has a heart too big for his own good, and often enjoys playing the hero. He looks up to someone very powerful.

Cris is a skilled swimmer and loves being in water. She's sweet and gentle, but somewhat of an airhead, much to Kya's annoyance.

In the real world, things aren't as fun or cheery, especially after the friend group split up.

Gameplay Changes from OMORI:

EASY, NORMAL, and HARD modes that can be adjusted at any time, for those that are RPG veterans and those that just want to kick back and enjoy the story. (This setting does not affect scripted battles.)

The emotion system returns. In addition to HAPPY, SAD, and ANGRY, new emotions such as FLATTERED, DISGUSTED, SLEEPY, and more are added, creating a Pokémon-style web of elemental weaknesses/resistances. Each emotion inflicts a unique buff and debuff.

Two new stats are added: SPECIAL ATTACK and SPECIAL DEFENSE, which function almost identically to MAGIC ATK and MAGIC DEF in other RPGs. For instance, a SKILL like AUBREY'S POWER HIT would use ATK/DEF, while a SKILL like OMORI'S EXPLOIT would use SP.ATK/SP.DEF. These stats can be affected by certain emotions.

Due to the more complex emotion system, the EMOTION CHART is viewable in the middle of battle at the press of a button.

The limit for learnable SKILLS is raised from 4 to 6.

Characters can now equip 2 CHARMS instead of 1. (If both CHARMS provide an emotion, the CHARM in the first slot takes priority unless they stack.)

Foes will consume JUICE when using certain abilities, and won't be able to use them if they're out of JUICE.

Stat buffs/debuffs are visible via little icons on the afflicted friend/foe.

FOLLOW-UPS slightly change effect/animation depending on the current emotion of the attacking character.

The ENERGY METER maxes out at 20 instead of 10.

Character level caps out at 99 instead of 50. Experience gain and stat growth are changed to compensate.

To balance out the changes made in the player's favor, foes are made tougher overall than in the original OMORI.