NITRO GEN OMEGA

In short, this is not a video game without its rough edges; yet, it feels well-rounded and focused—built around a few highly polished and deeply explored core concepts—and, above all else, it demonstrates that potential for growth typical of those who are already doing things the right way. *Nitro Gen Omega* is original and satisfying; it manages to remain entertaining for at least thirty hours without ever dragging. It only begins to feel a bit weighed down over the long haul—due to the inevitable tension between its sandbox nature and the sheer scope of content a studio this small has attempted to tackle—specifically regarding the variety of environments, factions, and all the classic elements that serve to facilitate player freedom and emergent storytelling. That said, DESTINYbit’s latest work clearly showcases the results of a continued process of maturation—one that solidifies their standing as one of the most intriguing developers on the domestic scene.

NITRO GEN OMEGA from developer DESTINYbit is a unique open-world turn-based experience that offers more than expected. It’s fast, intense, and requires the player to do one helluva fun mech juggling act.

Based on a simple premise, Nitro Gen Omega’s combat is genuinely very entertaining and well thought out, and the fun animations are a nice added value. Unfortunately, grindy progession, a barebones open world, unexciting characters, and a perplexing system for switching mechas end up dragging the entire game down.

Overall I think Nitro Gen Omega is going to click deeply with a small group of players. Others who dip their toes in will probably enjoy the novelty before bouncing off to something else. If you choose to spend your time here, please consider that this is definitely not Into the Breach meets anime. It does not feel like combat chess (yet), and the similarity of each combat encounter over time slowly erodes the beautiful graphic art style. Keep an eye out, maybe DESTINYbit will introduce a more varied roster of combat scenes or rebalance enemy encounters in a way that deepens strategy.

Nitro Gen Omega manages to win you over thanks to its strongly defined identity and its ability to blend strategy and storytelling in a coherent and engaging way. Some noticeable limitations remain, however: the depth of the combat system, while interesting and full of possibilities, can feel somewhat hard to read during the more hectic moments, making it difficult to immediately grasp all the variables at play, while certain animated sequences tend to repeat with some frequency, gradually losing part of their impact over time. Despite this, the overall experience remains thoroughly enjoyable, capable of entertaining and leaving a positive impression — especially for those who appreciate the genre and are looking for something with personality.