Growing up playing the NES before the days of gaming with the internet, we often had to result to rather archaic methods when playing gamesGrowing up playing the NES before the days of gaming with the internet, we often had to result to rather archaic methods when playing games with larger than average game worlds - we had to get out pencil and paper and make our own maps. I know this sounds a bit dumb, but if you've played the original Metroid or Legend of Zelda titles, you'll understand the need for this. Most modern games have evolved to make the need for this obsolete, with their often overly detailed maps showing you every little secret a game has to offer. Until my time with Omega Strike, I almost forgot the simple joy that came from making your own notes to go off of, opposed to simply pressing start and selecting a map to find the next objective. The feeling of accomplishment from finding your own way or being able to know exactly where to go once a new ability has been unlocked is much more gratifying when you know you did it without consulting a wiki.
Omega Strike is a Metroidvania style game that features a map that most modern games would cringe at the sight of. It's extremely basic, showing the layout of the area you currently inhabit, with general information such as how many collectibles or mission objects remain, and not much else. That said, you'll likely need to bust out the pen and paper (or consult the interwebz) to find your way fairly early into the game. While the game is not extremely heavy on backtracking unlike most games in the genre, there are quite a few areas you'll need to make note of, as the map fails to deliver sufficient information to make this an easy task without.
The story follows a group of heroes on their quest to defeat the nefarious Doctor Omega and his army of mutants and creatures. Early into the game, you can select from one of three heroes on the fly, each with their own attack and special abilities. Early in, you will be limited to specific characters for certain areas, as their abilities will be required to progress. While each of the characters are usable, most players will quickly find a favorite; the fact that you are required to use a specific character for large sections of the game will likely be a disappointment for many. You'll find a standard army guy with a machine gun and a roll ability, a larger tank option with a grenade launcher and has the ability to move objects out of your way, and my personal favorite, a SWAT style operator equipped with a shotgun and can double jump. While each character performs well in their own right, they all have pros and cons.
The gameplay consists of the standard platforming and combat the genre is known for, with a varied cast of enemies that will keep players on their toes. The old school visual style, sound effects, controls, and music all work well as a throwback to older console generations, so much so that I often forgot I was playing the game on a PS4 opposed to a SNES or Genesis. The only downfall here is that the individual rooms are not randomized at any point, so in the event you have to backtrack through the same area again and again, the same enemies will be in the exact same places. This makes grinding out gold, which is needed to purchase power ups and upgrades, easy; but it also makes some portions of the game a bit of a slog. Especially when you go out of your way, only to reach a dead end that will have to be revisited once an additional ability is gained.
The environment is huge and encourages exploration, as you will find many rooms with small ledges hidden behind walls that hide red blocks or treasure chests. The red blocks can be redeemed to add additional blocks of life to the player, while the chests hold large quantities of gold that must be used to purchase the aforementioned items. While you won't necessarily need to grind much to purchase these upgrades, they will be needed as the game features some pretty challenging boss encounters. These battles will require you to learn the boss’ patterns and react accordingly, opposed to just standing in one place and shooting. While I was able to take down the first with little issue, the subsequent battles were tense battles, with either the boss or myself dying with the other having only a sliver of life left.
While I typically have a love-hate relationship with Metroidvania style games due to the constant backtracking, the old school mechanics and presentation elevate Omega Strike to a level of greatness that few in the genre have recently found. Even with its less than stellar map, it's an amazing experience that anyone who misses the glory days of the genre will surely enjoy.… Expand
