Omega Strike
Developed by Woblyware
Published by Digerati Distribution
Released for Xbox One (6/2018)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch
Omega Strike combines a 2D run 'n gun/platformer with Metroidvania style gameplay. Despite having a somewhat generic name making it easy to overlook, Omega Strike is a competent Metroidvania that fans of the genre might want to dip into. Presented in old-school pixel art graphics, you'll blast your way through five large areas while unlocking new abilities along the way. As you gain new abilities you'll be able to explore areas you previously couldn't access.
Omega Strike features the standard plot of a bad dude, Dr. Omega, who threatens to dominate the world under his reign of terror. It's up to our three heroes Sarge, Bear and Dex to put an end to Dr. Omega's evil plans. At the start of Omega Strike you'll only have control of Sarge, but as you progress you'll unlock two additional characters you can switch between on the fly, each with different abilities that you'll unlock as you play. Sarge packs an assault rifle and has the ability to shoot through certain blocks and roll. Dex wields a shotgun and can double jump and dash. The third character, Bear, packs a grenade launcher and the ability to push heavy blocks. Characters can be switched instantly with a press of the Y button and you'll find yourself switching between them quite frequently as you encounter different scenarios throughout the game. It's a neat concept and works well enough, though Sarge and Dex are easily much more effective than Bear. Bear was primarily effective for enemies below you since his grenade launcher has an arc to it, but you'll encounter these scenarios far less frequently than enemies in front of or above you which are better handled by Dex or Sarge. Once you unlock Dex's double jump ability, you'll likely only switch to the other characters when required and then go right back to Dex due to his enhanced mobility.
There are five total stages to explore in
Omega Strike. There's a decent variety between the stages, which will take you through mines, the desert, a scrapyard, the mountains and the woods. While five stages might sound quite short, the maps are large in size and will take a while to explore. You'll find yourself returning to previous areas quite frequently as you unlock new abilities and are able to access areas you couldn't before. The fifth and final stage, the Omega Citadel, is an air fortress in the sky that can only be unlocked after defeating all previous bosses on the first four stages.
There are collectibles scattered about in the form of medkits, treasure chests and lifecubes. The medkits will be added to your inventory when collected, which can be used from the item screen anytime you need to restore some health. The treasure chests add some extra money which you can spend on upgrades or items at a merchant. The lifecubes will be added to your inventory and can be exchanged at the military base. Four life cubes will grant you one additional block on your life meter. Some of these are well hidden, so you'll definitely pass some of them up on accident. Enemies respawn every time you enter a new screen, so you'll find yourself blasting through the same screens several times in a playthrough as you backtrack to access new areas.
Graphically,
Omega Strike presents the 2D action with pixel-art that looks like something straight out of the 32-bit era. The pixel art is simple but packs more than enough detail to convey what the sprite is supposed to be. Backgrounds are also quite detailed with several scrolling layers adding a nice sense of depth. There's a decent variety to the stages, with each feeling different than the last. There's also quite a nice variety of enemies to dispatch and the game does a good job ramping up the difficulty of the enemies as you progress. Each map has its own theme music, all of which are solid and a few are quite memorable. The songs for Emerald Woods, Scrapyard and Omega Citadel definitely stand out as personal favorites. The sound effects are simple and to the point. Nothing sounds too obnoxious and I never got tired of hearing the sounds of the game, though much of this is due to the excellent soundtrack. In regards to the music, every time I heard the
theme song for
Emerald Woods this song from the
Gradius 3 OST would pop
into my head. Do you notice the similarities as well or am I imagining things? Control-wise, Omega Strike features a simple control layout that works well and really leaves nothing to complain about.
I didn't find much to gripe about during my time with
Omega Strike, though there are a few aspects that could've been improved. I wound up purchasing all of the upgrades roughly about halfway through the game, which left me nothing else to spend my money on besides food and the teleporter device (which warps you back to the military base). Another shop later in the game with a few more items to buy would have went a long way. While the map works fine for what it is, having some kind of way to place markers or indicate where you want to return later would have been great. As it is, you'll end up doing a lot of useless backtracking to figure out where you're supposed to go (unless of course you use these maps), but this has been a common issue with many Metroidvania games in the past and kinda comes with the genre sometimes. There's also the character balance issue I talked about earlier, with Dex and his double-jump ability making him far more enjoyable to use than the other two characters.
During my playthrough of
Omega Strike, I unlocked 100% of the
achievements in a little under 7 hours. Having obtained the game on the
cheap in an Indie Bundle sale, I felt like I got more than my money's
worth but I might feel different had I paid full price for the
game, so you may want to wait and catch it on a sale. While a bit on the short side, I found myself wanting more when it was all said and done which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Omega Strike is far from perfect, but it's a fun little Metroidvania game that won't take up too much of your time.
Final Verdict: Omega Strike is a Metroidvania with elements of a 2D run 'n gunner and platformer. While a bit easy and short in length, there's still some fun to be had here. Grab it when it's on sale if you dig Metroidvania games.
Related Links:
Buy Omega Force - Microsoft Store
Buy Indie Darling Bundle Vol 3 - Microsoft Store
Omega Strike Item Maps - Xbox Overview
Omega Strike - GameFAQs
Woblyware - Official Site
Digerati Distribution - Official Site
Omega Strike - True Achievements
