The Real Omega Strikers is the Emotes We’ll Spam Along the Way

Not sure what Omega Strikers is? This cinematic trailer might help you out!

It was as classic a tale as could be: a pair of friends spending winter break playing games, making conversation, and just generally enjoying each other’s company.

Of course, from ordinary moments spring monumental circumstances. ‘Twas a few days after Christmas when my good buddy Nyaature told me about a little game in open beta that he had gotten into lately called “Omega Strikers.”

Now, when it comes to anything with ranked/competitive formats, I tend to get drummed out of interest pretty quick. My experience with League as someone naturally disinclined to MOBAs was basically spending 20+ minutes slowly and incrementally getting dunked on, the latest format for Pokémon VGC was close to hooking me until managing Tera Types threw me off my rocker before I could so much as participate in a ranked match, Star Wars Squadrons had a competitive scene for a few months before rapidly dissipating, and then there’s poor old Battleborn… truly a tragic story in its own right.

Still, despite the birds-eye view that I’m generally averse to in video games unless I’m playing something tactics-based, something in me decided to accept his invitation to play with him and give this Omega Strikers game a shot.

About 24 hours of playtime between an open beta and closed playtest* later, I come before you as a full-fledged Omega Strikers fan eager to spread the word about the game in the hopes that others might know the same thrills and joys that I did as we rapidly approach its official release date of April 27.

This post isn’t sponsored by or associated with Omega Strikers or Odyssey Interactive in any way. This is all just me speaking/typing from the heart about an awesome game I want to see succeed.

*DISCLAIMER: I mention being a part of the playtest, but for the sake of not trying to find out which coil of Hell I’ll be sent to for sharing any information or content regarding it, I won’t be mentioning anything about the playtest (other than the fact that I was part of it). Talking points will remain within the context of what I experienced during the open beta and any new information that’s come from official sources since.

Footbrawlin’

Luna has been my go-to character regardless of the role I need to fill, likely in no small part due to her chaotic personality and playstyle.

Given 3 seconds to answer and a gun held to my head, I’d describe Omega Strikers as a burst of chaos. Matches are short, fast, and fierce. You go for the core and strike it (or your foes) as it bounces between allies, enemies, and a humble-sized pitch until it lands firmly in a goal zone—ideally not yours. Repeat until match point.

As of this writing, fifteen strikers have been announced, each with their own kit of three unique abilities. Some specialize in harassing the opposition—putting the “brawl” in the game’s marketed identity as a “footbrawler”—while others specialize in support or controlling the core. Some are heavily designed around a specific role as either a goalie or a forward, while others can strike a middle ground that can help them fulfill either role (such as Luna, who can travel pretty much the entire length of the field and back thanks to her crazy mobility and utility of the “eject button” item/training, making her an unorthodox-yet-fun goalie).

As for the gameplay itself, I feel like it strikes the perfect balance between expert precision and calculated “wow!” plays you can expect from competitive MOBA, and moments of utter, whimsical mayhem. The flow of the game continuously shifts and swerves with the core as it darts all around the field, a massive play can be smothered in the crib by a lucky snipe, and what first seemed to be total dominance of the field can be turned on its head with a well-timed knockout to even the odds. The tight pace makes Omega Strikers a thrilling experience, but it never feels out of the player’s control, even when you’re still learning the ropes.

No Losing ‘till You’ve Lost

Perhaps my personal favorite thing about Omega Strikers is that even when you’re down and blowout-bound, you can still eke yourself a win.

In other games, it can be pretty demoralizing wading through half an hour, if not more, of your opponent beating you into the ground and stacking power until they inevitably plow through you or force you to surrender. While there are things in Omega Strikers like levels and power-ups that can tip the scales between rounds and games, I never felt like winning was permanently out of reach.

A match in Omega Strikers is segmented into rounds that end in one side scoring a goal. Once that happens, everyone and the core go back to their starting positions, leaving whatever blunders or bad plays happened previously behind so that you can make the most of a fresh start. After a few seconds of leadup, you get to jump back into the fray, a little wiser about who you’re up against and hopefully a little more confident as well.

That’s not to say you won’t get tilted, of course. Even I can get a little frustrated or pessimistic following consecutive losses, just like I would any other game. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that whether it was hopping into another round or a fresh new match, it was easier for me to get back on my feet and try again than mope about how I or someone else played.

In situations involving one team that’s completely superior to another, the game will go by pretty (mercifully) quick. However, I would be remiss not to mention how often we (or the other team, on occasion) managed to crawl our way out of a potential blowout and take the game into overtime. When we won, we’d pop off with our best emotes and celebrate together in the voice chat. When we didn’t, the focus usually wasn’t on the sting of defeat; instead, we’d just laugh it off and talk about all the silly moments and crazy plays we got to see before figuring out how to do better next time.

Near the end of the open beta period, Odyssey Interactive talked in a blog post (which you can check out HERE) about different mechanics they planned to add to the final version of the game, such as barriers that you’d need to strike to open up the other team’s goal, and a “core flip” move that promised to add to the intensity of the overall Omega Strikers experience. These things might lengthen the overall experience, but they shouldn’t have any effect on what sets Omega Strikers apart as a competitive multiplayer experience. The game’s greatest strengths still lie in its potential for explosive, memorable moments. Believe me when I tell you that it doesn’t matter what that scoreboard says—until you land back in the menus, it ain’t over.

Emote Charades

“The Quintessential Kai Goalie Experience”
(Source: Omega Strikers Discord Channel by user “Sy- | Asia”)

This’ll be another one of those quirky little Sean-isms, but bear with me here.

On the topic of communication, Omega Strikers takes a very simplified approach. While party chats are a planned feature, your interactions with strangers (at least during the beta) was primarily through a wheel of strategy-themed stickers (phrases like “pass!” or “let me defend!” among others), but also primarily whatever handful of character-themed emotes you chose. Some are silly, some are sweet, and some are sour, if not sarcastic.

I found this creative decision to take the edge off of interacting with strangers that can be frequent in other high-stakes games. After all, a teammate spamming an angry/crying chibi character after you let an easy goal slip by is less toxic than, say, a collected assortment of swears and slurs followed by a readout of your full IP address, right?

Don’t get me wrong—some people will do whatever it takes to take it too far, but the way Omega Strikers designed their emote system leans itself more to positive, constructive interactions, like allies and enemies giving thumbs ups and heart-filled emotes to console you after a silly mistake, or the shocked/excited faces that pop up after you make an incredible goal. Moments like these where everyone gets to just have a little fun together regardless of their team are what gave this game a healthy, sportsmanlike community during the open beta, and I’m optimistic that the systems in place will help maintain that upbeat, welcoming atmosphere when the game officially launches.

GO STRIKE!

See you soon, Strikers!
(Screenshot from Omega Strikers cinematic opening)

I truly cannot overexaggerate how much fun I had with Omega Strikers in my limited time playing it. It’s easy to get into, fun to learn, and rewarding to play, and I plan on investing plenty of time into the game when it releases, optimistic that it will not go the way of Battleborn (please please please please please…)

If you feel so inclined, check out the Omega Strikers YouTube channel, Twitter, and/or Discord (If you stop by, tell ‘em Hydri sent ya and give ‘em a big :atlasthumbsup:) to keep up with all the latest happenings. Hope to see you out there sluggin’ and strikin’ it with the rest of us!

And in case any Ody employees who have been working on the game see this blog, kudos. You’ve got something really special going on here.

(…and by the way, if you’re looking for new ideas for Strikers to add, I’m just saying… peppy journalist interns who fall in love with the sport they’re assigned to? Totally hot right now!)