Omega Strikers combines some of the most important factors that fans love about the multiplayer gaming experience to make something wholly unique. Omega Strikers is a free to play title from Odyssey Interactive, a game studio founded by former Riot Games leads who worked on beloved titles like Teamfight Tactics and League of Legends. The game features bombastic, lovable characters and a delightfully chaotic multiplayer experience that's sure to hook many players right away.
Omega Strikers is all about 3v3 competition, where players are simultaneously attempting to knock out their opponents and score goals with an illuminated puck. The game stars a team of Strikers - launching with 10 available characters to choose from - who each have their own unique backstories and abilities for both offensive and defensive play. Each Striker is very distinct in their appearance as well as their moves, which can be anything from dropping obstacles on the battlefield to shooting powerful beams. Characters are designed in the same manner as the characters in games like Overwatch - immediately lovable, and easy for players to find their favorites among the roster.
Each round begins with character selection as well as role assignment, with one player on each team being selected for the job of goalie. Alongside the four abilities that come along with each character, players will also have a set of three Trainings. These are various boosts and boons like lowered recharge time for special moves, or increased damage that also heals the player when it hits. Both the goalie and forward positions come with preset Trainings for each character, but players can also design custom Trainings based on their preferences.
While players are attempting to score goals in Omega Strikers, they'll simultaneously need to focus on combat with their opponents in a way somewhat reminiscent of matches in Mario Strikers: Battle League with an intense and fantastical twist. While not all abilities are geared towards fighting, a good number of them are, with each character having a distinct and fun style. Each character has a health bar, which if depleted can lead to them being knocked off of the playing field by a well-timed blow and briefly taken out of play.
Alongside their health bar, each player in Omega Strikers has a level which can be increased over the course of each match - resetting at the beginning of each one - by picking up Power Orbs, which allow players to become more powerful as the game progresses. The game is over when a team reaches five points, although victories must be by a two point margin and will sometimes surpass that rule. At the end of a match players will earn points for things like goals, saves, and knockouts, and can make progress via ranked play.
Although Omega Strikers is a free-to-play game, developers emphasized that the title will never utilize a pay-to-win model or any mechanics like loot boxes. Players can earn in-game currency by doing Missions, which are in-game tasks of varying complexity - one Mission may involve having to score a certain number of goals while another could be as simple as opening a certain menu. Players can use what they earn to purchase things like character skins, emotes, and Strikers. After launch, Omega Strikers will receive bi-weekly updates that will add things like new arenas, unlockables, and "new ways to compete."
Developers consistently emphasized that Omega Strikers is designed as a "players first model" that prioritizes the things they realized were most important during their time working on League of Legends. Omega Strikers will allow for in-game verification, which will let content creators integrate a link to their Twitch or other social media next to their display name. Verified creators will receive special perks, with the presentation stating they will "be first in line for custom emotes and Twitch drops." There are also various special privacy options to aid creators, like the ability to hide usernames while on stream.
Omega Strikers will soon host an event called "Creator Versus," where streamers can invite their community to participate in battling online as a team, with tools available to get all fans who wish to participate keys to the closed beta. The wins of every member on a creator's team will contribute to an overall total as a fun way for a large amount of players to all work as a team. Every member of the winning team will receive a special custom character skin, with other prizes planned for teams who rank in the top 10. The creator behind the number one team will also receive 1% of the total revenue that Omega Strikers makes in its first season, further emphasizing the relationship between the game and its streamers.
Omega Strikers is an exciting crossover of different elements from several beloved multiplayer titles. It has the fast-paced goal scoring of Rocket League, the powerful knockouts of Super Smash Bros., and the character mastery of League of Legends. Since the game comes from two Riot Games veterans, players can see a level of creator integration into the game that many titles don't think to include, which is a welcome change for both fans and streamers alike. Developers emphasized that players will witness a lot of growth for Omega Strikers over the next few months, making the game one that fans of multiplayer games should keep an eye on.
Omega Strikers is now available in closed beta for PC via Steam, and is set to release for mobile devices later this year and all major consoles in 2023. Screen Rant was provided a download code for the purpose of this review.