Game review: Nitro Gen Omega (Xbox Series X)

Normally, when you play a video game, characters don't have permanent deaths (unless it's in the story) because you can retry missions over and over again. For example, if Solid Snake dies in Metal Gear Solid, you are able to try again, and he magically comes back to life. 

However, there have been some games in the past where characters die permanently without narrative choices. The one gaming franchise I can remember that does this is the popular X-Com series. I remember my brother playing these games a lot, and he would always be sad when one of his team members died on a mission. 

Well, I have played yet another game where death is permanent, and this game is called Nitro Gen Omega. The game was available as an early access title a while ago, but now everyone can play it on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. 

Before I begin talking about the gameplay, Nitro Gen Omega does have an interesting premise. Nitro Gen Omega is set in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity lost a war against AI and machines. 

Animal-like machines roam around the world, with humans needing to retreat to high pillar-like buildings to avoid all of the chaos below. Most humans have given up hope on taking back the planet, but a group of heroes is defying the odds and wants to fight back against the AI and machines. 

At the start of the game, you have the freedom to create your own set of characters. There are four characters that you have to create, and you can choose their appearance how you see fit. If you're feeling lazy like I was, you can randomise their appearance and go from there instead. 

The cool thing about this game is that the four heroes you create all pilot a mech. The mech you start off with is blue and doesn't have many weapons, but the further you progress, the more things you can add to it. Not to mention, newer mechs will also become available for you to pilot. 

The mech in Nitro Gen Omega acts like the Megazord robot from the Power Rangers franchise. Each of the four characters controls a specific part of the mech's body. If the mech gets hit, everyone suffers because they're all inside the same robot. 

The four characters have to control different parts of the mech. Up first is the Driver, and this person is in control of the mech's movement on the field and melee attacks. Enemies are usually situated either North, South, East, or West on the battlefield. The default attack the Driver has is a slap, and you need to be up close with an enemy to execute it. 

Arguably, the most helpful member of the group is the mech's Gunner. This person is in charge of shooting guns or missiles at enemy robots. Unlike the aforementioned Driver, this person can attack robots from a long distance. However, you have to be careful when firing missiles because there is a delay, and you have to make sure your own mech is out of the firing range!

The next person is also very helpful, and this is the Engineer. The Engineer can reload missiles for the Gunner, repair the mech, or provide shields. They can also activate a coolant that prevents your mech from overheating. 

The last person in the team is called the Operator. The Operator can scan enemies or use evasion measures. One of the more useful techniques at the start of the game is that the Operator can throw smoke grenades. If you time this right, enemies will miss the mech when they are attacking you. 

I forgot to mention that Nitro Gen Omega is a turn-based tactical RPG, which means you have to plan attacks and movements like a chess game. For example, you will have to look at the battle timeline underneath the screen to see when an enemy is next attacking. Making sure to throw smoke grenades before an enemy attacks means the move will be successful. If you throw them too late, the enemy will still damage your team!

You also have to really do a great job of defending the mech because it can get damaged if you don't do a good job of preventing enemy attacks. Not to mention, some parts of the mech can be severely damaged enough to kill some team members, too!

Losing a team member in this game is one of the worst things that can happen. This is because you will lose one crucial part of the mech. If this happens, you will have to travel to a town to hire another person to join your team. Team morale also plays a big part because some members may have to relax or do yoga to feel healthy enough to be ready for the next battle. 

Whenever someone important in my team died, I just reloaded the last time I made a manual save. It can be too expensive or annoying to hire another person to replace a team member, in my opinion. 

Aside from the challenging gameplay, Nitro Gen Omega has excellent presentation. The graphics are anime-inspired, and you fly an airship to travel a large open-world map. There are lots of towns to visit to repair or equip new weapons for your mech, plus several main missions and side quests to do. 

However, the best parts of the game are the cinematic-style cutscenes that occur during battles. It truly feels like you are watching an epic anime or cartoon when your mech fights any of the robots in this post-apocalyptic world. 

As much fun as I had playing the game, the only thing that might annoy some gamers is its steep learning curve and challenging gameplay. Unlike Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you cannot dodge or parry enemy attacks in this game, which can be very annoying. 

Aside from a few minor flaws, Nitro Gen Omega is a great game if you are a fan of tactical RPGs. If you are good at turn-based games, you should give this game a try. 

Verdict: 8.5/10