Omega Strikers is a rare competitive game that doesn’t make you feel bad

Omega Forwards it is a cleverly designed game; At first, I was drawn to the colorful characters and simple premise. Developer Odyssey Interactive, made up of former Riot Games leaders, has been brave enough to ask: What if League of Legends characters, with their unique abilities and strong personalities, sat down to play a three-on-three game of soccer?

Polygon was invited to a preliminary test of Omega Forwardsand the answer is that it is fast, fun and dynamic; Omega Forwards It’s the kind of game you feel like playing alone. a quick round to kill a few minutes, and then uh-oh Spaghettios, 45 minutes have passed.

A round of the game begins with a quick draft in which each team chooses their forwards. There’s a small but eclectic cast of characters, with more on the way, and players can choose from 10 cool characters. The list is a breath of fresh air; there’s a shy witch surrounded by familiar fairies, a sticky girl in space clothes, a friendly giant bear, and a shirtless guy who shoots fire out of her hands.

“We wanted to create something that had great appeal and accessibility. We didn’t want to go down a dark and gritty fantasy route. We wanted to create, like, we call it a hopeful and energetic vision of the future. Kind of a combination of Splatoon and Overwatch,” says Dax Andrus, co-founder of Odyssey Interactive. “Your low points in the game are softened and your high points are accentuated with this fun, energetic style that lifts you up as you play.”

Once you have blocked your striker, you enter a match that lasts only a few minutes. This is a good beat because it’s hard to get too mad at Omega Forwards; there is simply not enough investment of time per match. Losses fall like water from the back of a duck. Instead, I would find myself admiring an opponent’s plays and wondering if I could replicate them myself. At the same time, the high moments still sing; the kinetic effects, strong visuals, and clear action all feel right. Wins feel great, as the camera zooms in on your striker, the game plays a small MVP ending, and there’s a proper amount of fanfare.

“It’s a very character-focused game where everyone plays very differently, not only because of their base team design, but also because of the training options and [customizing] the way you PvPing with other players or focus on scoring,” says Richard Henkel, co-founder and president of Odyssey, on the call with Polygon. “There are many variants, and the look of those important moments differs: some players are very aggressive, others are sharpshooters or looking to take all the ankle-breaking goals.

Image: Interactive Odyssey

Each match begins with the players arranged on the map in formations of three. Once the game begins, the goal begins as a very narrow gap. Over time, it widens, creating a growing sense of pressure. Each character has unique abilities; For example, I played a witch who could create zones to speed up her allies and launch tornadoes to stun her enemies.

All the rough edges that complicate a game of Supervision either League of Legends they have been sanded. There are no domain cheats, no text chat (a very deliberate decision, says Henkel), and no automated systems to detect dueling. I’ve found that the only way to really make someone sad is to run up to them while the camera is on them for a post-goal celebration and send them a goofy emote.

Omega Forwards it’s built with a small, strong core, but it’s clear that the game has room to expand. Odyssey intends to work with creators, including a 1% revenue share in the first season with a creator whose community wins the most games. The developer intends to vet the creators to maintain the program; the idea is to keep the game acceptable for a family game night or college club. There’s also room for college esports, comics, and maybe even other games.

The sky is the limit, and while Omega Forwards is currently small and humble, Odyssey hopes moment-to-moment fun will build launch momentum and lead to a strong grassroots community. Omega Forwards launches Friday in beta on Steam; it will be extended to other platforms in successive updates.