Recently, we had the opportunity to preview the upcoming project Nitro Gen Omega from the developer DESTINYbit and ask a few questions to its CEO and Creative Director, Gian Paolo Vemocchi. During the preview, we got a look at the different features that will be available within the game, such as the mechs the player will be able to control, the world the game is set in, the characters the player can acquire, and so much more.
Introduction to Nitro Gen Omega
To start, let’s talk about Nitro Gen Omega itself. For those who do not know, Nitro Gen Omega is the newest project from the developer DESTINYbit, which has been developing this project since late 2022 after its other project, Dice Legacy, was released.
Nitro Gen Omega itself is described as a Spaghetti Anime Turn-Based RPG that puts the player in control of a group of mercenaries as they attempt to save the world from machines that have destroyed the world.To do this, the player will have to take control of these 4 mercenaries, as they share the responsibility of controlling a mech that they can use to fight these machine enemies that plague the end of the world.
What makes Nitro Gen Omega interesting is the fact that it is a Sandbox Tactical RPG that allows the player to control the direction the game takes without sticking to a set storyline; in fact, it is encouraged that the player looks to find their own story within the actions of the game itself and to generate their own narrative regarding the characters and situations that take place within the game itself.
One of the most important factors of Nitro Gen Omega is the combat system, as Nitro Gen Omega does utilize a turn-based system for the combat, but some changes make this title stand out amongst other turn-based titles, but again, we will discuss that later in the article.
Nitro Gen Omega’s World
When it comes to the world of Nitro Gen Omega, players will be able to experience an end-of-the-world scenario in which humans lost a war with machines and all the adults in the world have essentially given up and are awaiting their final moments. However, not everyone in the world of Nitro Gen Omega has given up on the world, as the mercenaries that the player takes control of are attempting to save the world no matter how slim the odds are.
Although there may be a twist to these mercenaries as each mercenary is inspired by Shounen Anime, putting forward the idea of the younger generation not giving up and being willing to save the world through friendship and teamwork as they work together to pilot their mech and complete jobs for the adults who have given up on the world.
Due to the end-of-the-world scenario being right around the corner, the last living humans have begun to live in small towers that reach into the sky to avoid the machines that roam the world below. This means that the mercenaries have to utilize an airship to travel around the map and between outposts. While traveling around in the airship, players will be able to see the war-torn world that Nitro Gen Omega is set in as they fly high above the ground, seeing the wrecked cities, destroyed landscapes, and so much more.
Nitro Gen Omega’s Characters
As stated above, while playing Nitro Gen Omega, you will be able to acquire mercenaries that will allow you to take control of the mech that will be used to save the world. Throughout Nitro Gen Omega, the player will be able to acquire a variety of mercenaries at each outpost, each with their own set of skills, traits, and bonuses that will allow them to help the team in numerous different ways.
However, just like the name describes, these characters are mercenaries, so unfortunately they do not work for free. Each character will cost the player a certain amount of marbles (an in-game currency) to purchase them as well as to continue to pay them as they do their jobs that they are set to do.
Once a player begins Nitro Gen Omega, they will be granted 4 different characters straight away, each procedurally generated, allowing for a different playthrough every time while also allowing for a different group of personalities to contend with as they grow their team and create bonds. Along with each character being procedurally generated, the design of each character is also procedurally generated, with each design being hand-animated by the developers, allowing for unique designs as well as variety for each mercenary the player comes across.
Unfortunately, this does mean that there will be no customization for the mercenaries, but as the game grows, it does allow for numerous different personalities, styles, and dynamics to grow within Nitro Gen Omega, leading to a different playstyle every time you acquire a new mercenary. Even though the player can acquire 8 mercenaries at a time, you will only be able to use 4 at a time to pilot your mech; however, it is important to have some mercenaries saved up and upgraded in case your main 4 characters end up being fatally wounded in battle.
The main role mercenaries play within Nitro Gen Omega is that of the pilots of the mech, with each mercenary playing a specific role within the mech’s operations. There are 4 roles that the mercenaries can take on, these being Driver, Gunner, Operator, and Engineer. Each of these roles plays a specific part in running the mech, and each role can even be upgraded within each mercenary, providing them with traits that can provide small benefits within a battle.
Nitro Gen Omega’s Relationship System
While playing through Nitro Gen Omega, players will have the opportunity to generate relationships between the different mercenaries upon their airship. Due to Nitro Gen Omega being inspired by Shounen Anime, players will be able to generate relationships similar to those seen in that genre of Anime.
For example, players will be able to spend time working with certain mercenaries, whether it be in combat or within rest moments between battles, generating either a friendship or rival relationship between the mercenaries that are currently hired within the airship. This means that during the rest moments after battles, players will be able to assign certain characters to tasks within the airship in an attempt to improve their relationship with other mercenaries, along with increasing their general mood and even upgrading their skill level with specific roles.
To make the most out of your team, each player will likely have to spend a lot of time working with their mercenaries, turning them into a family of sorts as they work together, play together, and grow together, turning them into a force to be reckoned with.
However, this doesn’t come without its challenges either, as players can do activities like boxing, gaming, cooking, and much more to grow their friendships with their mercenaries. There is also the option for rivalries to build as each character acts like a living, breathing person. For example, a random event can occur during these rest periods in which a character may feel jealous that another mercenary is becoming friends with another mercenary, or they may encourage each other, making them feel closer.
Due to each character being randomly generated, there is no set dialogue or reasoning behind these decisions and it is entirely random, but this allows for the player to fill in the blanks allowing for their own creative story within the airship and their theories and explanations as to why a character may approve or disapprove of another character’s decisions or situations.
Each of these events can lead to a different outcome, causing an ever-changing dynamic on the airship as well as leading the player to have to essentially manage these different personalities and treat it as a family dynamic that can always break apart or come back together as long as the mercenaries don’t abandon the airship, which is possible.
To add to the relationship system, players will also be able to benefit from this system during the game’s combat. This can take effect when players share a certain relationship level, such as when two mercenaries become best friends; they can share turns, allowing for two abilities from one character to be used rather than a single ability from each character. This can also take effect when mercenaries become rivals in the form of stealing an action from one another; however, this can be a random event that takes place in battle and, depending on the situation, can either help or hinder the player in combat.
Nitro Gen Omega’s Combat
Speaking of combat, Nitro Gen Omega does utilize a turn-based combat system, however, there are a few changes that have been made to make the game a lot more unique while leaning further into the Anime style that the developers at DESTINYbit have taken inspiration from.
During combat, players will be able to take turns between themselves and the enemy they are fighting, but instead of following the standard turn-based mechanics that you would see in games like the original Final Fantasy 7, Fire Emblem, and even Darkest Dungeon, there have been a few tweaks to make it more dynamic.
One of the key factors when looking at combat in Nitro Gen Omega is the fact that the player will not be massively overwhelmed within the combat scenario. According to CEO Gian Paolo, the player will only be able to encounter up to a maximum of 3 enemies at a time as the developers did not want to overwhelm the player or the combat system itself. However, there is the possibility for future content such as lairs that could lead the player into a stage of multiple fights back to back leading to a stressful situation of dealing with multiple battles before reaching the end of a task.
While in combat within Nitro Gen Omega, the player will be able to see a 6-segment bar in which they can view the enemy’s actions as well as their own. This allows the player to plan their actions, while also worrying about the actions the enemy may take during their turn.
For example, if an enemy places an attack on a segment, the player would be required to plan ahead of that attack to ensure that they are safe, whether it be to scan the attack to determine what kind of attack it is, dodge the attack, or even block the attack, there are plenty of options to choose from, but the player will have to make that choice and stick to it.
Once all the actions have been placed, the player will then be witness to all the actions taking place just like they would in an Anime. This means that no matter what once these actions are set the player no longer has control of what is happening and can just enjoy a small show of a mech and a machine duking it out for survival, at least until the next round begins. Unfortunately, this system isn’t as easy as it sounds, as the player will also be tasked with a small amount of resource management throughout this combat encounter as well, this could mean the player would be required to track their bullets, their energy, their health, and so on.
This means that every decision matters, as well as the position you place your command in, if you decide to place a command that requires energy but the mech no longer has any by that turn, sadly your attack will fail, same as if you have no rockets prepared when you attempt to fire them. However, it should be made clear that within Nitro Gen Omega there is no RNG when it comes to actions as each action is guaranteed to do as it says in its descriptions, but only if the requirements are met.
Due to this, players will not be able to go into battles willy-nilly as they will be required to go into every battle prepared as they have no idea what to expect, luckily there is the opportunity to restock these resources at an outpost between every battle ensuring that the player doesn’t enter a battle without the necessary resources, but if the player doesn’t manage these resources well in combat, this could lead to consequences for their pilots.
During combat, the player will understandably have health attached to their mech, and this can be quite a problem for those who do not take care of their mech and plan their attacks and defenses ahead of time. If a player manages to suffer enough damage to their mech, there could be disastrous consequences for the player as their mercenaries may suffer because of this the mercenaries can get injured during these combat scenarios, and in some cases, they could be fatally wounded and lost forever.
As well as injuries, the mercenaries also can take matters into their own hands if they begin to see the battle taking a turn for the worse and their morale gets too low, this could appear in numerous different ways within the combat, whether it be to cause critical hits, instinct guards, crisis breakdowns, and even limit breaks.
Some of these situations may seem like benefits within a combat scenario, but keep in mind each of these situations are random events and there is no telling which will occur within the combat scenario, and the main way to trigger this situation is by potentially risking mercenaries and the mech itself.
Nitro Gen Omega’s Enemies
Throughout Nitro Gen Omega, the player will be tasked with all kinds of jobs from the last few surviving citizens of the world to complete certain objectives. Most of these objectives will be things like killing certain enemies, protecting a shipment, or bringing a certain item to someone, but with all of these quests, there will always tend to be one thing in common, and that is the enemies the player will encounter.
As stated above, the world Nitro Gen Omega is set in an end-of-the-world scenario in which AI controller machines have destroyed the world and are continuing to destroy it. But what makes these machines so interesting is the fact they aren’t just simple machines, but they are machines that are controlled by AI and learn from the environment around them.
Due to this, each enemy is relatively similar to something people would see roaming around the world, for example, one of the enemies resembles a wolf as it has quick speed, fast attacks, and can move around the arena in an attempt to confuse the player. This is but one of the enemies that has been created by this AI in an attempt to create a killing machine that can adapt to the entities it sees around it while improving on them with guns, metal claws, and much more.
Unfortunately, at the time of the preview, there are very few enemies that we could encounter, but each enemy provides its own set of challenges that make every fight fun and unique to come across thanks to the unique combat system that allows the enemy to be essentially unpredictable.
Nitro Gen Omega’s Mechs
One of the main features that Nitro Gen Omega boasts is the ability to control a mech to fight the machine-like enemies that pose a threat to the future of the world. One of the main mechs that the player will get their hands on is a mech that resembles a Baboon.
This will be the first mech players will be able to use within Nitro Gen Omega and it will allow them to ease into the combat mechanics of the game itself. The reason the mech resembles a Baboon is because it is an overly large mech that lumbers around the battlefield with large brawny arms and shoulders, as well as reasonably sized legs. In addition to this, DESTINYbit has also added its own spin to these mech suits as they have leaned into its Italian heritage and designed parts of the mech to resemble famous Italian vehicles.
The most recognizable feature of this would be the rear of the Baboon mech as it shares a similar design to what you would see under the hood of a Lamborghini or something similar. This mech is very useful as a first mech for players as it is very well rounded it has a reasonable amount of health, a decent amount of weaponry capabilities, and overall just generally useful in a combat situation.
However, this mech won’t always stay this way as this is where Nitro Gen Omega allows for a large variety of customization as the player will be able to swap out different parts of the mech to allow for different abilities, builds, and general stats within the mech itself.
For example, the player will be able to swap out the arms of the mech providing it with new attacks, such as multiple melee attacks, stronger weapons, and much more. Replacing these parts is as simple as going to a vendor at each outpost and seeing what items they have in stock. As a bonus, if you don’t find what you are looking for at one vendor, you can venture out to another vendor at another outpost and see if they have different stock for you, as each vendor has their own individual items up for sale.
Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as putting what weapons you want on and hoping for the best, however, as there are limitations to what you can equip on your mech. The reason behind this is that each mech will have an engine that you can replace and upgrade if you acquire new engines, and each puts a limitation on the mech ensuring that you cannot just equip the best of everything.
This means that even though you may find a piece of equipment for your mech that is super useful, you may need to downgrade another piece of equipment to make it work, adding in the realistic idea of having to manage your mech in numerous different ways to ensure that it stays useful without being overloaded.
Due to this customization, this is where players can focus on creating the best loadout they can for any situation, as they can alter the weaponry, defenses, and more to their specific playstyle while also being able to try new playstyles depending on the items they acquire.
Summary of Nitro Gen Omega
Overall, Nitro Gen Omega looks to be a very interesting Spaghetti Anime Turn-Based RPG that looks to be taking a completely new angle with the genre and introducing a whole new kind of gameplay style within the gaming industry.
With Nitro Gen Omega there is plenty of content to go through as players will be able to tell their own story with their characters while being able to make up what they see and what they do in their narrative allowing freedom between the player and the game itself.
Thanks to a unique combat system that blends turn-based combat and cutscenes into a play-and-watch scenario, players will be able to feel like they are contributing to their own Anime with their characters while also being able to feel the consequences of the actions they make against the mercenaries that they are controlling.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage check out how a Baldur’s Gate 3 player made fools of all of us or our article explaining how Ubisoft’s new game engine will change how players use stealth within Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.
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I am a long-time writer who enjoys talking about numerous different game genres as well as playing them. My main focuses are games like Helldivers 2, Warframe, and so much more.
