If you own a GBA and have any interest in old-fashioned side-scrolling action, you should absolutely play Omega Factor.
User Rating: 9.1 | Astro Boy: Tetsuwan Atom - Atom Heart no Himitsu GBA
Astro Boy was created by Japanese manga artist Osamu Tezuka in 1963, and over forty years later, he's still going strong. Very strong, if the quality of the new Game Boy Advance game Astro Boy: Omega Factor is any indication. The theme song lyrics you'll see in the game tell us that Astro "is here to fight evil for you and me!" But why should he get to have all the fun? In Omega Factor, you can join Astro as he fights for what's right, and this is one struggle against the forces of evil that you won't regret fighting. After losing his son in a tragic accident, the brilliant scientist Dr. Tenma built Astro Boy as a replacement. Astro is designed to be both very powerful and very human, equipped as he is with 100,000 horsepower strength and the electronic equivalent of a human heart and mind. As Astro Boy awakens, tensions are mounting throughout the world between humans and robots, and Astro finds himself caught up in a struggle to create peace between them. (Themes of prejudice and tolerance, quite common in Tezuka's work, are definitely in the mix here.) Astro's efforts to bring about an end to the conflict, and to understand Dr. Tenma's true purpose for creating him, take him to the Antarctic, the moon, and even through time. Throughout his adventures, he'll meet many characters from Tezuka's work. Lest anyone think that any prior knowledge of Astro Boy is needed to enjoy the game, let us assure you that it is not. The game's story is entirely self-contained, and it tells you everything you need to know to understand what's taking place. During the game, you'll fight your way through numerous 2-dimensional side-scrolling stages, using Astro's powers to defeat the waves of enemies you encounter. Games like this have a danger of becoming repetitive, but the game's fast pace, great variety in level design, and Astro's numerous abilities keep things fresh and engaging throughout. It helps that you're not just on the offensive all the time, but need to give some thought to defense, as well. One of Astro's most important abilities is his dash, which makes him temporarily invulnerable. Skillful use of this technique is necessary for success in the game, especially in some of the boss battles. Of course, Astro does come equipped with a variety of attacks, as well. His most basic attacks are a punch and a kick that can be very effective when you're surrounded by baddies, as you can use it to send an enemy careening into his cohorts and knocking them to the floor. He also has a finger laser that's useful for long-range attacks. What's more, as you're taking out enemies, Astro builds up his EX gauge, and each time it gets filled up, he earns a point which can be used to pull off one of three more powerful EX attacks. Firstly, he has a move called the EX Dash, with which he flies into enemies and hits them repeatedly. Astro also has a machine gun mounted on his hips that he can fire to deal damage to all the enemies around him, and finally, his most powerful attack is an impressive arm cannon, which fires a massive blast of energy that does greater damage to any enemy in its path. The game's level design is creative, colorful and diverse. The occasional flying stage, in which Astro is limited to his shooting attacks as he zooms across the screen, helps keep things lively. Some levels change things up in other ways. For instance, you'll fight in a low-gravity environment on the moon, and atop a speeding train where the momentum of the train's movement pushes you back. You'll also encounter enemies of many sorts and all sizes as you battle your way through the game's varied stages. There's a kind of whimsy to the enemy design that really seems in keeping with the light-hearted spirit of the Astro Boy character. For instance, not only will you fight tiny and large versions of the medium-sized robots you encounter; you'll also fight tiny and really large versions of the laser-gun-toting human thugs who are out to get you. The game's boss battles are diverse and impressive as well. You'll find yourself battling a large spider-like robot, a robot who can take on many different animal forms, an invisible robot, a six-armed robot, and many others, and each battle feels distinctly different and requires a different approach to win. On the whole, the game provides a very reasonable challenge that most players should enjoy, though one particular boss battle may strike some players as a test of skill and others as a test of patience. Easy modes and hard modes are available, however, for those looking for less or more difficulty. There's a bit more to the game than just fighting your way through the stages and defeating the bosses. The Omega Factor of the game's title refers to Astro's equivalent of a human essence. As Astro meets and gets to know new people, his soul becomes richer and his Omega Factor grid slowly gets filled up. Each time Astro comes to know someone new, their image gets imprinted on his soul and he gets a little bit stronger, allowing you to power him up in one of six areas. At a certain point in the game, Astro obtains the power of time travel, which he uses to try and change the course of history to prevent a catastrophe from occurring. This allows you to revisit stages and possibly, with your more developed powers and knowledge gained from other characters, get to know people you missed on your first time through. Revisiting earlier stages is necessary not only to power Astro up, but also to advance the story and reach the game's "true" ending. Some may see this as nothing more than an attempt on the part of the developers to extend what would otherwise be a relatively short game, and maybe it is, but the story does advance in interesting ways the second time through, and there is also the occasional change to a boss battle or entirely new event to keep things from feeling too repetitive. Besides, most importantly, the underlying gameplay is so engaging that it's likely you won't mind playing through those earlier stages again in the least. The graphics in Omega Factor are just loaded with color and personality. On some stages, the game makes use of layered backgrounds which create a wonderful sense of depth. The visual effects, such as Astro's arm cannon and the massive beam blasts of Astro's rival Atlas, look great, and many of the enemies and bosses you encounter are impressively large. There are attractive close-ups of all the characters you encounter, and the story is sometimes advanced through nicely detailed full-screen images. The sound, too, adds considerably to the overall experience of playing the game. The punch and kick noises have a slightly over-the-top, cartoonish quality to them, which fits in well with the visual effect of stars that go flying everywhere each time you bonk an enemy. The game's music is also upbeat and catchy and very much in keeping with the spirit of the game's visuals. It's hard to find fault with Astro Boy: Omega Factor. Every element is well-designed and engaging, and they come together to create a game that is just a joy to play. Whether or not you have any prior interest in or knowledge of the Astro Boy character, this game's charms will win you over. If you own a GBA and have any interest in old-fashioned side-scrolling action, you should absolutely play Astro Boy: Omega Factor.
