One of the best indie titles of the year is also one of the best value video games of all time, with 50 excellent retro style games in one.
The fact that modern triple-A video games take too long to make, grossly inflating their budget and reducing the risks that publishers can afford to take, is by now a well-known phenomenon – one that has put the whole future of console gaming at risk. But long development times are not necessarily limited to big budget games, in fact they’re relatively common for indie titles where there’s only a handful of people working on them in their spare time.
That’s not quite how UFO 50 has been made but it’s still managed to take nine years to go from conception to final release, which is almost as long as the wait from GTA 5 to 6. The reason for the long gestation period is also a familiar problem for triple-A games: bloat. What originally started as a few experimental prototypes slowly evolved into a compilation of 8-bit style games, and eventually the 50-game monster which is this final release.
Initially the work of just two friends, Derek Yu and Jon Perry, they eventually roped in a number of other developers to help, including the creators of Spelunky and Downwell, and, pausing only to help with the release of Spelunky 2 in 2020, finally finished work on UFO 50 this month. And yet, perhaps surprisingly, the wait has been worth it.
Many modern indie games have started to move beyond the idea of emulating old 8-bit titles and graphics but given UFO 50 has been in development for almost a decade it’s no surprise to find its approach is somewhat old fashioned.
The conceit of this compilation is that it’s a collection of 50 games from a pretend video game company from the 80s. Apart from a few of them being sequels, there’s nothing connecting any of the games and they’re presented in a simple grid that you can pick from in any order and at any time.
Although the game is not, officially, trying to emulate any particular console the NES is clearly the main influence here, in terms of graphics and the types of games on offer. The important point to make though is that these are not mini-games. This is not WarioWare or anything like it. These are 50 fully formed games, as long, if not longer, as professional titles would’ve been back in the day, including a full-length Japanese role-player and a number of complex action adventures.
How does UFO 50 work?
When you view the totality of what’s been created it’s a wonder it only took nine years to make and, frankly, the developer is crazy for even attempting it. The end result is something that feels like one of those knock-off pirate consoles, that are filled with 50 random ROMs stolen from various big name companies and where you end up being almost paralysed by choice. Except all the games here are brand new.
We are not, as you might imagine, going to describe all 50 games and neither can we pretend to have finished all of them, on account of we’d like to sleep and eat at some point this month. The only problem with this embarrassment of riches is that whichever game you alight on first is going to colour your opinion of the compilation for some time.
It doesn’t help that the one in the top left-hand corner, which seemed an obvious first pick to us, is a rather dry flip screen action adventure called Barbuta, that works a bit like Shovel Knight without the gimmicks. Like all of the games, the controls are very simple – just jump and stab in this case – and you’re given no hint as to what the game is or what you’re meant to be doing (one of the few flaws in UFO 50 is it would’ve been nice to have some faux instruction manuals, with appropriately garish illustrations).
What are the best games in UFO 50?
A more inspiring choice is a game called Mini & Max, which technically takes place in a single room but where the two main characters can shrink and grow to discover a whole microscopic world full of action platform intrigue. Perhaps it’s because we enjoyed the mouse power-up levels in Astro Bot so much, but we loved the concept and how the 8-bit technology forces the developer to rely on clever design rather than flashy visuals – although it also happens to be one of the best-looking of the games.
Other highlights include a Wizadry style first person role-playing game called Valbrace and a clever side-scrolling shooter named Caramel Caramel where you’re encouraged to take a polaroid of the action and gain extra points for shooting enemies caught in the photo. Meanwhile, Party House is a pseudo-card game where you’re trying to organise the optimum mix of guests according to state-based indications of their vivaciousness.
First person survival horror Night Manor is another good one. Influenced by SNES classic Clock Tower, it’s surprisingly creepy and its content warning at the beginning is not a joke. Golfaria is another great one, and essentially a golf-themed Metroidvania, that makes even the likes of Golf Story seem staid and uninventive in comparison.
At time of writing, we don’t know how much UFO 50 is going to cost but unless it’s priced in triple figures there’s no way it’s not worth it. Although even if it somehow is, it’d still probably be good value for money.
Not every game is a winner, but the vast majority are and the only real problem with the game is that there’s so much on offer it’s very easy to dismiss something quickly, just as an excuse to try something else out. This is essentially the same reason subscription services like Game Pass haven’t worked out as well as expected and the structure, or rather lack of it, in UFO 50 can work against.
The lack of instructions or explanation can also be frustrating and there’s a lingering question of whether some of these game ideas would’ve been better off released on their own, or with more modern presentation, so they didn’t risk being passed over. Arguing something is too generous doesn’t really seem fair though and so we’ve no choice to name this one of the best game(s) of the year.
UFO 50 review summary
In Short: A staggering achievement in indie gaming that offers almost too much value for its own good, with 50 superb indie games – many of which could be standalone games in their own right.
Pros: The range of games and the consistent quality is incredible, with some being surprisingly long and complex. Great retro stylings and a lot of clever ideas that deserve further exploration.
Cons: Many of the games don’t make a good first impression, at least in the first few minutes, with the game doing little to explain what they are before you start.
Score: 9/10
Formats: PC
Price: TBC
Publisher: Mossmouth
Developer: Mossmouth
Release Date: 18th September 2024
Age Rating: N/A
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