UFO 50 | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Mossmouth, LLC |
Publisher(s) |
|
Designer(s) |
|
Composer(s) | Eirik Suhrke |
Engine | GameMaker Studio |
Platform(s) | |
Release | September 18, 2024 |
Genre(s) | Various |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer, co-op |
UFO 50 is a video game collection developed and published by Mossmouth for Windows on September 18, 2024. It features 50 unique games of varying genres and length. [1] The games are a collaborative effort by six developers over the course of several years, similar to a long-form game jam.
UFO 50 is presented as a compilation of games similar to Action 52 , developed by the fictional company UFO Soft for the LX-I, LX-II, and LX-III series of video game consoles between 1982 and 1989. [2] Half of the games feature a two-player mode, either versus or co-op. The main 50 games are playable from the start, [3] [4] [5] with the hidden 51st game, Miasma Tower, accessible via inputting commands in the ingame terminal. [6] Miasma Tower itself is a game secretly developed by fictional developer Gregory Milk, which details the state of UFO Soft circa July 1989. In-universe, the UFO 50 collection is stated to be developed by Milk and never released officially, with the files found in an abandoned warehouse by the Mossmouth developers, as shown in the faux-cracktro of the game.
The order in which the games are presented is intended to show the history of UFO Soft's development slate, with some games having sequels, and others featuring cameos from previously released games. [3] [4] [5] [7] Each game also features short development notes informing their fictional creation. [2]
The games belong to genres including shoot 'em up, platformer, and role-playing, each with a twist. The games vary in length and scope, with some being described as "shorter, arcade-style experiences", while others "have narratives and expansive worlds to explore", with one (Grimstone) estimated to take upwards of 60 hours to complete fully. [8] [9] [10] [11]
Each game has a present to unlock which adds something to the garden in the menu. Each game also has three completion states in the menu: blue, which indicates the game is unfinished, gold, which indicates the player has finished that game, and cherry, which indicates 100% completion or that the player has completed a special challenge.
Director credits explicitly stated when directly sourced. [note 1]
# | Name | Genre (as listed in-game) | Versus | Co-op | Fictional year of release | Developed by |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Barbuta | Adventure, Platform | — | — | 1982 | Eirik Suhrke |
2 | Bug Hunter | Puzzle, Strategy | — | 1983 | Jon Perry | |
3 | Ninpek | Arcade, Platform | — | 1983 | Eirik Suhrke | |
4 | Paint Chase | Arcade | — | 1983 | Jon Perry | |
5 | Magic Garden | Arcade | — | — | 1984 | Derek Yu, Jon Perry, Tyriq Plummer [13] |
6 | Mortol | Platform, Puzzle | — | 1984 | Director: Jon Perry [14] Additional: Paul Hubans | |
7 | Velgress | Arcade, Platform | — | — | 1984 | Derek Yu |
8 | Planet Zoldath | Adventure | — | — | 1984 | Jon Perry |
9 | Attactics | Arcade, Strategy | — | 1984 | Directors: Derek Yu, [12] Jon Perry [12] | |
10 | Devilition [note 2] | Puzzle, Strategy | — | — | 1984 | Directors: Derek Yu, [15] Jon Perry [15] |
11 | Kick Club | Arcade, Platform | — | 1984 | Derek Yu | |
12 | Avianos | Strategy | — | 1985 | Director: Jon Perry [16] | |
13 | Mooncat [note 3] | Platform | — | 1985 | Director: Eirik Suhrke [18] Additional: Ojiro Fumoto [18] | |
14 | Bushido Ball | Sport | 1985 | Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer, [13] Jon Perry, Paul Hubans | ||
15 | Block Koala | Puzzle | — | — | 1985 | Derek Yu, Paul Hubans |
16 | Camouflage | Puzzle | — | — | 1985 | Jon Perry |
17 | Campanella | Arcade | — | — | 1985 | Director: Eirik Suhrke [18] Additional: Ojiro Fumoto [18] |
18 | Golfaria | Adventure | — | — | 1985 | Directors: Derek Yu, [19] Tyriq Plummer [19] Additional: Paul Hubans |
19 | The Big Bell Race | Sport | — | 1985 | Director: Eirik Suhrke [13] | |
20 | Warptank | Adventure, Puzzle | — | — | 1985 | Director: Eirik Suhrke [13] |
21 | Waldorf's Journey | Arcade, Platform | — | 1986 | Jon Perry | |
22 | Porgy | Adventure, Shooter | — | — | 1986 | Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer [13] |
23 | Onion Delivery | Arcade | — | — | 1986 | Director: Eirik Suhrke [19] Additional: Paul Hubans, [19] Tyriq Plummer [13] |
24 | Caramel Caramel | Arcade, Shooter | — | 1986 | Eirik Suhrke | |
25 | Party House | Strategy | — | 1986 | Director: Jon Perry [14] | |
26 | Hot Foot | Sport | 1986 | Jon Perry | ||
27 | Divers | RPG | — | — | 1986 | Eirik Suhrke, Tyriq Plummer [13] |
28 | Rail Heist | Platform, Strategy | — | 1987 | Director: Jon Perry [14] Additional: Paul Hubans, Tyriq Plummer [13] | |
29 | Vainger | Adventure, Platform | — | — | 1987 | Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer [13] |
30 | Rock On! Island | Strategy | — | — | 1987 | Derek Yu, Paul Hubans |
31 | Pingolf | Sport | — | 1987 | Eirik Suhrke | |
32 | Mortol II | Adventure, Platform | — | 1987 | Director: Derek Yu [20] | |
33 | Fist Hell | Arcade | — | 1987 | Director: Derek Yu [13] | |
34 | Overbold | Arcade, Shooter | — | 1987 | Jon Perry | |
35 | Campanella 2 | Adventure | — | — | 1987 | Director: Eirik Suhrke [13] |
36 | Hyper Contender | Platform, Sport | — | 1988 | Jon Perry | |
37 | Valbrace | Adventure, RPG | — | — | 1988 | Directors: Tyriq Plummer, [13] [21] Derek Yu [13] Additional: Paul Hubans |
38 | Rakshasa | Platform | — | — | 1988 | Director: Eirik Suhrke [22] |
39 | Star Waspir | Arcade, Shooter | — | — | 1988 | Derek Yu |
40 | Grimstone | RPG | — | — | 1988 | Director: Derek Yu [13] Additional: Paul Hubans |
41 | Lords of Diskonia | Strategy | — | 1988 | Jon Perry | |
42 | Night Manor | Adventure, Puzzle | — | — | 1988 | Director: Paul Hubans [21] Additional: Derek Yu |
43 | Elfazar's Hat | Arcade, Shooter | — | 1988 | Eirik Suhrke | |
44 | Pilot Quest | Adventure | — | — | 1988 | Directors: Derek Yu, [20] Jon Perry [20] |
45 | Mini & Max | Adventure, Platform | — | — | 1989 | Director: Jon Perry [16] Additional: Paul Hubans, [16] Tyriq Plummer [13] |
46 | Combatants | Strategy | — | 1989 | Derek Yu | |
47 | Quibble Race [note 4] | Strategy, Simulation | — | 1989 | Derek Yu, [15] Jon Perry | |
48 | Seaside Drive | Arcade, Shooter | — | 1989 | Director: Ojiro Fumoto [18] | |
49 | Campanella 3 | Arcade, Shooter | — | — | 1989 | Director: Eirik Suhrke [13] |
50 | Cyber Owls | Platform, Shooter, Strategy | — | — | 1989 | Derek Yu, Paul Hubans, Tyriq Plummer [13] |
51 | Miasma Tower [note 5] | — | — | — | 1989 | ? |
Derek Yu and Jon Perry had previously made a number of freeware games together using Klik & Play under the name Blackeye Software, with notable titles being Trigger Happy, Diabolika (remade in UFO 50 as Devilition) and Eternal Daughter , their final game in 2002. In 2016, the two decided to work together again on a project, and warmed up by making small prototypes for ideas. [21] These prototypes eventually spiralled into the concept for UFO 50: a large collection of small games. The idea to create a collection came from Yu's belief that these concepts for games, if expanded, would not do well as standalone releases in the current marketplace. [2]
The first game in the collection to start development was Attactics, which was fully developed by Yu and Perry alone as a re-introduction into working together. [12] Soon after, Eirik Suhrke was invited to join as both composer and designer, and the three started to brainstorm games on a private forum, with a majority of these concepts making their way into the final game. The number of games advertised in the collection (50) was chosen by Yu because "it was the first number I could think of that was completely undeniable... that would advertise itself with its own existence." [23] Three additional developers joined at various parts of development: Ojiro Fumoto, known for Downwell , who spent a half-year on the team and directed Seaside Drive; Paul Hubans, known for Madhouse, who was the lead director for Night Manor; and Tyriq Plummer, known for Catacomb Kids, who ended up co-directing several of the collection's largest games, an example being Valbrace. [24] Every member of the team contributed design, writing, artwork, and programming to UFO 50, and worked on anothers' games, sometimes extensively. [21]
UFO 50 was developed in GameMaker. It was first announced in 2017, with an expected launch date of 2018. However, the team severely underestimated how long it would take to finish 50 games. [25] This meant that development times became inflated, and it became a requirement for the team to recode older parts of the game, with Yu describing some of the code as "prehistoric". [24] The simultaneous development of Spelunky 2 also slowed development of the game to a crawl during 2020, with Suhrke and Yu stepping away from the UFO 50 project entirely until Spelunky 2 was released. [21] [25] Furthermore, at least two games were scrapped entirely during development. [note 6] Because of these reasons, development took six more years, with the game's final release date being September 18, 2024. [26] UFO 50's eight-year development time coincidentally ended up matching the time frame spanning the games' fictional release dates (1982–1989). [27]
All games in the collection impose restrictions which could be found in games released during the era, such as using only 32 colors across each game. Slowdown and sprite flickering were not included, as Yu believed that it would hinder the experience. [5] Some games across the collection reuse sound, assets and code, the most notable example of this being the Campanella series which all make use of the same engine. [13] Suhrke intentionally did not use NES-inspired sounds as typically seen in other indie games, instead choosing to use a soundfont more similar to the TurboGrafx-16 for his soundtrack and sound design. Suhrke is the sole composer of all 51 games and their sound design/effects. [28]
UFO 50 was revealed in 2017 on the Mossmouth YouTube channel, and was slated to be released the following year. [25] An early version of UFO 50 was showcased during 2017's Pax West game convention, [29] as well as the following year's Pax West. [30] It was one of the games featured at Summer Game Fest's Day of the Devs livestream, where its final release date was announced to be September 18, 2024. [31]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 91/100 [32] |
OpenCritic | 100% [33] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
The A.V. Club | Recommended [34] |
Digital Trends | [35] |
Edge | 9/10 [36] |
Eurogamer | [37] |
GameSpot | 9/10 [38] |
PC Gamer (US) | 83/100 [39] |
Polygon | Recommended [40] |
Shacknews | 8/10 [41] |
The Guardian | [42] |
UFO 50 received "universal acclaim" according to the review aggregator website Metacritic, with an average score of 91 [32] making it the highest-rated PC exclusive of 2024. [43] 100% of critics recommended the game according to OpenCritic. [33] Many reviewers either chose not to give traditional scores to the game, or are still in the process of reviewing it due to its nature of being a collection of 50 individual games. [34] [40] [44] [45] [46] DigitalTrends alternatively chose to score all 50 individually in their review. [35]
Most reviewers lauded UFO 50's variety, value, and experimentation. Eurogamer's Christian Donlan extensively praised the experimentation and variation of games in the collection, calling it a "dazzling piece of creative audacity". [37] Simon Parkin of The Guardian described the collection as "a preposterously ambitious undertaking". [42] Edge wrote that when one game "holds your undivided attention for an extended span, it must be something special indeed, and of those, UFO 50 has more than its fair share". [36] The New York Times compared UFO 50 to "an ingeniously retro advent calendar" [47] while Metro's GameCentral specifically praised that the games advertised were "not WarioWare or anything like it", being "50 fully formed games". [48] Polygon's Grayson Morley lauded the metafiction linking the games of the collection chronologically, highlighting the evolution of "brutal" mechanics found in Barbuta to the life-based mechanics found later in Mortol and Mortol II, in addition to the "UFO Soft" narrative. [40]
In contrast, PC Gamer's Kerry Brunskill remarked that they would have rather seen some games in the collection "stand on their own merits" as standalone releases, with others being "a little too retro for their own good". [39] Digital Trends' Giovanni Colantonio praised the game for its experimentation, but admitted there were "a handful of duds in the batch". [35] The A. V. Club's William Hughes recommended the collection, remarking that "there are extremely good games in here, some worth more than the asking price" but "many games in the collection feel torn between their desire to stay retro-hard and being genuinely fun". [34]
Games in UFO 50 that were singled out by multiple reviewers as being exceptional include Mortol, [34] [35] [38] [45] Party House, [35] [37] [42] [38] Rail Heist, [37] [42] [46] Night Manor, [37] [42] [39] [48] [49] and Mini & Max. [35] [39] [48]
Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Indie Game - Self-Published | Nominated | [50] |
PC Game of the Year | Nominated | |||
The Game Awards 2024 | Best Independent Game | Pending | [51] | |
XCOM is a science fiction video game franchise featuring an elite international organization tasked with countering alien invasions of Earth. The series began with the strategy video game X-COM: UFO Defense created by Julian Gollop's Mythos Games and MicroProse in 1994. The original lineup by MicroProse included six published and at least two canceled games, as well as two novels. The X-COM series, in particular its original entry, achieved a sizable cult following and has influenced many other video games; including the creation of a number of clones, spiritual successors, and unofficial remakes.
Treasure Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo known for its action, platform, and shoot 'em up games. The company was founded in 1992 by former Konami employees seeking to explore original game concepts and free themselves from Konami's reliance on sequels. Their first game, Gunstar Heroes (1993) on the Sega Genesis, was a critical success and established a creative and action-oriented design style that would continue to characterize their output. Treasure's philosophy in game development has always been to make games they enjoy, not necessarily those that have the greatest commercial viability.
PC Gamer is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries. The magazine features news on developments in the video game industry, previews of new games, and reviews of the latest popular PC games, along with other features relating to hardware, mods, "classic" games and various other topics. PC Gamer and parent Future began digital PC Gaming Show at E3 2015.
1Up.com was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, 1Up.com provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused content. Like a print magazine, 1Up.com also hosted special week-long online cover stories that presented each day a new in-depth feature story, interview with the developers, game screenshot gallery, game video footage, and video of the game studio and creators. On February 21, 2013, Ziff Davis announced it would be winding down the site, along with sister sites GameSpy and UGO.com.
The PlayStation Mouse is an input device for the PlayStation that allows the player to use a mouse as a method of control in compatible games. The mouse was released in Japan on December 3, 1994, the launch date of the PlayStation.
Derek Yu is an American independent video game designer, video game artist, and blogger. Yu has designed and co-designed several award-winning games, most famously Spelunky, Aquaria, and Eternal Daughter. He is also notable as a blogger and custodian of the influential TIGSource blog/community about independent video games. He has been called an "indie superstar" and a "genuine icon" of the video game industry.
Spelunky is a 2008 source-available 2D platform game created by independent developer Derek Yu and released as freeware for Microsoft Windows. It was remade for the Xbox 360 in 2012, with ports of the new version following for various platforms, including back to Microsoft Windows. The player controls a spelunker who explores a series of caves while collecting treasure, saving damsels, fighting enemies, and dodging traps. The caves are procedurally generated, making each run-through of the game unique.
Ridiculous Fishing is a fishing video game developed and published by Vlambeer. In the game, players use motion and touch controls to catch fish and subsequently shoot them out of the sky for cash. The game was released for iOS on March 13, 2013, then later that year for Android.
Boss Fight Books is a Los Angeles-based book publisher and its eponymous series of books about video games. Similar to the style of 33⅓, a series of books about individual record albums, each book focuses solely on one video game. The company was founded by Gabe Durham in June 2013, and following a successful Kickstarter campaign in July, they released their first book, EarthBound by Ken Baumann in January 2014.
Aaron James Loder, professionally known as Bananasaurus Rex, is a Canadian Twitch streamer and a video game speedrunner.
James Stephanie Sterling, also known as Commander Sterling and formerly known as Jim Sterling, is an English-American freelance video game journalist, critic, pundit, YouTuber, and professional wrestler. Before becoming independent in September 2014, she was the review editor for Destructoid, and an author for The Escapist. Sterling is noted as one of the main examples of a YouTuber achieving success through crowdfunding.
Eirik Suhrke is a Norwegian freelance composer and video game designer known for his video game soundtracks. He has composed for Spelunky, Hotline Miami, and Vlambeer games including Ridiculous Fishing. He has also developed games, being one of the main contributors to UFO 50.
An eggplant run is a challenge playthrough of the 2012 roguelike-like platform video game Spelunky HD. Such a playthrough centers on carrying an eggplant item to the final boss of the game, King Yama, and tossing it into his face. This eggplant item was originally added to Spelunky as part of an easter egg pitched by the game's composer Eirik Suhrke, and Spelunky's lead designer Derek Yu decided to give it the additional function of turning King Yama into an inert eggplant monster.
BlitWorks is a Spanish video game developer based in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 2012, the company is best known for porting several games such as Fez, Sonic CD, Jet Set Radio, Super Meat Boy, Bastion, Spelunky and Don't Starve to a wide range of platforms such as PlayStation 5, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Steam, Stadia, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, iOS and Android.
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen is a 1994 fighting game developed by Treasure and published by Sega for the Mega Drive. It is based on the manga series Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi. The plot follows the protagonist Yusuke Urameshi, who is tasked by the ruler of the afterlife with solving detective-style cases involving both humans and demons threatening the living world. The story begins to focus heavily on martial arts battles as it progresses.
The 10th Planet is a cancelled space combat game that was to be published by Bethesda Softworks.
The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by British company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. Evercade was released in May 2020 and upon its launch offered 10 game cartridges with a combined total of 122 games.
Spelunky 2 is a 2020 platform video game developed by Mossmouth and BlitWorks. It is the sequel to Spelunky (2008) and was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows in September 2020, for Nintendo Switch in August 2021, and for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in January 2022. The game received critical acclaim upon release.
Polymega is a home video game console developed by American company Playmaji, Inc. It is a retro gaming console offering backwards compatibility with several CD-based and cartridge-based platforms: PlayStation, TurboGrafx-CD, Neo Geo CD, Sega CD, Sega Saturn, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, Sega 32X, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), and Nintendo 64. It includes a built-in CD drive, while separate add-ons known as Element Modules provide support for cartridge-based games.
Ojiro Fumoto, also known by his pseudonym Moppin, is a Japanese indie game developer. He is best known for developing the games Downwell and Poinpy, as well as his contributions to UFO 50.