As a seasoned gamer with decades under my belt, I can wholeheartedly say that UFO 50 has been one of the most intriguing and rewarding experiences I’ve had in recent years. It’s like stepping into a time machine, transporting me back to the golden age of gaming, yet keeping a firm grip on the present.
I have a passion for delving into gaming’s rich history, playing classic games, and retaining those memories when I play newer ones. Having knowledge of what came before adds a whole new layer of understanding when approaching something new. In my brief tenure at Shacknews, I’ve advocated for preservation because sharing and conserving information is an essential yet often neglected aspect of game criticism. UFO 50, a compilation of retro-inspired games by Mossmouth, not only feels like affirmation for these beliefs but also presents itself as a fresh, innovative work. It’s essentially a fictional portfolio from a long-lost video game studio that appreciates both the fun and educational value of revisiting past art to enjoy it and learn from it.
Real games, fictional context
In this unique gaming collection, UFO 50 doesn’t tell its own tale, but rather each game within the set, developed by UFO Soft for their LX consoles throughout the 1980s, comes with a captivating narrative framework that permeates the core mechanics. As you dust off each cartridge and dive into the game for the first time, you’re not just playing games; you’re stepping back in time to experience a piece of gaming history. Each title in the main menu includes a brief summary along with additional historical tidbits that might be anecdotes about the game’s origins or unique aspects, such as Night Manor, UFO Soft’s only point-and-click horror game, which required warning text due to its intense themes.
In a surprisingly brief body of text, UFO Soft appears as a genuine entity that thrived within UFO 50’s fictional universe. The atmosphere suggests a compact team operating during an era where innovative game concepts could spawn numerous sequels and spin-offs, sustaining the company and forging not only a collection of games but also a distinct identity. Each tidbit of information evokes the sensation of leafing through vintage gaming magazines, piecing together mental images of what it might have been like to be part of the gaming industry in the 1980s.
A complex collection
In this game series, UFO 50, it’s intriguing to observe how each game seems to build upon its predecessor, creating an almost evolutionary path. Initially, the developers behind this game didn’t envision it as a single entity, but playing them in order reveals a fascinating development trajectory, particularly when you encounter sequels and spin-offs of what appear to be UFO Soft’s main intellectual properties. It’s quite astonishing to ponder over how the real-life developers planned out the fictional developers’ growth and distributed it across these titles, rather than creating each game as a standalone, self-contained project in 2024, considering all the insights we’ve gathered as developers and gamers by then. An idea initially presented in an early game can be seen to develop and enhance over time, culminating in later games that seem like the culmination of multiple ideas and lessons into grander, more elaborate productions.
Each game on this list may not be every player’s favorite, given the variety in genres, complexity, and level of polish. Some games I tried briefly but didn’t find appealing enough to continue playing, like Bug Hunter, which I likely won’t revisit. However, there are games that have captured my interest, such as Grimstone – a captivating wild west JRPG. Playing it feels like stepping back into my childhood, exploring emulators and vast ROM lists, seeking out games that resonated with me while sampling diverse gaming experiences. Games like Fist Hell resemble River City Ransom but lack the charm, whereas Valbrace offers a unique blend of Wizardry and Punch-Out, creating a gaming experience unlike any other. Overall, UFO Soft’s collection presents an interesting array of games that contribute to their overall identity as a developer.
It’s also worth noting that as fun as these games can be, there’s a sort of line being toed between authenticity and approachability. A lot of the games in the collection are tough even by the standards of their era, mostly because a lot of them give you one life and no continues. If you die, you simply start right back at the beginning. Other games that are more substantive may offer multiple lives or chances, but it’s still a harsh Game Over when you use them up. Features like rewind or unlimited continues may clash with the idea that you’re literally cleaning up and playing old cartridges in the narrative, but some kind of compromise would have made trying to really dive into and complete each game a more appealing venture. To UFO 50’s credit, the longer games (especially the RPGs) do have auto-saving and checkpoint systems. But having auto-save kind of invalidates the earlier remark about authenticity, so there’s a little inconsistency there anyway.
Exploring UFO 50 is akin to unearthing a hidden treasure trove of forgotten wisdom. It’s an entirely fictional creation, yet its very existence is intriguing and makes it a captivating experience. Even if you don’t delve deeply into many of the games within it, the conceptual richness is astounding and satisfying to ponder. In our era where classic games are disappearing from both physical existence and our collective cultural memory at an accelerated pace, with remakes often seen as substitutes for original works and interest in history waning unless there’s a commercial remaster, UFO 50 is enjoyable on its surface level but also serves to remind us that age does not diminish the potential for a fantastic gaming experience.
UFO 50 is available now for PC. The game was purchased by Shacknews for this review.
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2024-10-15 17:57