Key Takeaways
- UFO 50 is a compilation of 50 retro-style games of varying genres and sizes, inspired by the 8-bit era.
- All the games vary in genre and size, and take the form of title made by a fictitious company called UFO Soft.
- The game has been in the works for years, but finally has a September 18 release date.
Developer Derek Yu cemented his statues as an indie gaming legend when he first released Spelunky as Mossmouth in 2008. His follow-up project would be UFO 50, an ambitious collection of fifty different retro games. but somewhere along the way, it seems to have disappeared. The last time we saw it, it was…well, this writer wants to say PAX 2018 at the latest. Since then, things seem to have gone quiet, even as Mossmouth put out Spelunky 2, until UFO 50 made a surprise re-emergence at tonight’s Day of the Devs showcase…well, it wasn’t a surprise to those who live in the UK, as it was the cover story in last month’s issue of Edge. Or if you paid attention to Derek’s Twitter account, where you’d see him explicitly say that the game would be in the showcase. Look, it was a surprise to this writer, okay? Besides, Derek did indeed have one surprise in store: A release date for UFO 50!
A Nifty Fifty
UFO 50 is billed as a compilation of various games by a fictiious company, UFO Soft, for a fictitious console, though clearly inspired by the 8-bit NES. The titles are meant to cover a whole company-wide spread from 1982 to 1990, evoking different genres and eras from a company that was a bit ahead of its time, according to the developers. And it would be easy to look at this and easily see it as something like “Action 52, but good,” but such a statement doesn’t capture the size of the scope Mossmouth is going for here. All fifty games not only vary in genres, but in size as well. Some are short arcade experiences, some are full-on RPGs. Some are even sequels, and some even have recurring characters. Every game is unlocked from the start for immediate enjoyment, and includes games for both one and two pleayers, both co-op and versus, for those who want to wax nostalgic about hanging out playing games with your friends.
Related
UFO 50 Packs All the Genres Into One 8-Bit Package
Naturally, despite their appearance, all fifty games are designed with modern polish and some ideas that wouldn’t be out of place in modern indie titles, and they all look quite impressive. It has taken years and years to craft fifty unique games of various sizes, but it looks like the wait may have indeed actually been worth it. UFO 50 finally arrives on September 18 for PC, and we’ll see how UFO Soft’s library fares then.
Read the full article here
