UFO 50
| 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.
Gameplay
[edit]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.
List of games in UFO 50
[edit]| # | 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 |
| 6 | Mortol | Platform, Puzzle | — | |
1984 | Director: Jon Perry[12] Additional: Paul Hubans |
| 7 | Velgress | Arcade, Platform | — | — | 1984 | Derek Yu |
| 8 | Planet Zoldath | Adventure | — | — | 1984 | Jon Perry |
| 9 | Attactics | Arcade, Strategy | |
— | 1984 | Jon Perry, Derek Yu |
| 10 | Devilition[a] | Puzzle, Strategy | — | — | 1984 | Directors: Derek Yu,[13] Jon Perry[13] |
| 11 | Kick Club | Arcade, Platform | — | |
1984 | Derek Yu |
| 12 | Avianos | Strategy | |
— | 1985 | Director: Jon Perry[14] |
| 13 | Mooncat[b] | Platform | — | |
1985 | Director: Eirik Suhrke[16] Additional: Ojiro Fumoto[16] |
| 14 | Bushido Ball | Sport | |
|
1985 | Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer, 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[16] Additional: Ojiro Fumoto[16] |
| 18 | Golfaria | Adventure | — | — | 1985 | Directors: Derek Yu,[17] Tyriq Plummer[17] Additional: Paul Hubans |
| 19 | The Big Bell Race | Sport | — | |
1985 | Eirik Suhrke |
| 20 | Warptank | Adventure, Puzzle | — | — | 1985 | Eirik Suhrke |
| 21 | Waldorf's Journey | Arcade, Platform | |
— | 1986 | Jon Perry |
| 22 | Porgy | Adventure, Shooter | — | — | 1986 | Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer |
| 23 | Onion Delivery | Arcade | — | — | 1986 | Director: Eirik Suhrke[17] Additional: Paul Hubans,[17] Tyriq Plummer |
| 24 | Caramel Caramel | Arcade, Shooter | — | |
1986 | Eirik Suhrke |
| 25 | Party House | Strategy | |
— | 1986 | Director: Jon Perry[12] |
| 26 | Hot Foot | Sport | |
|
1986 | Jon Perry |
| 27 | Divers | RPG | — | — | 1986 | Eirik Suhrke |
| 28 | Rail Heist | Platform, Strategy | |
— | 1987 | Director: Jon Perry[12] Additional: Paul Hubans |
| 29 | Vainger | Adventure, Platform | — | — | 1987 | Derek Yu, Tyriq Plummer |
| 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[18] |
| 33 | Fist Hell | Arcade | — | |
1987 | Derek Yu |
| 34 | Overbold | Arcade, Shooter | |
— | 1987 | Jon Perry |
| 35 | Campanella 2 | Adventure | — | — | 1987 | Eirik Suhrke |
| 36 | Hyper Contender | Platform, Sport | |
— | 1988 | Jon Perry |
| 37 | Valbrace | Adventure, RPG | — | — | 1988 | Tyriq Plummer,[19] Derek Yu, Paul Hubans |
| 38 | Rakshasa | Platform | — | — | 1988 | Eirik Suhrke |
| 39 | Star Waspir | Arcade, Shooter | — | — | 1988 | Derek Yu |
| 40 | Grimstone | RPG | — | — | 1988 | Derek Yu, Paul Hubans |
| 41 | Lords of Diskonia | Strategy | |
— | 1988 | Jon Perry |
| 42 | Night Manor | Adventure, Puzzle | — | — | 1988 | Director: Paul Hubans[19] Additional: Derek Yu |
| 43 | Elfazar's Hat | Arcade, Shooter | — | |
1988 | Eirik Suhrke |
| 44 | Pilot Quest | Adventure | — | — | 1988 | Directors: Derek Yu,[18] Jon Perry[18] |
| 45 | Mini & Max | Adventure, Platform | — | — | 1989 | Director: Jon Perry[14] Additional: Paul Hubans[14] |
| 46 | Combatants | Strategy | |
— | 1989 | Derek Yu |
| 47 | Quibble Race[c] | Strategy, Simulation | |
— | 1989 | Derek Yu,[13] Jon Perry |
| 48 | Seaside Drive | Arcade, Shooter | — | |
1989 | Director: Ojiro Fumoto[16] |
| 49 | Campanella 3 | Arcade, Shooter | — | — | 1989 | Eirik Suhrke |
| 50 | Cyber Owls | Platform, Shooter, Strategy | — | — | 1989 | Derek Yu, Paul Hubans, Tyriq Plummer |
| 51 | Miasma Tower[d] | — | — | — | 1989 | ? |
Development
[edit]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.[19] 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]
Soon after development started, 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."[20] 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.[21] Every member of the team contributed design, writing, artwork, and programming to UFO 50, and worked on anothers' games, sometimes extensively.[19]
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.[22] 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".[21] 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.[19][22] Because of these reasons, development took six more years, with the game's final release date being September 18, 2024.[23] UFO 50's eight-year development time coincidentally ended up matching the time frame spanning the games' fictional release dates (1982–1989).[24]
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] 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.[25]
Marketing and release
[edit]UFO 50 was revealed in 2017 on the Mossmouth YouTube channel, and was slated to be released the following year.[22] An early version of UFO 50 was showcased during 2017's Pax West game convention,[26] as well as the following year's Pax West.[27] 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.[28]
Reception
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2024) |
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 92/100[29] |
| OpenCritic | 100%[30] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Digital Trends | 4.5/5[31] |
| Eurogamer | 5/5[32] |
| GameSpot | 9/10[33] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 83/100[34] |
According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, UFO 50 received "universal acclaim" from reviewers,[29] and 100% of critics recommended the game, according to OpenCritic.[30]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ May, Bex April (30 August 2024). "UFO 50: A low-res, high-concept anthology of imaginary retro games". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Donlan, Christian (18 September 2024). "Spelunky's Derek Yu talks crafting UFO 50 and creating an entirely fictional developer". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ a b Colantonio, Giovanni (12 June 2024). "UFO 50 isn't the Spelunky follow-up you're expecting. It's even better". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ a b LeClair, Kyle (7 June 2024). "The Ambitious UFO 50 Finally Resurfaces With a Release Date". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Conditt, Jessica (8 June 2024). "UFO 50, the latest game from the Spelunky team, will finally arrive September 18". Engadget. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Shaun Prescott (20 September 2024). "Unsurprisingly, UFO 50 seems to have a big secret meta game that I've only just scratched the surface of". PC Gamer. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Jarvis, Matt (7 June 2024). "Spelunky creator's mega-collection of fictional retro games UFO 50 will finally be out this September". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Young, Georgina (19 June 2024). "UFO 50 preview: Actionally Good 52". Videogames.si. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Coming in to Land". Edge. No. 397. Future plc. June 2024.
- ^ L., Dominic (8 June 2024). "UFO50 packs 50 retro-styled games into one amazing package". TheSixthAxis.
- ^ Switzer, Eric (18 June 2024). "My Favorite Game From Summer Game Fest Isn't One Game, It's 50". The Gamer. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Compendio, Chris (10 October 2024). "'UFO 50,' one of the best video games of the year, took 8 years to make – and a Philly-area developer had a hand in it". PhillyVoice.
- ^ a b c d e "Derek Yu". Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Trent Kusters (11 November 2024). "The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: Brainstorming 50 Games in 1 for UFO 50". Game Maker's Notebook (Podcast). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Event occurs at 1:08:15. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "..and the mooncats by aarkipel". 13 December 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Trent Kusters (11 November 2024). "The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: Brainstorming 50 Games in 1 for UFO 50". Game Maker's Notebook (Podcast). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Event occurs at 1:21:55. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d Trent Kusters (11 November 2024). "The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: Brainstorming 50 Games in 1 for UFO 50". Game Maker's Notebook (Podcast). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Event occurs at 1:12:54. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Trent Kusters (11 November 2024). "The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: Brainstorming 50 Games in 1 for UFO 50". Game Maker's Notebook (Podcast). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Event occurs at 1:04:47. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Mossmouth, LLC. "UFO 50". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Trent Kusters (11 November 2024). "The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: Brainstorming 50 Games in 1 for UFO 50". Game Maker's Notebook (Podcast). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Event occurs at 35:05. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b Castle, Katharine (28 February 2024). "After seven years, Spelunky creator's retro compilation UFO 50 will release in the second half of 2024". Rock Paper Shotgun.
- ^ a b c Wales, Matt (28 February 2024). "Spelunky studio's long-awaited 8-bit game anthology UFO 50 due "second half" of 2024". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Day of the Devs 2024: UFO 50. The Game Awards. 7 June 2024. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Edge 397 explores UFO 50, Spelunky dev Mossmouth's ambitious mission to build 50 games for a fictional retro console". GamesRadar. 18 April 2024. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Trent Kusters (11 November 2024). "The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: Brainstorming 50 Games in 1 for UFO 50". Game Maker's Notebook (Podcast). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Event occurs at 40:50. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Machkovech, Sam (2 September 2017). "PAX West: At least eight of UFO 50's games are instant retro classics". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Machkovech, Sam (9 September 2018). "The 16 surprising new games that made PAX West an absolute blast". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Reuben, Nic (7 June 2024). "Everything announced and featured at Day Of The Devs 2024 in one place". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ a b "UFO 50 reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ a b "UFO 50 Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Colantonio, Giovanni (16 September 2024). "UFO 50 review: the 8-bit era returns in this fantastic retro collection". Digital Trends. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Donlan, Christian (16 September 2024). "UFO 50 review — a rangy, confounding and audacious proposition". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Watts, Steve (18 September 2024). "UFO 50 Review — Space Shuttle Discovery". GameSpot. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Brunskill, Kerry (16 September 2024). "UFO 50 review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 27 September 2024.