UFO 50 review (Steam Deck / Steam)

Imagine walking into your local retro game store and coming across a system you've never heard of, made by a company whose name is equally unknown – and then discovering that there are 50 games for that platform, covering genres like action, adventure, puzzle, fighting, platform, sports, RPG, and shmup. Then imagine that each of those 50 games is addictive And captivating – that pretty much explains why UFO 50 is so much fun.

Produced by a team of indie developers (led by Derek Yu) with hits like Spelunky, Downwell, Scorpulac And Catacomb Children UFO 50 is set in an alternate universe in which the fictional company UFO Soft has produced a series of titles for the fictional FX family of 8-bit systems, which around comparable to the NES in graphics and sound.

All 50 of these games are playable as soon as you start the game, and take you from 1982 to 1989, replicating the evolution of the Famicom/NES software well, with the latter examples becoming increasingly complex and detailed. The earliest game, Barbutastarts off simple and even has loading sounds as you switch between screens – just one of the countless ways in which developer Mossmouth manages to create a completely authentic experience, although none of these games really retro.

One might be tempted to compare UFO 50 to Nintendo's WarioWare franchise based on concept alone, but that does this package a solid Disservice. It's not that WarioWare is bad; it's that UFO 50's games are so polished and deep that calling them “micro” or “mini” is a downright insult. Some of these titles offer hours of fun and are a match for many NES classics in terms of replayability and longevity.

Our personal favorites include Coastal cruisea side-scrolling shooter with an OutRun-like atmosphere. You drift your car to keep the power of your projectiles high and compete against enemies on land and in the air.

Then there is Pilot Questa futuristic action-adventure with a Goemon feel and a city-building element in the style of Animal Crossing; you repair your spaceship, have to help the local aliens find the materials they need and there is even an exploration section where you search for resources while fighting enemies.

Valbraceis a first-person Dungeon Master-style role-playing game that features challenging real-time combat and fantastic presentation. Cyber ​​Owls is an intense Contra-like action platform game, but with owls (of course), while Faust Hell is a clone of Mighty Final Fight where you beat zombies. Onion delivery Is GTA meets Crazy Taxi, Kick Club combines Bubble Bobble with Soccer Kid and Warp Tank is an inventive puzzle shmup that reverses gravity. The sheer level of ingenuity and innovation on display here is simply graduation.

It's no exaggeration to say that there are weeks – if not months – of solid and engaging gameplay on offer here. Not only do the games have impressive depth, they also feature an extensive (and often entertaining) fictional story, and each game features an unlockable bonus that can be activated in a special “Garden” section of the game.

While some of the games are, as expected, better than others, they're all worth at least an hour of your time, if not significantly more. It's really like stumbling upon a vintage system with 50 must-have games all at once – and that makes it an essential purchase not just for retro fans, but for anyone who finds video games even remotely appealing. Simply put, UFO 50 is a masterpiece.