2023-12-06 16:00:00
ingameTests
Indie developer Hadoque is sending us into a space uterus with Ultros in 2024. We were able to get an idea in advance of how crazy Metroidvania will be.
Gothenburg, Sweden – Ultros is one of those games that grabs attention with its look alone. When it was revealed in the Playstation Showcase, the game stood out from the trailer crowd with its trippy look. The mysterious world in absurdly bright colors immediately made you want more gameplay. But can the indie title do more than just look good? We were able to take a train from Ultros and are now sharing our experience report with you following the four-hour drug trip.
Ultros13.02.2024HadoqueKepler InteractivePC, PS4, PS52D-Metroidvania, Rogue-Lite
Colorful, Colorful, Ultros – cosmic color spectacle meets intoxicating sci-fi farce
What is Ultros regarding? Without any further context, you wake up with protagonist Ouji in a place covered in strange details. It turns out it’s a gigantic space uterus floating around the galaxy. This so-called sarcophagus houses a demonic creature with the eponymous name Ultros. You should find out what this creature, its environment and yourself are all regarding through constant exploration of the 2D Metroidvania world, bit by bit.
The gameplay loop consists of intense close combat, in which precision and the choice of attack maneuvers are equally important. Planting seeds brings variety to the brutal alien slaughter and the constant flight forward. This gardening mechanic allows you to enjoy real moments of peace between the brightly colored action. But the resulting flora is by no means just intended to soothe the eye. In many parts of the world you can even gain access to hidden passages of the game by using your growths in a targeted manner.
Ultros a lot of fun – innovative gameplay mechanics ensure a unique high feeling
Why should you keep an eye on Ultros? When it comes to video games, the eye plays along. Unsurprisingly, the look is also the highlight of Ultros. None other than the artist El Huervo is responsible for the extraordinary art style. He had also given the indie hit Hotline Miami its unmistakable touch.
This can be recognized in every corner of Hadoque’s game, no matter how lovingly decorated it is. But the menus and fonts also seem familiar. In the most positive sense, this is the only thing that disrupts the flow of the game. Often there is nothing left but to stop and absorb the colorful backdrop in all its details. But the storm of colors never makes it confusing. The contrast of the deep black platforms makes it easy for Ouji to maneuver through the womb.
The eye never gets tired of the world in Ultros. © Hadoque
But one thing stands out from the brightly colored flood of pixels: the enemies. Every cosmic being impresses with its uniqueness and strangeness. Some even seem so poisonous or disgusting that you want to kill them all the faster. And in the preview it works as smoothly and satisfyingly as the word buttery-soft reads.
At first glance, Ultros doesn’t dare to revolutionize. A skill tree, various fighting moves and a chargeable attack also form the basic structure of this game. What becomes innovative is the combination of healing with the activation of abilities. Because if you want life points and experience points, you can get them through severed body parts from your opponents.
Visually, the enemies and bosses in Ultros are the absolute highlight. © Hadoque
This dual function requires players to carefully manage the healing items. Because if you consume too much for the next skill, you will quickly find yourself without life regeneration in battle. However, if you use everything to survive, you won’t be able to afford important upgrades. A trick that doesn’t artificially slow you down, but rather allows you to look more consciously at your own inventory.
This is also linked to another unique selling point of the Swedish developers. Those body parts vary in their stats depending on their condition. Your combat behavior is the only thing that determines the quality of the yield. If you use different attacks, you will get pristine remains instead of just bloody lumps. So while in other games you often only switch between two attacks, Ultros motivates you to fully utilize your arsenal.
Bland shades of gray with an followingtaste – Ultros-Trip has side effects that are difficult to enjoy
We didn’t like this so much: For us, the fighting and design mightn’t disguise the unwieldy narrative of the story. If we met other residents of the Sarcophagus, for example, it quickly became very difficult to understand the context of the dialogues. However, since we were only able to play the first two sections in the preview, we don’t want to rule out the possibility that the picture fits in with the story. A prime example here is the cryptic nature of the item descriptions.
Item descriptions, like the story of Ultros, might use more comprehensibility. © Hadoque
The side edges of the screen were similarly irritating in our early access. There the image becomes visibly blurry and can therefore be quite straining on the eyes when entering and exiting. As you can see in the image below, Ultros becomes a messy affair here.
The otherwise beautiful world of Ultros becomes blurred on the side edges of the screen. © Hadoque
What can also only be assessed from the areas shown to us is the loss of the urge to explore, which increases parallel to the duration of the game. This is actually absurd for a Metroidvania, but this is compensated for by the inexhaustible creativity of the setting. Nonetheless, when we uncovered the map, we rarely encountered answers to the world or any rewarding moments. Unfortunately, where there was an expectation of interaction with the surroundings, it was often just a beautiful picture of the backdrop.
Preview conclusion for Ultros – Unforgettable drug rush that still lacks the right dose
Is Ultros worth an indie recommendation? “Have fun with the colors,” said developer Hadoque before testing in the preview build – and we had that too. What we saw was not only completely bug-free, but also made the time pass in a rush. With its uniqueness, Ultros has the potential to become a real insider tip in 2024. We haven’t had enough of the colors yet and want to find out more regarding the space uterus.
Ultros Preview: Legal drug trip or colorful indie disappointment? © Hadoque
What do we hope for from the full release? Hadoque may still be turning some screws before publication. When the entire world of Ultros is open to us, we can hopefully enjoy the bright colors at the ends of the screen without any side effects. We are optimistic that we will warm up to the sci-fi story as the game progresses. For the game world, we would like to see a few smaller side stories that awaken the spirit of discovery.
– World lacks motivation to explore – Story and lore difficult to grasp – Spongy margins
Ultros will be released on February 13, 2024 and can now be pre-ordered for PC, Playstation 4 and Playstation 5. There will even be a physical release for the PS5 in the form of a Deluxe Edition.
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