Intra Games today (21st) unveiled an online meeting to introduce the roadmap of the action game ‘Ultra Age’ jointly developed by Next Stage and Visual Dart and published by Intra Games, and the PC version release date was confirmed. The PC version of ‘Ultra Age’ will be officially released on the Steam platform on April 28th.
Nextstage CEO Kang Hyun-woo, who attended the online meeting and directly explained the improvements to the game, explained that while preparing for the PC version release, various aspects were improved, including graphics and sound, as well as gameplay and other content.
First, the graphic quality of the overall background and all chapters has been improved, and the quality of objects such as grass, trees, rocks and moss has also been improved to make them look more realistic. At the same time, the frame optimization work has been carried out, and it has been improved so that it can maintain a constant frame even in various environments or battles, CEO Kang Hyun-woo explains. In the PC version, a function to directly select a frame option was added so that the game could be played according to the user’s monitor environment.
The appearance of the main character, Eiji, has also been significantly modified. CEO Kang Hyun-woo explained that Visual Dart, a co-developer of ‘Ultra Age’ and a graphic consulting company, took charge of the improvement, and that it was implemented in a more realistic form according to the game concept.
After the release of the console version, the voice dubbing part, which received a lot of feedback from users, was also greatly improved. All English and Japanese lines in the game were re-recorded from the beginning to raise the voice quality, and the newly improved elements will be applied to the console version through a later patch.
Information about the new free DLC added after the PC version was released was also revealed. A new roguelite-type content where you can enjoy the high-speed action of ‘Ultra Age’ will appear, and collection elements will also be added. The free DLC applies to all platforms and is being developed with the goal of release in the second half of 2022.
Next Stage CEO Kang Hyun-woo said, “I would like to sincerely thank you once again for showing a lot of interest in ‘Ultra Age’ for about 7 months after its release. I hope it will be an opportunity to be recognized for its faithfulness and potential beyond indie games.”
Online meeting Q&A
I am curious about your feelings ahead of the release of the PC version of ‘Ultra Age’.
– I remember that many people showed interest at the Steam Festival in the past, and I am looking forward to the release soon. We look forward to your continued interest in the future.
Why is the PC version released about 7 months after the console version is released?
– Several patches have been made to improve the game since the console version was released. As the content is for pleasant gameplay, we tried to apply it together during the development of the PC version, so we can only announce the release now.
I wonder if there are any games or movies that were inspired by the development process of ‘Ultra Age’.
– In the case of games, I was inspired by Platinum Games’ works such as Devil May Cry, Nier Automata, and Bayonetta, and for the movie, I was able to get a lot of inspiration from the movie ‘Island’.
What was the background for trying to expand the platform to the PC version?
– I had the idea that I would like more users to enjoy the game on various platforms, so I naturally expanded the platform.
You released the game on several platforms, and I wonder which platform was the most difficult to port to.
Nintendo Switch was the most difficult to implement due to device specifications, and at that time, it lacked know-how for optimization. I analyzed several games released on the Nintendo Switch and referred to optimization methods.
In terms of developing and releasing games, what are the pros and cons of each platform?
– Since the game was developed using Unreal Engine, there was no significant difference in optimization for each platform. The advantage of consoles such as the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch is that the resolution is fixed, so relatively few tests can be performed.
In the case of the PC version, it was difficult to cope with various resolutions and the performance of the PCs used by users.
What are the recommended specifications for the ‘Ultra Age’ PC version?
– CPU is Intel 8th generation i3, 2nd generation Ryzen 3 or higher, GPU is expected to be able to play smoothly with GeForce 1060 or higher.
As it utilizes Unreal Engine, which is easy to expand the platform, I wonder if there are any plans to release it on mobile devices.
– Currently, we are not considering mobile devices because we are focusing on PC version and DLC development.
I wonder if there are any plans to enter the store on other PC platforms such as the Epic Games store other than Steam.
– If the opportunity arises, we have plans to enter other platforms as well.
I wonder if there are any plans for a sequel after ‘Ultra Age’.
– There is no specific plan, but a prototype is being developed to show a game that can show familiar and unique action. In addition, the recently released Unreal Engine 5 is also carrying out R&D with interest.
Finally, please give a word to users who are looking forward to the PC version of ‘Ultra Age’.
– We would like to thank those who gave a lot of interest from the Steam Next Festival to the release of the PC version, and would like to repay you through improvements from the PC version and free DLC. Thank you for your interest, support, and feedback.