Ultros is a metroidvania with a distinction. That could be a straightforward phrase to throw round, however Ultros actually does stand out. This formidable title takes the standard exploration and battle mechanics that we all know and love and thrusts them right into a psychedelic world.
The very first thing you’ll discover when enjoying Ultros—and even by merely spying the screenshots—are the visuals. This colourful world is definitely hanging, with pinks, greens, blues, and each different shiny hue splashed throughout a lavish dream-like panorama. It makes for a trippy world that begs to be explored. The detailed background is typically too detailed, making it difficult to distinguish between one thing in entrance of you or behind you. Let’s simply say, I attempted (unsuccessfully) attacking the wall a number of instances, considering {that a} creature was about to have interaction with me. It was, in actual fact, a creepy mural upon the wall. Oops.
There’s a barely weird story to accompany this intense look. It entails a heroine trapped in an unfamiliar world. As you progress, she meets different trapped entities, all of whom have fading reminiscences. It seems the longer you stay on this mysterious place, the extra you lose your self. On this approach, your aim is straightforward: discover an escape. Oh, and destroy every little thing when you’re at it.
The gameplay, in some methods, feels acquainted. As with all metroidvania value its weight in salt, you progress left, proper, up, and down in a sprawling, maze-like, 2D panorama. Every new room provides to your increasing map, and there are hidden pathways, save factors, enemies, and upgrades alongside the best way. The distinction? Properly, there are literally a pair, each of which might make or break the sport for you.
Firstly, our heroine (who actually, actually appears to be like like Vega from Road Fighter, by the best way) possesses the power to eat her enemies as soon as defeated. Sure, “eat” as in eat. This odd attribute threw me off at first, with a easy “Eat” command displayed alongside my fallen foe. Wait, what? It seems that consuming enemies revives you. It’s additionally an essential forex of types, being traded in for upgrades. It’s nonetheless bizarre, although.
Secondly, there’s a easy gardening component at play. As you progress, you accumulate seeds which may be planted at designated spots. These change into bigger crops over time, granting you well being or creating new pathways whenever you later revisit them. The caveat is that the precise seed must be in the precise place to correctly impression the story, and it isn’t simple to know the place to put them or bear in mind which is which. A later capability to dig up and transfer seeds helps, however it’s nonetheless a chore that could be a a lot better thought in idea than in follow.
The audio is a stand-out facet, that includes subdued tones coupled with some pretty violin work. It supplies a darkish soundscape that juxtaposes the intense visuals, and it’s pretty to take heed to.
On the Swap model, there are some prolonged load instances that may impression gameplay. It’s not the worst I’ve seen, however it’s there. I’m not one who worries a complete lot about low framerates, however leaping doesn’t really feel as clean because it might, both. Maybe it’s going to run slightly higher on the Swap 2.
General, Ultros is an formidable metroidvania that stands out with starkly contrasting visuals and attention-grabbing gameplay parts. It’s virtually an excessive amount of for itself with a variety of concepts that don’t all the time work. It received’t be for everybody, however for those who’re within the temper for one thing approach off the crushed path, you’ll discover it right here.
