Ultros is a metroidvania with a distinction. That could be a straightforward phrase to throw round, however Ultros actually does stand out. This bold title takes the same old 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 actually hanging, with pinks, greens, blues, and each different brilliant hue splashed throughout a lavish dream-like panorama. It makes for a trippy world that begs to be explored. The detailed background is usually 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, pondering {that a} creature was about to interact with me. It was, the truth is, 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 recollections. It seems the longer you stay on this mysterious place, the extra you lose your self. On this manner, your objective is straightforward: discover an escape. Oh, and destroy every part whilst 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? Nicely, 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 Avenue Fighter, by the best way) possesses the flexibility 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 necessary forex of types, being traded in for upgrades. It’s nonetheless bizarre, although.
Secondly, there’s a easy gardening factor at play. As you progress, you accumulate seeds which will be planted at designated spots. These turn into bigger vegetation over time, granting you well being or creating new pathways if you later revisit them. The caveat is that the suitable seed must be in the suitable place to correctly impression the story, and it isn’t simple to know the place to position them or keep in mind which is which. A later capacity to dig up and transfer seeds helps, however it’s nonetheless a chore that may be a significantly better concept in principle than in follow.
The audio is a stand-out facet, that includes subdued tones coupled with some pretty violin work. It offers a darkish soundscape that juxtaposes the brilliant 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 an entire lot about low framerates, however leaping doesn’t really feel as easy because it might, both. Maybe it’ll run a bit higher on the Swap 2.
General, Ultros is an bold metroidvania that stands out with starkly contrasting visuals and fascinating gameplay parts. It’s virtually an excessive amount of for itself with a number of concepts that don’t all the time work. It received’t be for everybody, however in case you’re within the temper for one thing manner off the crushed path, you’ll discover it right here.