ULTRA AGE
Year of the combo
What was the last Korean game you played? You don’t hear about many big games coming from Korean developers, which is bizarre considering the talent in that country. Well, when this game launches in 2020, ‘Ultra Age’ will be the answer to that question for many of us.
In Ultra Age, humanity has abandoned the Earth to live in space, but lead character Age must return in order to ensure the species’ continued survival. Despite all the future tech available, he doesn’t rely on things like guns, but instead uses multiple swords, each with its own strengths, weaknesses, and elemental affinities (his stock of which can deplete with too much use of strong attacks).
SWORDER OR CHAOS
Earth’s overgrown forests and still-churning factories are now home to mutants and machines. Some swords are more effective against certain enemy types; we have particular fun with a zappy electric sword that can short-circuit enemy robots. Enemies are hostile towards each other too, so you can avoid some encounters by letting them fight it or out, or you can just let them weaken each other.
But there’s not a lot of reason why you wouldn’t want to fight it out.
Age is able to hold his own, and has taken a lot of notes from the likes of Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and
Nier: Automata. The fighting system is an accomplished one that’ll have you grappling with enemies, dodging attacks, and laying down some seriously stylish combos. Putting away strong enemies with nary a scratch gives absolutely you the same level of satisfaction you’d get from the other giants in the genre.
Collecting crystals throughout the level will give you energy to pull off stronger attacks, and there’s quite a lot of environment in which to find them. In our hands-on we play through a forest and a factory, which do end up feeling a bit samey. But we’re also told Ultra Age will have roguelike elements. We’ve yet to see how this will work, but we’re happy to keep coming back for more tastes of the fresh, stylish action, and sharing it with you.
“YOU’LL BE GRAPPLING WITH ENEMIES, DODGING ATTACKS, AND LAYING DOWN SOME SERIOUSLY STYLISH COMBOS.”