NEON PLIGHT
Battle crazy creatures and big bosses in this strange and psychedelic indie title
Ultros
(PEGI 16) PS4, PS5, PC HHHII
IT’S still only February, and already we have a contender for strangest game of the year.
Ultros bills itself as a psychedelic Metroidvania (a sub-genre actionadventure game and/or platformer), and its vibrant, almost obnoxious graphics instantly make an impression, searing themselves into your brain.
The story takes place on a mysterious spaceship, The Sarcophagus, a cosmic uterus holding an ancient, demonic being – and if science fiction has taught me anything, releasing it would be a very bad thing.
Our caped protagonist wakes among an abundance of weird and wonderful plants, setting the scene for what’s about to come, perfectly.
From there you make your way through the ship, the dark foregrounds making the platforming obstacles really stand out against trippy, neon-soaked backgrounds.
The first few minutes act as a tutorial, you’ll find a short sword to fight with, and meet a being who will lay out your objective – sever the connection of several beings to the ship’s system in order to escape.
One of the first things I did was stumble straight into one of the ship’s Lovecraftian creatures, which I hadn’t been able to discern from the background. Thankfully it didn’t do too much damage, but it did give me a right shock.
You soon learn that certain creatures can only be dispatched in specific ways, with some requiring you to slide beneath them to attack their soft underbelly, while others with heavy plastic looking protection, need taking out from behind.
Then comes the gross bit, you can harvest the dead creature’s internal organs which you can then consume or stash away for a rainy day.
There are some beings you’ll encounter who prefer gossiping to violence, and some of these will offer up seeds which you can then plant to use as food.
Food is important, as it allows you to boost your traveller’s skill tree by unlocking cortex abilities, so you can add skills like sneaking, tracking certain areas on maps and dropkicking enemies.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, there’s also a time loop element to Ultros, which sees you taken back to the start of the game to repeat everything you’ve just done, Groundhog Day style.
While you retain any new equipment you’ve collected along the way, each loop does reset your skills, although they are easier to boost on the next run.
The choices you made during your previous run also dictate how the world looks for your next pass through, for example, areas that were previously inaccessible may now be open to you.
It’s nice to see how combat evolves as the game progresses, from simple hack-and-slash at the start, to a cleaner, more precise affair as you unlock fresh skills and abilities.
It’s the time loop which has prevented others from escaping the Sarcophagus, and those caught in it have changed forever.
While some you encounter are helpful, others have become deranged and act as the game’s bosses.
There’s the Enraged Beast, a nightmarish bluebottle type creature; The Host, a squelching, multieyed wormlike monster that unleashes giant balls and shoots fire, and then there’s Qualia, a humanoid that’s been driven mad, who acts as the final boss.
If you’ve dutifully upskilled your adventurer as you progress, the bosses don’t pose too much of a challenge, although my cockyness did see me get kersplatted a few times. It would be wrong not to also mention Ultros’ soundtrack, which is hauntingly beautiful and helps elevate the game’s atmosphere. There’s been no shortage of games for Metroidvania fans of late, but this indie gem is proving to be one of the strangest and most enjoyable. Buy it: £19.99 (£29.99 for the deluxe edition) on PS4/PS5 from store.playstation.com, or £19.99 on PC from store.steampowered.com
Food is important, as it allows you to boost your traveller’s skill tree by unlocking cortex abilities