UFO 50 Reviews

It's hard to put into words how exceptional UFO 50 is. Is it going to be my favorite game of all time or even game of the year? Probably not. But I love how the games tickled my brain by blending the aesthetics of games from my childhood with clever modern twists.

What stands out about UFO 50, Mossmouth’s delightful collection of retro-styled games, is not that so many of them are absolute bangers – although they are – rather, it’s the fact that it genuinely all comes together as a single experience. In this game, you are a visitor in some wonderful exhibition, and UFO 50 is your 8-bit time machine. It's magnificent, and a perfect fit for Switch.

UFO 50 is like stumbling across a time capsule and discovering a wealth of lost knowledge inside. And yet, it’s entirely a singular work of fiction. That by itself is deeply fascinating and makes this thing worth playing. Even if you pass over most of the games and only find a few that stick with you from a fun perspective, the depth on a conceptual level is absurd and gratifying to simply think about. We’re living at a time in which older games are vanishing from both physical reality and our sort of collective cultural well at an increasing rate, when remakes are seen as replacements for original work and curiosity to seek out history is dwindling unless there’s a purchasable remaster. UFO 50 is fun to play and take at face value, but it also highlights how age really isn’t a detriment to having a great time and engaging with games.

It’s not uncommon to see indie developers deciding to make a game based on a specific retro era, most likely from their childhood. It’s not even uncommon to see some developers make games based on the specific limitations of a console from back in the day, just like how Shovel Knight and the latest Rugrats game were coded with the NES limitations in mind. But UFO 50 is something else, and a lot more ambitious. Instead of making a retro-esque game, the folks at Mossmouth (the development t...

“UFO 50 will remind you why you fell in love with video games in the first place.”

UFO 50 is a masterful compilation of retro-style games that invokes the sense of delightful discovery at the heart of the 8-bit era.

The 1980s reimagined as a collection of 50 "small" games, ranging from arcade racers to full-blown RPGs.

A staggering achievement in indie gaming that offers almost too much value for its own good, with 50 superb indie games – many of which could be standalone games in their own right.

UFO 50 is a collection of 50 single and multiplayer games from the creators of Spelunky, Downwell, Air Land & Sea, Skorpulac, Catacomb Kids, and Madhouse. Jump in and explore a variety of genres, from platformers and shoot 'em ups to puzzle games and RPGs.

Some of this 8-bit collection's gems truly could've been standalone games.

Quite possibly the most bang for your buck you’ll ever get in a game.

A collection of new-old sports games, RPGs, platformers and puzzlers: what is all this sweet work worth?