Remember those retro compilation packs that promised a burst of gaming, all contained in one fun package? The best of the bunch, like Sega Smash Pack (PC, 1999), gathered several classics in one place, while terrible offenders like the unlicensed Action 52 (NES, 1991) provided nothing but janky disaster. Now, there’s a new “retro” collection in town, UFO 50, developed by Mossmouth and available on PC/Steam. This quirky compilation tells the story of the fictional developer, UFOSoft, and tracks their history across the 80s and 90s with a library of 50 unique titles. In essence, each game is a completely new experience, inspired by iconic retro games and fused into something fresh. Ambitious, addictive, and appropriately challenging, UFO 50 is a modern godsend for retro gaming fans.
The Many Games of UFO 50
When you first boot up UFO 50, you’re greeted by a screen of 50 dusty cartridges, each one available for you to boot up and play. In this collection, there are no limits on the order in which you experience the games. Whether you want to start with the very first game, a rudimentary adventure called Barbuta, or skip all the way to the final title, a hectic action title called Cyber Owls, the choice is yours. Each game, regardless of its genre, has two win conditions. Simply beating a game grants you a golden trophy, but for the dedicated player, a rare “cherry” award can be earned by finding hidden endings, reaching 100% completion, and clearing tough high scores.
The variety of genres represented is remarkable too, including action-adventures, strategy games, side-scrollers, and much, much more. Arcade-style games are plentiful, like the shoot ’em ups, Caramel Caramel and Star Waspir, where your only goal is to blast down ships and survive as long as possible. However, even the most simple games usually offer a unique twist on the established formula, giving way to a new experience. For example, in Paint Chase, you drive a car around a maze and defeat enemies just like you would in Pac-Man (Arcade, 1980), but you also paint the path you travel, with the objective being to out-paint your opponent in each stage.
UFO 50 offers much more than just straightforward arcade-style games, with some titles in the collection offering several hours of playtime each. Take for instance Night Manor, a fusion of the survival-horror and classic point ‘n click genres, which will easily take 4 – 6 hours to complete. There’s also a first-person dungeon crawler called Valbrace, with combat inspired by Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (NES, 1987), packed with secrets to uncover. You can even find a full length turn-based RPG in the form of Grimstone, which is basically Final Fantasy (NES, 1987) but in a supernatural Wild West setting.
To be fair, there are a few games that I personally didn’t enjoy, but that’s kind of the nature of things. With 50 games in total, it’s impossible for every single one to be a winner, and in this case, one gamer’s trash is likely another gamer’s treasure. At the very least, you can rest assured knowing every game in UFO 50 was designed with intent, often paying homage to a specific genre or series from times past. In short, UFO 50 is a buffet of awesome retro-inspired games, with a handful of hidden masterpieces in the pile. If you consider yourself a retro gamer and often say things like “They don’t make ’em like they used to!”, then this is the game for you.
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