UFO 50

October 14, 2024

4 min read

#What is it?

From the Steam page:

UFO 50 is a collection of 50 single and multiplayer games that span a variety of genres, from platformers and shoot 'em ups to puzzle games, roguelites, and RPGs. Our goal is to combine a familiar 8-bit aesthetic with new ideas and modern game design.

UFO 50 was developed by Derek Yu, Eirik Suhrke, Jon Perry, Paul Hubans, Ojiro Fumoto, and Tyriq Plummer.

#Feelings

I'm an apathetic gamer lately. I used to be into sampling random web games on a whim, but I've been sticking to a few main games and not much else this year.

UFO 50 has been challenging me to climb out of this rut. I have no clue what suprise will be inside each little cartridge. All I get to go on is a pixel art icon and a title. It's very rewarding to push past the initial discomfort and confusion I feel trying to figure out each game.

Avianos, Mooncat, Bushido Ball, Block Koala, and Camoflauge

I have felt pretty worn out this year, and I really appreciate the opportunity to put myself out there in this little way. Fighting for understanding instead of curling up and stagnating forever feels healthy.

#My fav

I think because of these emotions, Planet Zoldath, a weirdo randomly generated adventurey game has been my favorite experience of the collection thus far. There's not much to grab onto when you start it, but you find a little more footing on each repeated play. When you give it enough time, Zoldath reveals all these surprising systemic interactions. I didn't know what to expect with this one and found these discoveries delightful. 👽

#So much more to discover

My UFO 50 cartridge progress (the gold ones are some of my favorites)

I'm around halfway through opening all the games in UFO 50. I've only beat 4 of them. I haven't even played half of them for more than 30 minutes! It is truly remarkable how large this collection is. I am looking forward to UFO 50's energizing companionship for months to come.